A Reminder ...

I was in a grumpy and low mood today so after work, I decided to take a walk in the city center. I thought maybe it might divert my mind from the mundane things troubling my head. So, I took the train to the main station since the center is close to it.

After getting off the train at the train station, I was walking with my head hanging down and random thoughts troubling my head. I noticed a man walking elegantly in front of me wearing a neatly ironed suit. The man had a long white stick in his hand. The man could not see. But, there was a smile on his face and a unique confidence in his strides. It made me curious and I thought of following him for a while. It might sound creepy but at that time I thought maybe he might need some help taking stairs or a lift at the station. But to my amazement, the man was walking perfectly without a hiccup. He knew his way, he knew where he was going, he did not need anyone’s help, he was on his own. On the other hand, walking behind him, I saw people with eyes bumping into each other, even missing a step while taking the stairs but here was my MAN walking with a charm. Soon, he was lost in the crowd leaving behind a positive feeling in my heart. I felt very motivated and charged.

Here was a guy who was deprived of one of his senses and yet there was not a wrinkle on his forehead and an ever pleasing smile on his face. On the other end it was me who was blessed with all the comforts of life and yet was frowning over silly things. We read hundreds of times those motivational sentences in emails, on facebook, on twitter and what not but sometimes it takes a real example in front of you to make you realize how fortunate you are and how easily you are missing each moment of your life frowning over things which sometimes are not even in your own hand.

It reminded me of a quote by Kabir which I once read somewhere and loosely translates to:

Kabir said that when I was not a learned man and did not had His blessings; I was standing in a crowd of people thinking that I am the most miserable one. But when I became more learned by His grace, He raised me above that crowd. And what I saw from the top was that it was not just me but everyone in the crowd was feeling as miserable as I had been. It was just that before while standing with the crowd, I never realized it.

So, just as a reminder … come what may but never stop smiling :)