Imagine you are staying in a small wood cabin in
the middle of a deep forest. It's night. Through the foggy window of your cabin
you see the moon. It appears blissful, but is looking for a kindred spirit. A
meditative soul. The stars are hibernating.
Outside your window, the trees are covered in
snow. There is no breeze to shake some snow shavings off the branches. You are
carried away by the thought of foxes trotting across the niveous landscape,
looking for things that matter to them.
Your fingers clutch a tea cup tightly. Your room
is just about lit, just about heated to keep you minimally warm. The world is
still except for the golden coloured liquid wobbling in your white tea cup. The
more you observe the contrast, the more you are enamored. By its colour, its
life, its vivacity.
You don't have an internet connection or a mobile
phone. You are far from the city. You have books for company, carefully chosen
ones. The tea gets replenished, each time, the stillness of the world and the
exuberance of the liquid touch you.
You look inside. You look outside. You form
connections. You look back. Like a movie reel that plays reverse, your life
unravels in slow motion. You traveled a lot, worked a lot, sent thousands of
messages over SMS and WhatsApp, posted on FB, made phone calls, chattered
endlessly, built a business, built someone else's business, and came back home
tired. You felt low once in a while. In spite of all this action and commotion,
a void remained.
You wanted more technological progress. You also
longed for unspoilt places.
Deep in the woods, you find your lost soul. You
feel the void no more. You stand still while it gets filled. You don’t make
haste to pick up your mobile phone to check the last message that came in with
a beep.
You are now visiting the woods, going back to the
pristine, to whatever is left after your constant rummaging. You have now
discovered that your windows are more transparent than the many flat screens
that once filled your life. As you venture into the woods, pay heed to this
reminder from Robert Baden-Powell. "When through with a camp-site, take
care to leave two things behind. Firstly: nothing, Secondly: your
thanks"
Gratitude is the best emotion to ring in the NEW
YEAR with. Happy New Year.
(Image courtesy: www.desktopnexus.com)
