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Joy in a Nutshell

  



The bell rang. We were to go to the field for Physical Education like other days. A long queue of students quickly snaked away from the oppressive textbook-laden classroom towards temporary freedom. The physical education class was our favourite! We would scamper around the field, play games, and sometimes deceive the teacher's eyes to do everything apart from playing the assigned games. 'Not all who wander are lost,' we told ourselves sagely. 


The mango trees in the field were ripe with fruit, but we weren't allowed to take them home. So we would pick the mangoes up, scrutinize them carefully, and hold court on the difficult question of whether they were good to eat raw or as pickles. The squirrels and the cats were our field mates, although the squirrels would never bother to stay for a second when they'd see us. They were very quick to disappear into the trees. And the more they disappeared, the more they would fascinate us. I remember we would have discussions at length about how to impress these elusive creatures. But mostly they would go in vain. There were at least a hundred failed attempts to befriend them.


That day was different.


When we reached the field, the rain had just ceased. There was no sun. We were asked to form teams to play kho-kho. I was just about to run from the basketball court to the middle of the field when something dropped from the tree right on my shoes! Crow dropping. I looked up in disappointment and was just about to make my move when I saw a squirrel staring at me from a branch of a tree. I stopped in my tracks. The squirrel didn't run away. I smiled. I would like to believe it smiled too. 


I waved my hands to say hi, it still kept staring. I held my breath to not scare it away. I had a packet of nuts in my pocket for breaktime. I opened it and scattered some before the squirrel very slowly. And took a few steps back. It came, at its own sweet pace, inspected them, grabbed some and ran back to the tree. 


The feeling of achievement is like cleansing rain. I felt it for the first time. The squirrel had accepted my treat! Sage heads had spent innumerable hours trying to achieve this; elaborate plans had been devised, charts drawn up, collaborators invited, all and each meeting inevitable failure. Only I could make the squirrel come close to me. I felt like I had won a trophy. It was overwhelming.


These small joys never cease to make life worth cherishing. Even at the gloomiest of times. In hindsight, school was my happy place. Now, as I negotiate the 'big bad world,' I understand better the value of these joys, of talking to the animals, forming our own conversations, and having the time to wait and enjoy life's moments. The lament of WH Davies rings in my ears, 'What is this life if, full of care,/We have no time to stand and stare.'


Also, with every passing day, I understand that certain things are better appreciated from a distance. The squirrel was one of them. I am glad that I took those steps back at the right time.


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