Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Peace and Harmony - Taken for granted?

Who told us that Peace, Harmony and Happiness is default?

Being out-of-trouble and leading a normal peaceful life, Is that DEFAULT in life? But dont we feel so? May be we dont even realize that we are feeling so. Shouldn't we feel gifted to gain a painless, peaceful day? How many people out there don't have it, but we do. But are we really feeling grateful for it? I guess, NO. Because we take them for granted.

Why is that we frown at the face of sorrow and down for a having a bad day, but, not celebrating as much as we frown when we are fine and happy, when our life is sailing smooth in harmony?

We take many things for granted. Almost everything that is good that happens to us are taken for granted. And we react less to them, and all that favors us, in leading a normal happy peaceful life is left unnoticed. But if the routine changes and there is a bit of trouble, we frown, cry or feel frustrated or feel the whole world is against us. Personally I feel this is biased.

When we are hurt by our friends or any of our loved ones, we make sure we stand up and demand justice by arguing or fighting or scolding. But how often do we recognize and reciprocate the little pleasure and happiness that they give, that makes our day fit and fine. Dont we need to be grateful for those?

I realize that we do not appreciate the good little things often, but will make sure we stand against and fight if hurt by someone. Sometimes a note of 'thanks' or 'u-r-great' or 'i feel good about u' will make a day for someone. I see how happy it makes mom feel when I praise her cooking, which I never often do. Coz I take for granted that she is to provide me nice and tasty food. I see how happy it makes my sis feel when I say I am very much happy in chatting with her when am feeling all alone in US. I am of course happy for it, but I never usually feel like conveying it to her. I thank my dear husband for helping me in kitchen when am down, which he anyway dont feel as a burden. Like this, there are many many petty things in life which we take for granted. We know its fetching us happiness deep inside, but we never show it out. But when such things are shown out, how good it feels. And what else is more powerful and more motivating than a word of appreciation? When someone says what u do is good, naturally we feel like doing it again. All of us love to be appreciated, thanked. So lets give the joy to others too. By this I dont mean to simply flatter people with our comments, but start noticing the unnoticed happiness, the happiness that is taken for granted, and be grateful for it.

Just a small note of praise, makes a lot of difference, to others, to ourselves too.

It makes our life more balanced. Reacting to -ve things in life is quite common, but reacting to +ve things too, will make our life more balanced and meaningful. At least I feel so :-)

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Me and the Oval substance

In childhood we do many pranks but once we are grown up we hardly remember them unless parents or relatives fondly refers to it.But there are few instances that remains fresh in memory. They should be special to you in someway. And I have got one of such memories.

I was in 4th standard then. I belong to a staunch vegetarian family. Now, personally I avoid non-vegetarian just for the reason that I am contented with vegetarian dishes. But at that age,I was somehow fascinated by this white-oval thing-a usual breakfast in my neighbor family. My neighborhood friends used to eat a boiled egg daily. And I vividly remember their mom breaking the egg slowly,tactically with a spoon thereby removing the outer white cover revealing the greyish boiled stuff inside and feeding it to her children. I never had any fondness or thrill towards eating non-vegetarian. I was as such poor in eating or rather 'eating' vegetarian itself was a burden. But I was (do not know for what reason) much awed by the breaking-of-boiled egg that I decided to try it out myself at my home.

So I called up a conference meeting, my sister, my cousin brother and cousin sister were there. All of them were 1-2-3 years younger to me. We all assembled and I told my wish and they were in for it. My cousin sister had habit of eating eggs for her health conditions. So my plan was to experiment the egg and feed it to my cousin sister. All set, and we decided to carry out our plan the next day, happened to be a sunday.

Sunday morning was busy with pooja at home. I think it was 'Karadayan nombu' ,where we do pooja for godess devi and tie a yellow thread in hand. After all the pooja, my parents and granny caught up with their mid-day nap.All were in nice sleep. We 4 gathered in the garden side of my home to carry out the plan. There came a confusion as who has to go and buy the egg from the shop. Me being the eldest (remember 4th std) of the group, I was naturally expected to do the task. I think I was feeling little embarrassed to go out to shop and buy it, still as being the lead member of the team, I had to do it. I was wondering how much would it cost me to buy an egg. I took a 20 Rs note (U wonder how I got it?? I never steal, I had a good habit of saving pocket money) and along with my group members went to the nearby store. All the while phrasing how to ask for the egg in the store. I wonder whats the big deal in going and buying an egg, but back then I was so much thrilled/embarrassed to do it.

We went to the store, to my luck, eggs were placed in the front shelf, and it was kept on the table right in front of me. I pointed my hand to "it" and asked the shop keeper to give me one of it. He cautiously put one egg in newspaper, folded it and gave it to me and asked me "one ten". For a minute I feared if it was Rs-110 but logically it appeared too much for me, even at that age... I asked him again, then clearly he said One Rupee 10 Paise. I could not stop chuckling, for me doubting, if 20/- would be enough for an egg. I handed him my 20/- note and got the change and the egg.

I could not wait to open it and feel it. It was too heavy, I did not expect it to be of any weight at all .I was wondering may be its because of the chicken zipped inside. Anyways, we went home, and I carefully walked inside the kitchen and after all 4 of us felt the egg once, I placed it inside a container filled with water on the stove. Switched the stove on and we all were gazing at it. Nothing happened. We wanted to go out to the garden and check it out a little later. We went back to garden and started chit chatting on our new adventure. Mean time, I came inside and carefully closed the rooms so that no one hears any noise from kitchen. Back to conference. My cousin brother went inside and came back with a big worry on his face and told me that the egg broke inside the water. My heart broke hearing the news.

We all rushed inside to see the condition of the egg, just to know that it was a sheepish lie from my notorious cousin. Though it was a lie, I started fearing, what if it really breaks. So I thought 'Enough of boiling,Let's start breaking'. So I took out the vessel carefully with the holder and we took it to the garden where I placed it down. I took out the egg with a big spoon, poured little cold water so as to hold it in hand with less heat. I kept a plate and over the plate I was trying to break the egg. I revised how my next door neighbor used to it and started the same way, Started breaking it slowly with the spoon, TAK TAK TAK...But nothing happened. Now I understand it, coz it was hardly few minutes in water and it was not really boiled at all. But I did not realize it that time, coz I was just in 4th standard yaar. Yet again, my notorious cousin brother came into picture, he wanted to try it out too.He took the egg from me and just gave one big shot, It was not like breaking an egg, it was like breaking a coconut and it cracked open fully and all the yellow substance of it poured over the plate that I cleverly had placed. I was giving him a 'what-the-hell' look sadly realizing nothing could be done and pitying myself over my crushed dreams. There dawned a new Idea "Omlette".

Then we decided, lets make an Omlette out of it, that will be more challenging. Know what I did? I took the eversilver plate with the yellow substance and happily kept it on the stove and switched it on to sim mode. (Remember, 4th standard :-( ) Thats it, and I was expecting an omlette out of it !! After few minutes, I could hear some cracking noise, there I saw the ever silver plate contracting and expanding itself over the stove and the kitchen started filling itself slowly with the egg smell. OH MY GOD ! I switched off the stove and took the plate with the holder and ran out to the garden. We kept the plate in the middle and all the 4 of us surrounded it. The plate has lost its shape a bit, twisting towards one side, and the egg was like part-boiled,part-burnt and part-yellow still.

Considering the task finished(without knowing what else to do), I offered it proudly to my cousin sister to taste it. I mean just the boiled part of it. She touched it with her finger, licked it and said it needs salt/chilli. Oh how do I know all that ! Now I brought in some salt and chilli powder and spread over it and again offered it to her. She concluding that there is no escape for her, again tried it a bit, we three of us did not taste it. Now I wonder if my cousin brother and sister did not taste it as they were afraid to try out a non-veg dish or for the reason that they were afraid of my preparation. Anyways, I really don't remember what happened after that and how I disposed it off. Cant beleive if she ate the whole, Man what a punishment it should have been.....All I can remember is, I was filling the kitchen with air fresher and sadly removing the thread tied in my hand during morning pooja , due to the severe egg smell in it.

So that was my experiment with egg. I guess 4th std kid of today's age can even make biriyani but u know, I was not so competent then.