Joy

I sit by the beach.  The summer Sun shines on bright as ever. But the scorch of the day is wearing out and he shows hints of setting.  The water glistens like gold with sparkling diamonds embedded within, along the horizon. It looks like a huge tiara with the scintillating Sun at the crown.  The waves slap the sand, chasing after one another. They linger about for a few seconds before they back out with the mocking froth spreading out like the frilled train of a bride’s white gown, dragging along with it a layer of sand.

The wind is harsh whipping at my face, blowing around my hair.  It has a saline scent.  I close my eyes accepting the wind pushing against me, but it is suddenly gentle, hugging me.

I walk to the edge of the water.  The waves race to meet me washing my feet.  The smooth sand slipping between my toes sinks slowly, rooting my feet to the spot.

I feel at peace. The people around me are a blur. The sounds of children splashing at each other in the water sounds muffled as I lose myself in the arms of nature.

It is pure joy. There is joy in every little thing. Everyone wants to be happy.  But where can you find happiness?  In the chaotic competitive world of today, we are weighed down with pressures of work.  We hear our parents and grandparents talk about the ‘good old days’ when they were ‘happy’ and ‘content’.  

There is extravagance of everything, and we still say, ‘aur dikhao’.  We get bored easily and we want more.  We strive hard to make our lives better and easier but happiness and contentment elude us.  In our efforts to find ‘bigger’ joy, we fail to notice the little pleasures around us.  

So what do I do when Sadness takes over my console of emotions? (Besides collapsing down obsessing over my grief for hours).  Diverting the mind to feel happy can be hard. 

The monotonous routines of life always rake up turmoil inside me.  The raging storm in my mind wants me to break away and escape.  I take refuge in Nature and I was never disappointed.  The sight of night sky when a star winks at you, or the birds hopping about in their business, or the setting Sun, the expanse of the sea and the embrace of the wind brings in tranquillity.  I breathe in deep feeling my lungs expand. I smile involuntarily.

The Sun blushing red is now low, gliding down stealthily at the horizon spilling colours all over the sky as it disappears.  The traces of clouds absorb the colours reflecting a yellowish glow.  I soak in the twilight.

-Nivedita