A beautiful quote reads… “Enjoy the little things in life for one day you may look back and realise they were big things.” If I were to go back in time, the summer break at school, despite the sweltering heat and sweat holds some of the best memories.
The dispersion bell just before the summer vacation always sounded the most melodious. The run towards the school gate and way back home was a pleasure beyond words. Train journeys along with the excitement of boarding the train, the eagerness to hear the small hawkers screaming to attract the customers and the chaos amidst people running hither and tither meandering their way past these hawkers were fun to watch.
Small challenges like recalling the number of tunnels, names of the stations in sequence and names of the rivers were something I looked forward to. The thrill of endless conversations with the moon thanking it for showing the path at night and watching the evergreen fields go past by the windows during daytime gave the greatest joys.
Summer holidays at grandma’s place would start with a fight with cousins overdrawing water from the well followed by lighting up the firewood to prepare warm water for a bath. There were deals too… as a trip to the vegetable market meant we get to sit on the banks of Kaveri, with little fish nibbling our feet. Watering the backyard aided us in providing a cool ground to play hide-and-seek.
An everyday array of interesting mouthwatering snacks served on plantain leaves based on special requests by grandchildren was something to look forward to. Yummy laddoos to steaming hot bajjis, the tongue savoured them all without guilt.
Nighttime rituals from spreading the mattresses to passing the pillows to their destination everything became a game. We even had spectators, as hundreds of gods and ancestors, watching us eagerly leaving very little space on the walls for the lizards to snoop. When tasks become a play, anything is possible. They may be small pleasures but are truly precious.
As adults, we overlook these simple joys and worry about what is to come. Life is filled with uncertainties. Enjoy the little things, for they surely lighten the heart.