It's all in the mind

It was one of my bad-hair-day recently. The day was muggy, and I was gripped by an inexplicable ennui. Lackadaisically I went about doing my morning chores. At that moment, I felt nothing on earth could revivify my sagging spirits. Well, there were reasons for my sinking in doldrums.

Previous three days, on the trot, there had been an acute water crunch. To compound the misery, the nearby electric transformer had broken down, precipitating in lack of power supply. This in turn had resulted in dickey mosquito-repellent system, making mean mosquitoes merrily feed on our blood. The telly satellite channels too had gone temporarily kaput, depriving us of even those few moments of entertainment.

Smouldering with rage, I stepped outside to inhale a whiff of fresh air. Shucks! What did I behold? A street-mongrel had gnawed at a polythene bag, containing garbage that was placed by someone, just outside our compound gate. Besides the strewn litter creating an unprepossessing sight, the pong emanated by it was giving people staying around, bouts of nausea attack.

As if this ain’t enough, there was an aural assault of jarring noise created by some borewell drilling in the vicinity. Talk of sights, smells, sounds…, I muttered. How difficult life is when things go awry, and when we swerve even a wee bit from our comfort zone, I thought to myself.

Just then I saw my fruit vendor approaching, announcing her arrival in rhythmic tones. She was perspiring profusely as she had trudged up the steep road, pushing her pushcart, piled up with fruits. As she pulled near, she dug out a bottle of water from underneath the fruit heap, and extravagantly splattered it on her face. Throwing a radiant smile, she trilled, “Now, it’s like being in an AC room!” Saying this, she disappeared into the next street, after handing me fruits and collecting her money.

I was indeed mortified to see how despite being born and bred in hardships, here was a person who never ever cavilled about it. And, there I was whining over small discomforts in life. Slowly I began to mull. After all, the feeling of comfort is just a state of mind. One may feel comfy even amidst austere conditions, and one may feel the discomfort, even when one is sprawling on a swanky feather-filled bed! Ultimately it’s all in one’s mind.