Make gratitude your attitude

A jasmine vine across our fence blooms every morning and its fragrance captivates and allures many passersby to pause and admire. While some flowers adorn the gods, others get tucked inside the bun to keep the hair fragrant.  Fed only with rainwater & love, this happy jasmine never disappoints anyone.

Did you know that Bougainvillea grew well when they were given beer & eggs? Surprise them with a share of freshly brewed tea and watch them bloom to their best. A taste of coffee brew and some strained rice water helps in getting the best flowers. The flowers need to dance between Sunlight and shade, hence placing them right is crucial to retain their colour. Somewhere during this interesting conversation, my thoughts flew back to the poor moringa tree in our backyard.

One Sunday morning, a big noisy altercation poured on to the middle of our block. Everyone around was curious to find out that one important reason why this quarrel couldn’t wait till the other residents woke up.  After few swears, stares and high-pitched accusations, we came to understand the cause: someone had stolen the moringa leaves from the tree. Though the poor moringa grew on no man’s land between the two blocks with four residents living at equal distance from it, yet my maid reasoned that the tree solely belonged to her as she watered it from its infancy and now had all rights on the produce.  She agreed to sharing, but she lost her cool every time someone stole from it. Next morning, I was aghast to see a small stub staring blankly in place of the huge moringa tree... It had become a victim of hatred between its human neighbours. Wounded it stood, short with no leaves or branches. Meanwhile, some men cleared and chopped the broken branches and planted some around the corner. In Rosa parks’ words, “I believe we are here on the planet Earth to live, grow up and do what we can to make this world a better place for all people to enjoy freedom.” Life is good when you are happy. It is better when others are happy because of you. It is important to acknowledge and appreciate all the good happening around us. Nature never ceases to amaze. With the onset of rains, bright green leaves on the newly planted cuttings has brought back much happiness and the little tree stub too welcomed its new leaves.