The man and a bird.

Greg was the owner of a shop. His' was one of those that provided all sort of goods, and this was one of the reason there always was a rush at the shop.

On one fine day, Greg took a break, went outside and sat on the bench. He was looking at the blue sky when he heard some noise. It was the chirping of a bird. The bird was one of those rare types with red feather and crimson fur dotted red in colour, giving it the most elegant look of all. The bird came towards Greg and sat at some distance away from him. It looked like the bird was scared of Greg. Greg looked at the bird and smiled, then went inside and brought some seeds to feed the bird. He threw them at the ground and waited for the bird to eat. At first, the bird hesitated, but finally came and enjoyed the "gift". That was the first day.

Slowly and gradually, there developed a bond between the shopkeeper and the bird. There was not a single day when the bird came and shopkeeper fed it. The bird became so comfortable around Greg that it didn't felt slightest hesitation in feeding directly from Greg's hands. Greg too, felt some kind of happiness in seeing the bird around him. It hopped and jumped and chirped. It was all so wonderful for the shopkeeper. After so hard a day at the shop, he could feel some sort of peace with ruby, that's what he used to call it.

One day, after working for a long time at the shop, Greg took the regular break, went outside and sat on the bench, with seeds in his hands. He waited for ruby to come. After a long wait, he lost all hope and decided to go back. Just as he stood up, he heard the chirping of a bird in the sky. He looked up and at once recognized it to be ruby. He saw the bird taking a high flight and heading North. He smiled and headed towards the shop. He knew that the bird wasn't going to come back. It had finally decided to go back from whence it had come. Deep inside he felt that happiness, of finally seeing ruby fly high. He never wanted it to sit beside him and live with him. He goes inside the shop, sees a long line of customers, takes his usual place and says "May I help you?"...

Next Post: Something definitely concrete or realistic :O ;)

The secret of happiness...

We all look forth to happiness either in the form of materialistic gains or hedonistic otherwise, but happiness has been something every single one of us has been chasing. And the funny part is that we're never satisfied. We want more and more and more. And in the pursuit of that ultimate goal, we always overlook these small, tiny moments and aspects of life that could possibly result in even greater happiness.

"One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon-instead of enjoying the roses blooming outside our windows today" - Dale Carnegie

The secret to being happy is not striving for success in order to gain it. Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. And true happiness needs to be created. If one is always in the pursuit of happiness, one will never find time to live. Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. Following is an excerpt from somewhere.

"First I was dying to finish my high school and start college. And then I was dying to finish college and start working. Then I was dying to marry and have children. And then I was dying to see my children grow old enough so I could go back to work. Then I was dying to retire. And now I am dying. And suddenly I realized I forgot to live".

Call it frustrated desires or whatever, but they express the importance of living in the present, enjoying each moment and cherishing the life given to you instead of chasing dreams. The secret of happiness lies in appreciating those flowers blooming outside your window which you always overlook while dreaming of the magical rose garden over the horizon. It lies in feeling the sweet fragrance of these roses, appreciating their vibrant colours which express the joy of life and understanding their tender form which express the subtlety of the fact. It lies in holding all those things right here in your hands which mean something to you, while you can...

I would at last like to leave you with some food for thought in the form of this excerpt from the story "The Bet" by Anton Chekov. It might not explain what happiness is, but it definitely deserves a place here. Its a beautiful piece of writing, a letter written by a prisoner, showing where he found happiness and where not...

"To-morrow at twelve o'clock I regain my freedom and the right to associate with other men, but before I leave this room and see the sunshine, I think it necessary to say a few words to you. With a clear conscience I tell you, as before God, who beholds me, that I despise freedom and life and health, and all that in your books is called the good things of the world.
"For fifteen years I have been intently studying earthly life. It is true I have not seen the earth nor men, but in your books I have drunk fragrant wine, I have sung songs, I have hunted stags and wild boars in the forests, have loved women ... Beauties as ethereal as clouds, created by the magic of your poets and geniuses, have visited me at night, and have whispered in my ears wonderful tales that have set my brain in a whirl. In your books I have climbed to the peaks of Elburz and Mont Blanc, and from there I have seen the sun rise and have watched it at evening flood the sky, the ocean, and the mountain-tops with gold and crimson. I have watched from there the lightning flashing over my head and cleaving the storm-clouds. I have seen green forests, fields, rivers, lakes, towns. I have heard the singing of the sirens, and the strains of the shepherds' pipes; I have touched the wings of comely devils who flew down to converse with me of God ... In your books I have flung myself into the bottomless pit, performed miracles, slain, burned towns, preached new religions, conquered whole kingdoms ...
"Your books have given me wisdom. All that the unresting thought of man has created in the ages is compressed into a small compass in my brain. I know that I am wiser than all of you.
"And I despise your books, I despise wisdom and the blessings of this world. It is all worthless, fleeting, illusory, and deceptive, like a mirage. You may be proud, wise, and fine, but death will wipe you off the face of the earth as though you were no more than mice burrowing under the floor, and your posterity, your history, your immortal geniuses will burn or freeze together with the earthly globe. "You have lost your reason and taken the wrong path. You have taken lies for truth, and hideousness for beauty. You would marvel if, owing to strange events of some sorts, frogs and lizards suddenly grew on apple and orange trees instead of fruit, or if roses began to smell like a sweating horse; so I marvel at you who exchange heaven for earth. I don't want to understand you.
"To prove to you in action how I despise all that you live by, I renounce the two million of which I once dreamed as of paradise and which now I despise. To deprive myself of the right to the money I shall go out from here five hours before the time fixed, and so break the compact ..."

References: Aah! Just too many.

Some things never age...

This post is about a video I saw quite a long time back. The video is about a couple of pencil-outlined birds escaping from a little girl's drawing, leading us to the life she dreams of. This video is still one of my favourites.