#100HappyDays/ Day21 - Part 2
My dear friends Kedar and Jack dropped in for a surprise visit - well Kedar had asked if he could come in to see me, however this was the little plan being hatched. Had a lovely breakfast in the garden with them and a wonderful conversation covering many different topics - most important being tips for a cruise vacation from Jack.
#100HappyDays/ Day21 - Part 3
We learnt an important lesson today. Put plants in sunlight and speak with them - tell them how much joy and love they bring in your life.
Then see the transformation. See them spring to life in a celestial dance of colour and beauty. Our daffodils just bloomed within a few hours. I also repotted a few other plants which were withering a bit - will continue to tend to them and witness their revival.
Love, care and attention is all that is needed to tend to our plants. The same is equally applicable to all our relationships in life - especially with the elderly and the young! Our parents are much like our children - they continue to trust and love us selflessly. They don't expect much back from us. For them, even a few kind words, a few precious minutes of shared time, a touch, a hug is all that is needed to keep them blooming with love and joy.
I now have a daily Skype session with mom n dad. It feels like a déjà vu scene daily. We repeat the same conversations, the same questions and answers on most of the days. Yet, the smiles on their face are magical.... Nothing repeatable about that! I tend to shout at them daily on something that I want them to do or change about their lifestyle or perspective. At times I have been outright rude and impolite in my vain attempts to get them to change (to my definition of being happy!).
My dear parents patiently hear me out and mostly continue to do what they want to do. They do not remonstrate or protest at my indiscretions. Their love for me overcomes the hurt my words or thorns that may be scratching and bleeding their hearts.
So I am slowly changing my approach. The important outcome is a successful end result - everyone needs to feel that they have have been heard, understood and that they have communicated their feelings and expressed their opinions. The means can be either harsh or loving.
I have learnt that in this fragile age, parents need more compassion and latitude, more patience and tolerance. Even their idiosyncrasies need to be tolerated and accepted with love. It is that age of life where they are search for their own answers of life and we must not pile on more questions, ridicule or expectations on them.
On the absolutely ridiculous reason of embarrassment, I had long given up any verbal expression of my deep and soulful love and gratitude towards my parents and to be able to do this again daily on a Skype call is just magic! They have loved me each and every living day of my life and they now know that I love them too and thank god for making them my parents.
So now, each conversation has a lot more smiles, at times we just look at each other on the screen at enjoy moments of silent bliss. We always end our calls on happy terms and even my mom says "I Love You Too!" :-)
We get back manifolds what we give. Sometimes life looks bleak and sad. We try and find reasons outside for the sadness within. We try and exercise our right to blame others, circumstances, situations and the unfairness of life. If we wear dark tinted glasses, the view we get to see will obviously be a dark one! Life is a reflection of what we are expecting, watching out for, fearing.
Instead, we must strive to keep investing our true love, sincere appreciation and diligent positivity. We must keep giving without expecting anything in return. Lord Krishna's eternal message now seems to make more sense each day -
"karmany evadhikaras te
ma phalesu kadachana
ma karma-phala-hetur bhur
ma te sango ’stv akarmani" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 47)
"Sri Krishna said: You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty"
Then see how life starts turning on its head and unfolding the treasures that we all have around but are not aware of! Just like Aladdin trapped in a cave having forgotten the magic words "abra ca dabra"
My dear friends Kedar and Jack dropped in for a surprise visit - well Kedar had asked if he could come in to see me, however this was the little plan being hatched. Had a lovely breakfast in the garden with them and a wonderful conversation covering many different topics - most important being tips for a cruise vacation from Jack.
#100HappyDays/ Day21 - Part 3
We learnt an important lesson today. Put plants in sunlight and speak with them - tell them how much joy and love they bring in your life.
Then see the transformation. See them spring to life in a celestial dance of colour and beauty. Our daffodils just bloomed within a few hours. I also repotted a few other plants which were withering a bit - will continue to tend to them and witness their revival.
Love, care and attention is all that is needed to tend to our plants. The same is equally applicable to all our relationships in life - especially with the elderly and the young! Our parents are much like our children - they continue to trust and love us selflessly. They don't expect much back from us. For them, even a few kind words, a few precious minutes of shared time, a touch, a hug is all that is needed to keep them blooming with love and joy.
I now have a daily Skype session with mom n dad. It feels like a déjà vu scene daily. We repeat the same conversations, the same questions and answers on most of the days. Yet, the smiles on their face are magical.... Nothing repeatable about that! I tend to shout at them daily on something that I want them to do or change about their lifestyle or perspective. At times I have been outright rude and impolite in my vain attempts to get them to change (to my definition of being happy!).
My dear parents patiently hear me out and mostly continue to do what they want to do. They do not remonstrate or protest at my indiscretions. Their love for me overcomes the hurt my words or thorns that may be scratching and bleeding their hearts.
So I am slowly changing my approach. The important outcome is a successful end result - everyone needs to feel that they have have been heard, understood and that they have communicated their feelings and expressed their opinions. The means can be either harsh or loving.
I have learnt that in this fragile age, parents need more compassion and latitude, more patience and tolerance. Even their idiosyncrasies need to be tolerated and accepted with love. It is that age of life where they are search for their own answers of life and we must not pile on more questions, ridicule or expectations on them.
On the absolutely ridiculous reason of embarrassment, I had long given up any verbal expression of my deep and soulful love and gratitude towards my parents and to be able to do this again daily on a Skype call is just magic! They have loved me each and every living day of my life and they now know that I love them too and thank god for making them my parents.
So now, each conversation has a lot more smiles, at times we just look at each other on the screen at enjoy moments of silent bliss. We always end our calls on happy terms and even my mom says "I Love You Too!" :-)
We get back manifolds what we give. Sometimes life looks bleak and sad. We try and find reasons outside for the sadness within. We try and exercise our right to blame others, circumstances, situations and the unfairness of life. If we wear dark tinted glasses, the view we get to see will obviously be a dark one! Life is a reflection of what we are expecting, watching out for, fearing.
Instead, we must strive to keep investing our true love, sincere appreciation and diligent positivity. We must keep giving without expecting anything in return. Lord Krishna's eternal message now seems to make more sense each day -
"karmany evadhikaras te
ma phalesu kadachana
ma karma-phala-hetur bhur
ma te sango ’stv akarmani" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 47)
"Sri Krishna said: You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty"
Then see how life starts turning on its head and unfolding the treasures that we all have around but are not aware of! Just like Aladdin trapped in a cave having forgotten the magic words "abra ca dabra"
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