The Little Joys of Life

I’ve often wondered at the pace at which we go about our chores, right from the moment we wake up to the moment we sleep. It is always about ME, ME & ME. Hell, even while sleeping it’s ME, ME & ME. I want a **, I want it this way, why am I the one who is left unsatisfied, I’m not in the mood today… Well, you get the drift.

But sometimes, it’s good to stop and listen to others, pay attention to the needs of people who maybe are lesser in stature than us, but nevertheless are fellow humans. Like today, I was coming to office and decided to take an auto rickshaw rather than the usual BEST bus service. (For those who do not know, auto rickshaws are a type of vehicle with 3 wheels and the BEST bus service is Bombay’s local transportation service.) And as usual I was glued on to my iPod, hardly paying attention to what’s going on outside.

The driver made small talk regarding the rains, how they had now come and made everything cooler, a respite from the heat that prevailed in the past week. I just nodded and monosyllabically responded with “Yeah”s and “Yes”s. But he persisted, never minding that every time he spoke, I had to remove one of my ear-phones and ask him to repeat what he said all over again. And then I felt, this sudden calling, this urge, this sense of enlightenment, the same kind when I get when I have to rush to take a leak – I switched off my iPod and struck up a conversation with him.