Ever wondered how blessings look, feel? Is it only in temples, mosques, gurudwaras and churches that blessings are bestowed? Or is it touching the feet of an elderly that brings us these? Does a blessing lie in the smile of a child, a hug by a mother, a nod by a stranger? Perhaps, yes. Today, look around. Count your blessings — that are hidden in our mundane routines, lives.
On a recent trip to home, New Delhi, India, the author made note of all the tiny blessings in her life — the daily, mundane lives become worth it because of certain rituals, people, and moments…
Extra salt and nimbu (lemon) on the bhutta (roasted corn on the cob). A sudden rain shower, a floating paper boat. A fallen kite, that doesn’t belong to us but we get our hands on it. A pineapple pastry from a local bakery shop. Spotting a mochi (cobbler) just when you need one. An auto-rickshaw waala who doesn’t haggle. A puddle, we can easily jump over. A window seat in the bus. A place to sit in the Metro. Finding a matching dupatta for the salwar-kameez. A nickname given by an aunt. Fighting over a blanket, with your sibling. A vendor at the railway station who sells hot, boiled eggs. A feather that serves as the bookmark. A grandmother, who narrates bedtime tales. A grandfather, who comes home with a bag of jalebis.
Do you miss maa ke haath ka khaana? What’s so special about it! Everything, we agree.
A meetha paan at the end of a meal. Glass bangles that tinkle. Whistle of a pressure cooker. Rangoli at the home entrance. Poster of a favourite film actor on the wall of a salon. A chotu (helper) who rushes to bring you garam-garam chai at a dhaba. A wedding card, with a tilaka on it. Eating masala-doused cucumbers and carrots on a winter noon. Buying the Indian flag at a traffic signal. Wearing a saree for a wedding. Bargaining with the subzi-waala (vegetable vendor); asking for free dhaniya (sprigs of coriander). Finding a short-cut to work. A helpful man at a parking lot, who offers to stop the traffic until you reverse and leave.
Tailors sitting under the shade of trees, altering clothes at a little price. Opening up old trunks that belong to maa. Electricity cuts guarantee a chat with the neighbour. A DJ who plays Ae Mere Zohra Jabeen. Hot oil hair massages on Sundays. A Santa-Banta joke. A Rajnikanth film. A soap opera where no one ages. Watching old men and women practice laughter yoga. Switching off the bedside lamp. Feeling content with the meals we ate, the people we met, the dreams we chased and the sunsets we witnessed.
Blessings are made of little moments, things like these. Stay blessed. Take a moment, express gratitude, feel grateful.
Keep blowing the Trumpet! This & many more stories await in the pages!