Tonight, i'll be writing to you about one of Ruskin Bond's excerpts, from his Book of Simple Living. I've driven to the mountains and as the tradition goes, this book yet again finds itself tucked into a corner of my backpack. It is very serene up here, and his poetry is my most beloved companion in all places still and silent.
In this particular piece, Bond accepts the absurdity of his seasons, he lets us know that while his state of mind might not be all that happy and positive, there is more to his existence beyond the confines of his mind.
We all know how nature-loving a person Bond truly is. He finds his solidarity, his love within the greens and people that surround him. Thus, instead of running away from his 'fluctuating moods' and locking himself up or turning towards a quicker cure, he takes a moment, steps out into the world around him and cherishes it thoroughly.
He urges us to experience the little things that could potentially provide so much peace and joy to our hearts, if only we're willing to acknowledge the turmoil, and face our realities head on. It is all so sensory, this experience. The living and the in-betweens.
All we can do is feel.
Since the past couple of years, i've been wound up in a pathetic shell i let build up around me, and i'd completely forgotten who i was, i was so lost in this spiral within my mind. And the strange part is, i was working the same amount as my peers, living through a sane routine, and i felt confident that i had got it all right. But that is where the problem occurs. We create this idea, this bubble of what we want our life to feel like, or seem like. A dream college, a good job, a caring partner, a happy retirement.
And as soon as something goes off balance, the spiral starts off and before we know it, we're stuck trying to figure our way out of it, but little do we know, this spiral is our life and that idea we'd created was our way of running away from this very life, from the acknowledgement that life could sometimes be a spiral, full of ghoulish absurdities, but it is so much more than that.
A fresh evening breeze, laughter of kids playing on the street, a stranger smiling at you, the way your pet looks at you, the aroma of your favourite foods. And so much more.
It took turning my family miserable and losing some of my closest to finally help me realize what i had and how grateful i should be of whatever i have left. Embrace your loved ones, your course and your career, your home and your food, and this tiny world around you.
p.s. this is my interpretation of Bond’s piece. Give it a read and see how you feel about it. (The excerpt is on the page from the image above)
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