The Pursuit


We all live life with a purpose, or in pursuit of something. It is this pursuit that keeps our spirit alive and keeps us going. But how many of us are clear on our life goals, or to put it simply, what we want in life/from life!?

I had this feeling that kids had a better idea on how to keep themselves happy. I made a simple survey among 16 parents, through WhatsApp requesting them to ask their  kids in the age group of 4 to 14 what they wanted in life. I received interesting answers; some said what they wanted like books, chocolates, colouring books etc. While few others said what they wanted to become (cook, sportsman,engine driver etc). Interestingly, 2 kids said they wanted intelligence, happiness and success. My own 4 yr old said she wanted animals story books, beach kit and continued thinking for more. What I didn't tell her was that I was already tired of the 25+ odd toy animals scattered around the house and the Animal planet which is on throughout her waking hours.

I asked myself the question, and my answers were peace of mind, happiness and variety in life. I guess most adults would agree with me. Probably other answers could be money, fame, success and umpteen other materialistic pleasures.
The findings of my survey was that the younger the kids, the more clear they were about what made them happy at the moment. And as adults we tend to have larger than life or more general goals that are difficult to define. For eg, how do we define happiness and peace of mind. It is a state of mind that varies according to person and situation. Here we have something to learn from the kids, to grab the moment and take pleasure in little things. Little joys each day will make our life wholesome and sumptuous.
The spark in my little girl's eyes when she gets something new, as simple as a notepad, a colourful handkerchief or an eraser leaves me amazed. I realise that I have learnt so much from her, much more than what I teach her. Let me share a particular incident, where she was closely following an ant that was frantically running around. She was concerned (the animal lover that she is! )about why the ant was running around, whether it lost its way home or was looking for food? She badly wanted to help, and I had to pitch in too. We finally fed it and found  a hole which was supposed to be the ant's home, and the sense of victory when the ant entered its opulent home was so infectious. I really felt we had done something great, the contentment that rarely comes in life.

I would not stop with preaching, and have decided to be more happier and content in little ways, while the pursuit for larger luxuries continues. Let me leave you with a song from school days to hum, 'the time to be happy is now, the place to be happy is this, the way to be happy is to make someone happy and to have a little heaven right here. '

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