SMELLING A FLOWER... AND SMELLING A RAT





Life is not only hectic it is also short. And, it is not so only for a few… It is so for all. Every night, while going to bed, I can only pray and hope that I will be able to wake up when the night ends… Is there any guarantee? Does anyone owe that to me?

When I wake up in the morning, if I am truly spiritual by heart, then, I know that God has been kind to me, so far… It is grace that saves me… guards me through the night. So, now that I am awake and live… Here is a new day, one more day in my hand… How shall I approach it? Shall I stop and smell the little flowers on my pathway… or shall I go about smelling the rats?

Every morning, when the Sun comes out, I see two groups of people around me. One group is aware of the truth that Life has been a precious gift and the day in hand is sheer bonus, a grace. So, this group walks, jogs, does Yoga, performs a puja or attends a mass… or simply goes about life with a prayerful heart… The men and women in this group know how short life is, and they stop to smell the little flowers on their pathway…

The other group does the opposite. The men and women in this group have a trust deficit… and see people around them with their suspicious eyes. They assemble, early in the morning, just to plot against someone… Empty mind is a devil’s workshop… So, they have time to waste on conspiring against someone… almost every morning… They only smell rats along their pathway. Who says life is short… and who says it is a gift, a grace or bonus?

Now, when I see these two kinds of people every morning, it becomes easier for me to decide to which group I should belong…

Early in the morning! Yes, early in the morning is the time to thank God, be grateful for His blessings… It is not the time to huddle and conspire… It is the time to stop and smell the little flowers… It is not the time to smell the rats!

There is a difference between an ‘empty mind’ and an ‘emptied mind’. We can realize this truth only when we stop to smell those little flowers along our pathway…

GERALD D’CUNHA


Pic.: Anil Bedi

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