WHEN THE DOG BITES AND THE BEE STINGS...

In my last Blog, I wrote about two young girls, who found great joy in writing their Notes in their journal. Their writing came in the form of little poems… which I always call ‘scribbling’. Invariably, the young ones scribbled most of these Notes when they were sad, worried, afraid, confused and weighed down by regrets, shame or guilt. Actually, to their age, these moments of sadness and conflict were natural… But, being extremely sensitive and alive to life-situations, these young ones would capture these feelings and express them through their writings…

As I, too, had started writings similarly almost at the same tender age, I could easily relate to these young ones…

My last Blog was about the pure joy a young one would derive through the process of self-expression and, how, slowly, the desire to ‘go big’ – publish, monetize, become famous and so on – would creep in. Though such desire also is natural, my emphasis in my last Blog was, that a young one should focus more on writing and honing the skills… become more and more truthful to his or her feelings… and should not get caught up in the ‘trap of Success’. “It would corrupt and rob the pure joy of self-expression,” I pointed.

After reading my Blog, another young one, who did not have the gift of writing but was blessed with her own special gifts, asked me, “But, sir, why did you share in that Blog the song from the film, ‘The Sound of Music’? I, somehow, failed to see the connection.”

The song was ‘These are some of my favourite things’. Here is the song along with its lyrics…

Maria sings to little ones:

When the dog bites

When the bee stings

When I am feeling sad

I simply remember my favourite things

And then I don’t feel so bad

In our everyday life, we do not become sad because of ‘dog bites’ or ‘bee stings’. But, we all do become sad through ‘bites and stings’ of life… And, what an amazing promise Life holds! That, we can be cheerful again, by just remembering some of our ‘favourite things’ – as simple and mundane as:

Raindrops on roses
And whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings..."

We all have our own ‘favourite things’…Yes, our own ‘copper kettles and warm woolen mittens’. All that we need to do is – simply remember them when we are sad… Yes, when the ‘dog bites and the bee stings’ us in life!

Hope, you see the connection…

GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic.: Kamal Kishore Rikhari

Videos: YouTube