It is a blessing to be
able to smile after you have crossed over into that period of life which people
would rather refer to with the help of some euphemism than plainly as ‘old age.’ When friends of the same age group counsel
you condescendingly that “age is a matter of the mind,” you are free to
smile. Smile at the condescension. Or you can smile at the hypocrisy. Or self-delusion, if you wish to look at it that
way. You are free to smile when people
choose to call it positive thinking. And
you can smile all the way as you drive to some Art of Living prayer session which
will teach you avant-garde terminology for the senility that inevitably catches
up with you.
The realisation that life
is all the sound and fury that transpires between the wail that marks your
arrival on the scene and the gasp that pushes you out can be an ideal source of
smile. The lessons that your near and
dear ones tried to teach you in the countless scenes of the drama of life may
deserve pretty much smiling. The lessons in charity, for example, which
were not quite charitable. Green indignation
over your jealousy. Mocking chuckles
about your cocking a snook at what failed to appeal to your snobbery. Fiery sermons that scorch the lust that
befriended your youth.
Life is generous with
opportunities for smiling. Thomas Grey’s
flowers that blush for you alone in the air of your willed solitude. The country roads that stretch into welcoming
twilights. The smiles on the wayside,
smiles not warped by pedantry or self-righteousness, not tainted by the city’s rat-race.
There’s so much to smile
at.
PS: Inspired by Indispire
Edition 86 : #YouMakeMeSmile
Nice post sir.
ReplyDeleteI was smiling in the end.
Glad I could bring a smile on your face :)
Deletenice post. interesting read!
ReplyDeleteThanks
DeleteThe post left me speechless and smiling.....:)
ReplyDeleteI have managed to retain my smile in spite of all... :)
DeleteLife is a series of lessons :)
ReplyDelete