I am right and I am wrong

There are many times I wonder if we are looking for happiness and joy in the right places. 

When someone commented that you cannot travel and see beautiful places without money, I felt she was right and she was wrong. Some places, yes, you need to be able to afford to visit. But there are many beautiful places within our reach.

When I left all that was familiar to me and moved to the UK, I thought I would find happiness there. I was right and I was wrong. When I invested in friendships and relationships in my search for happiness, I was right and I was wrong and when I ended them, I was right and I was wrong. 

It has always been a little bit of this and a little bit of that. And I think it is exactly this that has fostered my ability to have a realistic view of life (and my melodramatic reactions to it.)😀

When I set out for a walk this morning with Aarti to Semmozhi Poonga, it was with the surety that what I was about to share with her would be beautiful and would bring a huge smile to her face as well as mine. And I knew that that would make me happy.

I was right. The park was even more gorgeous after last night's rain - all the leaves bore a freshly washed look. The flowers with the little droplets of water clinging resolutely to them offered plenty of opportunities to me to take the pictures that I am so fond of. The bed of pink lilies around a tree reminded me that sometimes there is incredible beauty right next to us. 

We paused and looked up at the huge rain tree whose roots solidly grounded her as she reached up to the sky in all directions. I wondered if the roots held her steady as she reached for the stars or if they trapped her in place when all she wanted to do was fly. Which was right and which was wrong?

Whimsical thoughts that make me smile.

As we walked around admiring the flowers and trees, I felt I had validated in the assumption that I had set out with today.

My next planned stop was breakfast and I parked the car on a side road and started to walk towards the hotel. We were chatting to each other about how beautiful the park was .

In front of us was a stationary bus waiting for passengers to board. I hardly gave it a thought as I approached it . 

Just as we were about a foot away, we heard a honk. I didn't pay attention to it at first but when the second honk came close on its heels, I paused my chatter and looked up at the bus.

I could have reacted in so many ways- I could have ignored the honk, or I could have gotten offended that I was being honked at, or I could have been irritated and asked him why he was honking at me.  

I am so glad that I had none of those reactions, because when I looked up curiously, through the windscreen of the bus that reflected the branches of the trees, I could make out the driver grinning widely at me and waving!

I felt such a rush of joy, that it exploded out of me in the form of my usual unbridled laughter and I enthusiastically waved back at him . Aarti was laughing as well. I exclaimed to her "My day is made. That bus driver honked and waved at me!" 

The whole incident only took a few seconds but do you realise how much joy there was in this little interaction? ( I am smiling as I type this)

It was two people connecting to the child within each other. The bus driver happily honking almost as if he was saying "look at me , I am driving a bus" and me getting delighted that he honked at me and happily waving back at him. It was also him telling me "I see you".  And me telling him "I see you too!" 

It took a good five minutes for me to calm down :) I told Aarti "I am so HAPPY that incident happened" 

She replied " It is more than just happiness , no?" and I said "You are right - this is joy" and that was what it was - pure unadulterated joy about a simple interaction that did not conform to what we typically assume gives happiness and joy. 

So, to the driver of 29 C who was at Cathedral road bus stop at 7 30 am  on 24th Jun 2023, I just want you to know, you made my day when you so happily honked and waved at me! Thank you !

And to Life, thank you for reminding me that joy can be found in the most unexpected of places.

I thought today my happiness would come from sharing the beautiful walk in the park with a friend.

I was right and I was wrong.