The Monkey Trap

“Everybody is fighting a hard battle that you know nothing about, never give up with yours.” ― Auliq Ice

Shreya saw the morning sun’s augmentation into an orange hue, she looked on wrapped in her problems. Her mind could only concentrate on her struggles, she never saw the tones in the sky changing magnificently, she could not appreciate the beautiful world come alive with the birds flying in a formation, the cats licking themselves clean, the plants slowing beginning to bloom and people walking briskly towards a healthier tomorrow. She felt a tear roll down, she looked inside to see her injured son sleeping peacefully. She was an enthusiastic mother, and a responsible employee in the office yet she had been held responsible for error during an audit. It made her feel low and when she came home, she found her son bleeding due to a  bad fall on the ground while playing basketball  with friends. The wound and bruises were bad, but worse was her poor financial condition.  She gave a sigh and decided to walk till the small Ganesh temple situated a couple of lanes away where she could move Lord  Ganesha through her laments.

Shreya began her walk indifferently through the building complex. She now began looking around lethargically, at the end of the building complex was a small cemented room in a large plot of empty land. The ground was adjacent to the houses in her building.It had been recently occupied by a family of five. Parents and three kids who seemed in the age group of 3 to 7. She had seen the parents several times early  in the morning cooking chapatis on firewood with the kids coughing owing to the smoke in the tiny room. Today it was late, the kids were out. The father tethered a hammock made of a rag between the almond tree and the electric pole. The eldest daughter swayed in it, the younger ones were playing with a dirty toy car. It was a cold winter morning. Shreya saw the kids roaming around without socks or footwear. She felt a tinge of pain as the little one walked on the rough concrete surface. Their mother was busy washing clothes in the open ground while the man was busy  with wetting the cemented surface with piped water in the skeleton of an upcoming building. None of them felt the cold. The children sang as they played. They moved around cheerfully. Shreya got lost in those surprising moments of life. She realised that no amount of wealth could buy the happiness and satiation this family had.

She walked ahead, she saw the  municipal cart used for collecting trash. Usually the Municipal cart is overspilling with wastes. Today, unlike other days the Municipal cart was almost empty which was surprising. There was a dog that stood on its hind feet trying to get hold of  food. It seemed an impossible task, but it kept trying till it pulled out some stale food. Shreya looked at the dog as it gobbled a musty piece of bread. She felt her heart throb as she recollected how she had thrown away the cooked food to prove that she was sad.

As realisation began to dawn, Shreya grew alert and walked steadily. At the other end of the next colony was a playground where kids played clutching each other in the cold wind. They were engrossed in the world of amity. Men and women  exchanged their views as they walked on the cold dew clad grass. They enjoyed the joy of togetherness and bonding. Still ahead was another playground that had a stage. On the stage sat a  middle aged lady all alone. In general, Shreya had seen many men and women practicing yoga,  but today the sun was up and this lady sat with closed eyes and practiced Brahmi Yogasana as she hummed the mantra ‘Om’ in deep breaths. She was  all alone in the state of tranquility as she practiced the asana because she loved herself and concentrated on improving her health. Shreya realised the importance as she recollected the numerous old and young who wholeheartedly managed their schedules to walk, sports and Zumba. It definitely made people more enthusiastic and joyful. Shreya now gathered herself and began walking briskly.

She crossed the place and reached the temple. She stood outside the temple and prayed Lord Ganesha, she saw that people  had come to clean the surroundings, some were praying and  a few others were just sitting in deep contemplation as tears flowed down their cheeks. She wondered was there just grief around. She recollected the death of youngsters due to the inability to face failures, she tried to picture the friends she knew in all stages of life, each one had something to worry or cherish yet most of them chose to speak about what they had lost rather than what they had. The mother of a married daughter worries about her ability to sustain in the new home while that of an unmarried daughter worries about her marriage. The one who has an own house fears about the repairs and taxes while the one who doesn’t have one wants  to possess  a house. It reminded her of the monkey’s hand caught in a trap with nuts where the monkey is unable to pull its hand with the nuts. It doesn’t understand that it  has got caught in the trap due to the nuts and can be free once it leaves the nuts. The monkey hangs on to the nuts reminding us of human beings who hang on to uncertainties till worries gobble them. Struggles and challenges in life are like the nuts in the trap, the minute you let them go, you are free in life to derive pleasure from the simple things in life, like a toothless smile of a baby, the warm sunshine on a cold winter day, a cup of tea with friends, a trek in the forests, the blossoming of a rose in the garden, tiny drops of the first rain on a parched summer evening, riding a bicycle, flying a kite, playing tennis, swimming or merely running a marathon. The closed door of crisis agonizes and impedes one from seeing the delicate world of opportunities.

“Always look heavenward in any situation.Trust God to grant you the needed grace and strength to overcome the situation.” ― Lailah Gifty