Chaos.....

For this post, I have written on Write Tribe's #FridayReflections prompt Chaos — how do you feel about it?  I have done a Free Write as suggested by Suzy Que in a previous post.

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Lot of prompts have been doing a round lately, and some of them have been really good. But for one reason or the other, I have not been able to write- have been either exhausted or busy. This time, the Write Tribe prompt on chaos set me to work...What is it that attracts me so much to the word? I don't know. When I think of chaos, I think also of creation. That's how it has been, right? Out of chaos has come our universe. The universe that we are trying to kill by our prejudices, by our recklessness, by our un-satiating desires. Oceans are dying thanks to the chaos caused by our senseless use of plastic. We try to keep everything clean only by shoving away all that is dirty here and there. But we pretend. We pretend to worry. We make and watch videos. We write and read articles. We like and share posts. We crib and complain over the chaos that is ruining us. But we don't accept that we ourselves are the cause of it all. Rational beings chaotically charged!

So are our thoughts. Where is the order inside our brains? Thoughts seem to burst rather than sprout. We act rashly. We give vent to our anger. We become intolerant because we think the entire world is against us, and hell-bent on hurting us. But we end up hurting only our peace and dignity. Waves of wild anger rise high and wreck our lives. What is left is only chaos. How will we stand again? We need to calm down. We need to stop hurling abuse on others. We need to become receptive. We need to open the gates of our hearts.

Gates - refugees are looking for open gates these days. Fleeing from the chaos caused by atrocity and injustice, they are fleeing to safer places. Many make it, many don't. There are kids who die. Alan Kurdi dies. Omran's picture is trending these days. I writhe in pain at the anguish in those little eyes. My heart bleeds at the sight of Alan's listless body. We are all responsible for their fate. How will we ever be forgiven? Who will grant us forgiveness? How will kids like Omran ever recover from the trauma that has devastated their houses, desecrated the innocence of their childhood, ripped apart their families? Who will bring peace to them? 

Little ones are supposed to smile. They are meant to be bundles of happiness. They are dying - the tiny seeds which were meant to bloom in a well-tended garden - a garden which has been uprooted. I wish some gentle breeze carries them to a meadow of love where springs of love flow. I wish they can smile again.

Smile - it is so essential. It is the thing that can counter chaos. A true, well-meaning smile. Not a sly one. Not a fake one. A smile that is as pure as the laughter of a child who is popping bubbles. A smile that is as chaste as the smile of a baby cooing in response to her mother's songs. 

Why have we forgotten that smile?

Why have we become so tumultuous and explosive?

Why are we ready to burst? 

Why do we love to bring chaos in other's lives when we hate to have it in our own?

My mind is in disarray.

Chaos takes over. 

I can write no more.

Linking to Write Tribe's #FridayReflections

Smile - It makes life beautiful...

Today is All Fool's Day. Playing pranks on each other, making up silly jokes, creating hoaxes - these are all part of this day's tradition which has its roots in France. April Fool's day is a day to smile, to laugh, to act silly. So for this day, I thought of sharing with you 5 quotes on Smile that will make your day. We do not need a reason to smile, but in today's world where people are being overburdened by depressive thoughts, it is imperative to remind them to wear that priceless ornament on their faces.

Act goofy today, and smile! Life is too precious to be wasted away in worries.....

 1) A smile is the light in your window that tells others that there is a caring, sharing person inside.- Denis Waitley

How do you feel when you are caught in the middle of a snarling traffic congestion? It seems like it will drive you crazy. You look around, fretting. A fellow driver in the car next to yours looks at you and despite the maddening atmosphere, gives you a smile which seems to say, 'Hey bro, we are sailing in the same ship'. That smile is infectious. You smile back. You forget the annoying honk of horns. You just relax, if only for a second. What did that smile do to you? It made you feel that you are not alone. Do you need any more reason to spread happiness today?

2) Wear a smile and have friends. Wear a scowl and have wrinkles - George Eliot

So, wear your brightest most cheerful look everyday. People like to be surrounded by those who give positive vibes. They feel that they are welcome when you show off your happy face. And your fan-list and popularity multiplies. When you spread cheer, you are never alone. Your face is your mirror. When you grow old, the lines on your face will show how much you smiled, how much you frowned. 

3) Use your smile to change the world; don’t let the world change your smile. - Anonymous

Things don't seem to be working your way. You crib, complain, criticize. The culture of abuse gets better of you but at the end of the day, you feel completely wasted. That is what happens with negative thoughts. Nothing has changed except you yourself who has become a sulking talker. Try to change this today. Remember the movie Lage Raho Munna Bhai. What does Munna say to the guy who is pissed off with the spitting behavior of his neighbor. Give him a smile and make him realize what he is doing. Change the world with your smile. 

चाक़ू ना पिस्तौल ना खंजर ना कोई तलवार रे 

इक मुस्कान की देखो ताकत अपना नया हथियार रे 

(Lines from the background music that plays in Lage Raho Munna Bhai during this scene.)

4)If someone is too tired to give you a smile, leave one of your own, because no one needs a smile as much as those who have none to give.

Author Unknown

So true! If someone has forgotten to smile, how lost is his/her soul. We ought to help him. Imagine a situation when you are feeling lonely. Would you not appreciate a kind word, a gentle touch, a caring smile. How utterly devastated would you feel if there was no one to love you, or cheer you up.

I remember my grandmother used to say - If you don't sew torn clothes and if you don't cheer up someone who is angry with you, then life can't go on smoothly. (She used to say this in Hindi - फटे को सीओ ना और रूठे को मनाओ ना , तो काम नहीं चलता ) 

So, go ahead. Let the sulking person complain. Your job is to drop a smile. 

5) If you are not using your smile, you are like the man with the million dollars in the bank and no checkbook - Les Giblin

What use is a thing if you own it but don't know what to do with it? A few days back I wrote a short story in which people did not know how to smile. A small insignificant thing was enough to mend the course of their lives. (You can read the story here - http://istoppedtosmellarose.blogspot.com/2015/02/how-sulky-town-became-happy.html) 

But often times, people get so worked up with their work, their ambitions, their dreams that they forget to appreciate what they have. They forget to value the present moment - the only thing that they have in their hand. Please don't do that injustice to yourself. Live every moment. Who knows what the next moment might bring. So smile when you can. You don't need a huge bank balance to make you smile. You only need a beating heart. So go. Brace yourself with a smile. The whole world is yours.

Hope you have a smiling day and a happy life. Remember, we all have ups and downs. When times are tough, tell yourself – This too shall pass!

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How the Sulky Town became happy.....

In a far far away land, there was a place called Sulky Town. It is a strange name for a place but so was it called. And do you know why it got this name? Well, because the people living there did not know how to laugh. They were always frowning and pouting and sulking and brooding.

It was only those few little children in the town who knew how to smile. But they were tired of the big folks. They would often wonder what was with these sullen faces. No matter what they did, big people would never smile.

One day, the children decided to call a fairy for help. They had overheard their elders talking about a fairy who was naughty and mischievous and who always created menace wherever she went. She had a strange name too. One of the town man said, " Her name is Giggle Fairy. Ever heard of such a name? I wonder what it means!" All the other elders agreed with this town man. Since nobody in the town had ever laughed, the meaning of giggle remained a mystery too!

"I heard that the Giggle Fairy visits the park every night. And since we are always fast asleep at that time, I wonder how we will meet her and ask her for help." the children of the town thought.

Of all the happiest and chirpiest of kids, there was a pair that stood out. That pair was of two brothers Max and Martin. They were twins. They loved to smile, they loved to joke and they loved to just monkey around the town. So they came up with a plan. They would go to bed early tonight. Max was going to stay awake for the first few hours after which he would wake up Martin. Then Martin would let Max catnap and then both of them would scurry out of their house and wake up their friends. The friends decided to keep their windows open for them that night.

Things went on as they had planned and the flock of merry urchins reached the park. Giggle Fairy arrived on time. Oh what a lovely fairy she was with dimples on her cheeks and with jingles on her lips. The kids squealed at her sight. The little ones did not waste a second and narrated their tale of woe. Giggle Fairy rolled her eyes and gazed at the sky, just wondering at the discovery of such grumpy beings. She whispered something to the kids and disappeared. The kids faces brightened and they went home.

The next morning, kids were late in getting up. They had stayed awake for so long after all. So when they got up, they came out of their houses. There was a lot of hurly-burly in the air. The commotion outside was being caused by something over their heads. All the elders stared at a bunch of somethings that was floating through the sky. It was colorful, and light and it drifted smoothly in the air. The elders mused what it was. They started chasing it. It hovered over a tree here and glided past a tree there. Many tried to grab it but it slipped past their fingers. It became a hunt, a race. The fastest racer ran, the swiftest climber jumped but the thing kept flying beyond them all until it finally became entangled in a branch. 

Nobody had realized it but the whole town was there, watching, holding their breath. The boldest, strongest man of the town came forward.

" I can get it", he bragged.

Hearts beat faster, pulses throbbed quicker and with a silence that was deafening, the mighty man pulled the thing down. He touched it here, and poked it there. Swelling with pride, he gave it another thrust when.....with a bang and a boom, the thing popped flat. The burst was followed by another explosion....an explosion of laughter. The silent onlookers just cracked up. The startled robust man could not resist too. All the pride was gone. He laughed till his belly hurt. The others laughed till their eyes were wet. The children yelled 'Giggle Fairy' and the sulky town became jolly, jovial and joyful forever.


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