Teachers come in all shapes and sizes. My best teacher yet, is about three-and-half feet tall, talks a seventeen to a dozen, drives me up the wall on school day mornings, drives me up the wall all day on holidays and makes me wonder how she even managed to get to be this wonderful with the kind of parenting she gets from her mom. But truth be told, she is an incredible teacher and has taught me lessons in five years that I have not learned in the past many decades of my existance.
She has taught me that life is all about fun, and everything is fun, except eating and sleeping. I was under the impression that the reverse was true.
I have been taught that it is possible to heartily hug the same person who irrationally shouted at you a couple of minutes back, for a mistake that could have well been ignored. She has taught me the true meaning of "forgive-and-forget".
I have been inspired by her drive to learn anything new. And by her seemingly immeasurable energy.
I have been taught that it does not require a Lord Krishna to tell you "do your duty without expecting anything in return". This teacher has taught me that "living in the moment" is not a myth and is the way nature intended us to live, before we mucked it up by growing up.
I have learned that the human race has survived only because of the tenacity and immense strength of children. Only they can rebound five seconds after they have scraped their knee into a bloody mess, or smile honestly when Nemo has been reunited with his dad, even after having been around a crancky,cantankerous, PMSsing parent.
I have understood the meaning of generosity with her act of painting with infinite concentration and enthusiasm and at the end of it, gifting it to the first person that asks, with no hesitation.
I have re-discovered the beauty of friendship, something I had forgotten in the humdrum of daily life all these years. I have been reminded of my own friends from childhood, when I see her play with hers. And this has prompted me to get back in touch with them, if only to let them know that they have been special to me.
I have learned the art of acceptance from her. The fact that many things, such as the death of a favourite grand-uncle, are inevitable and there is nothing much that can be done but getting on with life.
And most of all, I have learned that it is very easy to say "I don't want gifts for my birthday, but want everyone to give me stuff that I can give to orphans". It humbles me that a five year old can say that, and makes me truly believe that somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good.
Happy Birthday Vasundara.
Recent Comments