As I stood blowing soap bubbles, I attracted quite a few glances from passersby. I can well imagine the thoughts passing through their mind (but, I’d rather not mention them). The fact is I was thoroughly enjoying myself. Perfect, shiny, bubbles of varying sizes, glistening in the evening sun floating aimlessly till they burst into nothingness. Such a joy watching them!
As a child I could spend hours visualizing the patterns in the clouds or watching ants at work. The movement of a butterfly flitting from flower to flower was exciting. So was a spider spinning a web. Collecting the pretty orange and white flowers of the parijata in our courtyard and threading them to decorate the neck of the Lord gave me immense joy, as much as sewing and folding leaves and paper into various shapes. And painting? I could be at it for hours, if I wasn’t engrossed in reading. A slow drive around town or a walk on the beach or watching the sunset from the Monte, with my Dad, provided a perfect end to the day. Delightful indeed!
Somewhere along the way we lose this ability to experience joy in the small things in life. As we grow up we need more and more for the smallest amount of joy. The ‘latest’ mobile loses its charm within a few days of its purchase as our eyes are already on a newer model. Cars are changed as often as innerwear and clothes…oh…difficult to wear them more than twice. Neither birds nor butterflies can stand up to the competition of movies and TV serials. And who has the time to sit and paint when FB, Twitter and email keep us at their beck and call.
Walking with a skip and a jump, jumping to touch the door top, swinging high in the air, stopping to smell the flowers and watch the sunset…these are but small things that add a little sparkle to our life, keeping alive that child in us. It is only in being childlike that we can experience the joy of small things. The good news is, it’s never too late to stop and feel the breeze, observe the fish in the stream or the turtle in the well. Go ahead - rekindle the joy of small things. After all, it’s matchless. 
