Looking down at the sky

I remember noticing, back when I was about seven years old, the evening sky. Beautiful. Unbelievable shades of blue and orange. Perhaps it still is. But I’ve stopped noticing. I’ve stopped having the time to go out into the garden, walk up to the gate and look up at the heavens.

My house is by the main road of a dusty and busy town. If I walk out of my house into the garden and look up, I’d only see a square of sky. I had to go near the gate to see a wider stretch of  it. Only a little taller than a couple of feet then, I remember standing there by the gate, looking above the road, past the buildings and dust, over the roofs and antennas in the distance. At the kingdom of clouds that reigned up high in all its majesty, untouched by the noise and dust below.

I remember gazing at the well-fed fluffy clouds and wishing I could be amongst them. I remember picking out in my head exactly which cloud I’d want to be on. Surrounded by ethereal orange and blue.

And while on a flight for a conference recently, peeking out of my window seat and looking out at the skies, I suddenly remembered. Like in a movie, swatches of memory flashed before my eyes. And I saw myself, at the gate, in the garden of our house, looking up at me, up hear amongst the clouds.

Never did I think while looking up those many years ago that my innocent wish would many years later become a reality. Now I realize that it didn’t even take many years. I think it was possibly the very next year that I had my first flight to India with my parents. But I didn’t realize at that time that I’d gotten my wish, just like that.

It took a long time for me to notice and remember, but finally I did. Never did I think for once that I’d one day be able to be amongst the clouds. The thought of getting there by way of an aero plane didn’t even cross my mind. Sometimes you get what you want and you’re too busy to even realize and appreciate life granting your wishes.

 Now, looking down at the world below from up here in the clouds, I’m humbled and awed by the fact that there really is no limit to possibilities. 

Whether you look up at it or look down at it, the sky is blue.

Give, and let live

So its about 7 in the morning and someone evil who had nothing better to do than call and wake me up out of my precious sleep said something which got me thinking.

Here I was, under 3 blankets, in embryo position, orbiting around a pillow that I was hugging for dear life, wondering how on earth people find it in themselves the will to get up at about five or six in the morning, have a shower, get dressed, and go to work. It’s so cold!! Yes yes, so I AM in Sri Lanka and I’m obviously whining about just a bit of cold which yes I know is nothing compared to what other countries are experiencing, but in my little bubble it’s cold ok!

But what I got thinking on was that hey I’m in bed, under three blankets, I don’t wake up early unless some horrid person calls me (which they always do) and when I DO wake up I’m in warm clothing, drinking a nice cup of something warm, having a nice warm meal and in a house where there is a nice bulbed-up Christmas tree. And then there are people out there who are sleeping on the pavement, with none of that, covering themselves up with whatever rags they have.

Not just people; families, children, dogs and cats. Without proper shelter. Without food. Without anything to drink let alone something warm. And we go out and spend, spend, spend and spend on Christmas presents and nice pretty things for ourselves not thinking for a moment that just one of those purchases could probably feed a whole family. A warm meal. In this cold.

Now I know this is not anything new or a sudden awesome thing that dawned on only me for the first time in the world, but I guess we forget how blessed we are and how much we have to be thankful for. And how much we need to give. We forget during the whole rush of life and complains about our little luxuries that there are people and animals out there who wish for food. Just a bit of food.

And how much can we really give? There would be no end to it if you tried doing it properly right? I don’t know, but I guess doing what you can would make a big difference.

I bought a tiny pair of antique-looking earrings yesterday with a turquoise stone set on each, a pair that I wanted quite badly, and that tiny pair means a lot to me. It’s just a pair of earrings, not even a necessity, but they mean a lot. Likewise, what little thing we can donate would I guess would mean a lot to someone who has nothing. A jacket, a meal, slippers, a book, a penny.

I’m nearing broke-ness and need to get so many other things before Christmas but I do have a lot of clothes and shoes that I can spare. It’s the least I can do but I guess it’s better than nothing. I need to wake up.