We are born pure and beautiful. Our souls only know the art of loving and giving. What we simply seek for is sincere love in return and sometimes, not even that, we just give love to feel whole. Just observe a child and you will know that this holds true.
A child, unpolluted by the negativity of the world, is always hungry for love. He makes innocent attempts to get his love recognised and expresses the sea of emotions in ways that simply touch your heart and leave you drenched with ecstasy for a long long time. My ten year old cousin, Shaheer, recently bought a nail paint for me with his own money that he had saved from his meagre daily-school-meal allowances. I have been earning a decent sum of money for quite a few months but not even once did I consider giving any gift to this little lovely cousin of mine and despite the fact that I love him dearly, the thought of doing something for him never crossed my mind.
Not only had he bought the nail paint for me, but he had taken notice of all the colours that I’d had on my dresser so that he could get me the one that I did not have.
I was so touched by his thoughtfulness and the effort that he had put into saving that money and choosing what to give me, that I simply cannot explain. Not only did I feel immensely loved, I also felt immensely embarrassed and ashamed.
It seems and, so have I observed, that in growing up we have stopped being the loving people we would be as children. I still remember doing the smallest of gestures for my older cousins just to get their appreciation and love. I am sure all of you have a memory of an older cousin treating you unfairly or a rude comment of an adult that was too brutal for your heart back then.
In the fear of mistreatment, based on past experiences, we have just stopped being the nice people we innately are. Too scared to be misused, we have shut the healthy emotions off. They have been buried underneath layers of dark soil and we are too scared to unravel them, to feel again, to want again, to love again. Ironically, in protecting ourselves from hurt, we breed a cycle of negativity by limiting people from the love that they should be receiving from us.
Shaheer made me realise how giving without expectations is the best feeling in the world. I still remember his beaming eyes when he handed me my little nail paint and how embarrassed he had felt when I had crushed him into a big beary hug. For a moment I was really scared for him. He is such a beautiful, open hearted, loving boy and I am scared his love will be misused but I keep telling myself that love has a power of its own. It doesn’t need to be protected. It needs to be tested and tried and only once you learn to love without the fear of getting hurt, do you really conquer the art of love. He needs to go through it too and I hope with the right guidance and encouragement, he will never stop loving unconditionally.
P.s. Always keep on doing the tiny, littlest of things for the people you love. You do not need to be bound by an occasion or a date. Any tiny thoughtful gesture can really make someone’s day and can be cherished for life :). Think of someone you love the most and just do something sweet and meaningful.
I still remember a game I would play with my siblings when we were in the age group of 10-15. We would stay up all night and clean the house to give our mum a surprise in the morning. From sweeping and mopping, to washing dishes and cleaning bathrooms, we would clean up everything. We would then tie a ribbon outside her room, with a pair of scissors and a love letter placed on a side table, so that she could cut the ribbon and feel like she was entering into a new house. She would always be delighted and we would love to see her cut the ribbon. Somewhere in growing up and getting busy we stopped playing that game at all. With too much domestic help, the activity started to seem meaningless. Now, however, I think otherwise :). The purpose was never to clean, it was to make my mum feel that we cared for her and I am definitely going to do something similar for her, just like them old times :).
To my dearest Shaheer, you made me feel again. Love you for teaching me such a powerful lesson, for giving me the courage to love and for being such a caring little brother. This will be remembered forever :).
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