A freshly made tea in a company provided mug was trying to cool itself by doing heavy breathing exercise. A freshly printed news paper but tired and folded was sleeping on my door step. I could understand the tiredness, it is because of carrying lots of old and/or incorrect news. An old couch was sitting in its royal posture, welcomed me. A youthful day, calm but energetic, was busy making its plan for the day. I thought of joining them in a small conversation. I asked the news paper, “What’s New?”. He was about to repeat yesterday’s story in a little different viewpoint. Tea passed its first angry but truthful sweet comment. Suddenly Tuktuk the little bird came flying from the nearest tree to join us. Couch welcomed her. She is so beautiful that none could stop looking at her. I asked her, “What’s your plan for the day?’”. She said, “What plan, we do not make plans? We let the nature make the plan and we just find our way through that to make our living?”. I being an animal with a brain smiled thinking if they would have made plans, then they would have also developed like us. They are doing the same old stuff year after year, centuries after century without any improvisation. Poor they. I did not say because I did not want to upset anybody early in the morning. She was busy talking to the couch and then flew to sit on the wall, then sat on the flower-pot and started searching something. I asked, “What are you searching?”. She looked at me and said, “I am searching for the opportunity. Nature is our teacher and she taught us to keep on looking for opportunities with a positive mind. Do not ask anybody or do not snatch anything from other’s mouth. She said that, everyday she hides some beautiful opportunities for us and expects us to find them ourselves and utilize them. So I am searching for them”.
I proudly said utilizing my brain, “You poor bird, I will teach you something more useful. Just go to anybody’s house and sit there for sometime, you are beautiful, the house owner will give you some grains and water. You need not look for it all day. You even have a beautiful voice, you can sing songs to attract them more. Then you will fulfill your daily need early in the morning and need not work so hard day long under this cruel Sun.” I was extremely proud of myself for giving the useful idea. Tuktuk continued her search for opportunity after listening to me carefully. I was bit offended as she did not even care about the wonderful comment I gave to her.
She finished her search and then came and sat on the couch once again. She said,”There are many reasons to continue looking for grains. It is not important to collect grains for the day. The process is important and that process is our source of entertainment. If getting the food will become so easy then we will forget the importance of food in our life. Just look at yourself. Please do not mind because I am going to tell you something which is bitter but truth. I scan your dustbin everyday and find so much of food there. I see how your wife runs behind your kids to feed them. I see how you had to be called several times to come to the dining table in order to have food. I have seen you leaving the food and going to attend phone calls or other activities which you think as important. You humans have completely lost the charm of earning food, which nature had made as one of the primary needs for any animal living on this earth. For you, having food is like one of the least important activity. You have abundance of food everywhere so you just fill your stomach when you feel necessary with whatever you get. You even do not care to think what are you eating.
We are choosy in this matter. We eat what is good for us. Do you think that you need to work for the day because you and your family wants to have a healthy food. No!. But we do. You work to get worldly pleasures, appreciation, promotion, more money which are truly not your need. That is the reason you are unhappy when you do not have them and still unhappy when you have them. When you do not have the need then having something or not having will not make any difference.”
Her lecture sounded like ‘lecture’ initially but I somehow got to understand what she means. She again flew from the couch to sit on a bulb but it was slippery for her. She flew back to the flower-pot to search again. That looked unnecessary to me. She flew away after few seconds quick search and said before leaving, “Prioritize life based on real needs then you will see you will enjoy every achievement or process of living. Good luck. See you some other day.” .
Namaste!!!
– Stray Dog
Life as Sakti 
Thanks for sharing. Really good one. Simple but , it is so true that we have lost taste of food in true sense and its importance. They are really choosy and has maintained their standard not like us.
Thank you Panthesh. If we are served same food day after day then we get bored and loose interest in food but it is so strange that they eat the same food with equal interest everyday. I wonder whether we lacking something or they do not have taste sense?
Lovely!!! This is indeed post written by adult thinker! Bird was 100% right! And you were equally honest!
Let me share you real life incident. I feed flock of pigeons everyday since 6 months. For some reasons(that include my laziness,back to back out of town situations), I could not feed them for 1 week. You what happened when I resumed? None of them eat! They came, sat and flew but did not eat. I tried to for couple of days , same repeated. After repeating same sound on same time to invite them, they finally came. That put in thoughtful condition that ” Have they started evolving and learning self-respect?” 🙂
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Thank you Nisarg! I think we underestimated them. If they can sense Tsunami and other natural calamities beforehand, I feel they might also have the sense to understand our intentions. They test our sincerity. May be they tried to see how sincere you are and when you passed the test, they obliged. I spent my childhood in tribal areas and most of my friends were tribes. I have seen a similar attitude in them. They just don’t believe anybody unless you prove your sincerity. They have great self-respect. Even tribes who are close to nature can sense many calamities beforehand. I feel so illiterate in front of them. Sometimes I feel wrong education ruined our instincts.