Day 16 - An interesting insight

Jog - done.

An interesting thing happened today, which left me with a lasting impression.

I was doing warm up exercises before the jog. I was facing a huge tree standing in the middle of Ulsoor lake. There were many birds - small and big and I was enjoying the ever changing sight. Just then I noticed a beautiful little bird having exquisitely colored feathers. I stopped exercising for a moment and started watching it. Within few seconds it flew from that branch and sat on another. The angle at which the bird was sitting now was such that if I resumed my normal warm up exercises I couldn't watch it. So I was tempted to stop the warm ups completely and follow the bird. I was so much enamored by its beauty.

For one moment the picture of a photo frame came to mind. So far, as long as I was exercising, I was watching through a frame and was seeing so much activity. The moment I was fixed on that bird my frame kept moving, following the bird. As I was thinking this suddenly the bird vanished without a trace. And I was so disappointed. I suddenly realized that this is how we lead our life. We start with the focus on long term life and we are enjoying everybit of it. Suddenly we come across something special. Even though we know it's only going to last for a short period we want to hold on to it as long as we can. We go to the extent of forgetting the main subject of focus - the life - and run after this fleeting thing. And suddenly you see it disappear, causing despair.

Realizing this I started went back to warm up exercises. And to my pleasant surprise the little bird came back and sat right opposite to me, the place where I had seen it first! Now, instead of stopping for its view I kept on doing my excersises. And it was sitting in the same place as if posing for me, throughout. And as I was about to leave, the little bird dove down into the water to catch something, giving me full view of its colorful plume! This was something I was not expecting.

Insight I got for myself: Just be focussed on your main subject without diverting attention on fleeting pleasures and you will have wonders - beyond your expectations! Amen!