Life is full of ups and downs, joys, and sorrows. It is natural for us to feel joy when we are at the top of the world. We reach the trough of our feelings when we go through the sad events in life. Does this feeling change with age? Is it different when we are young? Was our thought process different when we were in a busy phase of life? I think that these emotions do not change. What changes is how we express our feelings. Basics remain the same. The expressions are controlled by neurons in our brains.
When we express our joys and sorrows without any hindrance, we may sometimes be called immature. There are certain things that brighten up our moods every time some good thing happens. After summer heat, we suddenly get winds, the sky becomes dark, and rain gods bless us. It is an event that occurs every year and gives you the ultimate feeling when you get drenched in the first shower. The same thing happens every year when the king of fruits, the mango, starts arriving at the market, and finally, we buy our first dozen! I was present in the hospital when my granddaughter Rhea came into this world and gave us the ultimate joy of our life. Of course, we had the same pleasure when our children Sachin and Priya landed on the terra firma! It indicates that there are some pleasant events that keep on happening not every year, but we still love them every time.
Being with nature is a similar thing that gives us the ultimate, any time, every time! Recently, we took a holiday in Karnataka. We visited Mysuru and Madikeri, which is in the hills of Coorg. Mysuru is well known for its historical places, monuments, and absolute cleanliness. It has tree-lined streets and vast gardens. But the bliss we felt was different when we reach Madikeri. We stayed inside a Club Mahindra resort. In the real sense, we had our rooms inside a jungle. The jungle was, of course, made safe from wildlife, and snakes. In such settings, we get a serene feeling. We are taken over by nature.
The first thing we would get every day was a wake-up call by the chirping birds. The way different birds communicate with each other is fantastic. Why a specific bird is loud on a day, subdued the next day, is not known to us. I could record a wake-up call one morning, and it still brings peace in this world. Listen to the recording I have done.
The jungle where we lived was full of early morning cool breeze, and sometimes even a gust made way for the breeze. The music brought in by the rustling leaves accompanied by the chorus of chirping birds, was the ultimate of all the feelings. The weather was not cold, but a slight chill was always around till we went for breakfast. One day there were some clouds, and somehow there was no wake-up call by the birds! Did it mean that the birds did not wake up as they were not sure if the day had started depending on the intensity of light? Or they also like to sleep a little more cloudy days as we do?
I managed a few phots of the birds but obviously, my lens was not powerful enough.
Both Jaya and I are retired now, but a few days enclosed by nature was like an elixir for us. During our stay, we moved around on the paths inside. The variety of trees was breathtaking. The season was such that there were not many flowers, but there were some that grew away from the trails. These days I claim that I am a photographer! I have bought a biggish lens. I met a young person from Thane; we discussed taking photographs of trees, bushes, and some birds. Birds were always elusive. The next day I met his wife too! She said, “Uncle, my husband told me that you are into photography.” I told her, “Come on, finally, I was able to impress others; I am a showoff!” I said, “ I do dabble in photography, but I am very much an amateur!” Here are some photos which I could manage. One thing I have realised is that to have one good picture, I need to take many. In the end, I select which ones I can display.
On the resort, there were two swimming pools. One of them was well hidden from the public view. While walking on the trail near this pool, we could listen to typical water flow sound. Initially, I was not aware that there was a swimming pool, so I thought that it was a natural water stream that was flowing. I felt as if there is a burbling stream. Once I sat there listening to the water music, babbles and rappels, for half an hour!
Ultimately, what brings us joy? What brings us happiness?
First and foremost is that you should want to be happy. The neural circuit of some of us built in such a way that some of us don’t enjoy anything. Why does nature bring out the best out of us? Is nature the only thing that brings out the best out of us? Are other things in life not important; is our health equally important? Is financial stability not necessary?
I feel that all other things being okay, nature is the best therapy to bring joy out of us. If we give the scores out of ten, nature could get a score of 10/10!
Friends, my general theory of going back to nature, comes into the picture. But does this thought process happen when we become senior citizens? Certain things give us joy right through our life. Birth of our children or grandchildren, India winning a world cup, career achievements are not regular events. But first rain of the season, birds chirping, birds flying to gather their food and water are everyday events. We get the feeling of joy every time we see or feel them. You don’t have to travel hundreds of miles to be with nature. You can wakeup to Kuhu Kuhu of Cukoo in summer. You can set your clock to flying in and out of the birds. But we should not forget that theirs is a Solar calendar, and flight timings are dependent on the sunlight, the temperature at the predetermined times.
One experience I must share with you. I went to the spa at the resort. I walked through the woods for about fifteen minutes to reach the Spa. After body massage for about 45 minutes, there was head massage therapy using dripping warm water. All the atmosphere relaxed me so much that I dozed off for ten minutes on the massage table!
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