I moved to a new home last year where the real estate is still developing. There are a whole lot of houses under construction nearby. The people who work there have been setting up their homes beside the construction site in a makeshift tent. So there is this family just opposite to my house and they have made themselves comfortable in the tent they made. That family has a couple, 2 children and sometimes an old lady too. One of the kids is school going and the other is just a toddler.
Hyderabad weather has been quite cruel this season and the temperatures have gone lower than the lowest. The other day my husband pointed me to the lady of that family chopping wood from the dried branches of the trees in an empty plot. We both understood that it was for their stove to cook food and to keep themselves warm. It was then it struck my mind that how simple their life is. They don’t have a concrete roof above their heads. The children just have mud and stones to play with. They aren't running behind targets or goals for the year, EMIs, bills, etc. Probably farthest plans for their future would be to find a better paying job at a new construction project. I can only guess.
Their life seems very simple to me. Just to approach one day at a time. They don’t have to worry about the gas connection or electricity or petrol prices. If they don’t have any comfort, then so it is. Maybe could have actually opted for a permanent residence. But they chose this life like nomads. They work, earn, eat and rest. We also do something synonymous to that. But we are amidst a complicated system. Yes, they might be wondering about the life that we have - comfortable home, vehicles to go about to places, machines that make life less tiring, healthcare facilities during sickness. The grass is always greener on the other side.This is not pity. I do not feel sympathy for them. I am just amused to see them living life on their terms. I keep coming back to a thought that we need to reduce our addictions on mundane things and enjoy the life as it comes, rather whining and complaining on what we don’t have. Sometimes this seems impractical as we run to secure our life as much as possible from unforeseen circumstances.
I have begun to appreciate that we are blessed with many things in life and need to show more gratitude by being better than what I was yesterday. Less whining and more smiling!!
Hyderabad weather has been quite cruel this season and the temperatures have gone lower than the lowest. The other day my husband pointed me to the lady of that family chopping wood from the dried branches of the trees in an empty plot. We both understood that it was for their stove to cook food and to keep themselves warm. It was then it struck my mind that how simple their life is. They don’t have a concrete roof above their heads. The children just have mud and stones to play with. They aren't running behind targets or goals for the year, EMIs, bills, etc. Probably farthest plans for their future would be to find a better paying job at a new construction project. I can only guess.
Their life seems very simple to me. Just to approach one day at a time. They don’t have to worry about the gas connection or electricity or petrol prices. If they don’t have any comfort, then so it is. Maybe could have actually opted for a permanent residence. But they chose this life like nomads. They work, earn, eat and rest. We also do something synonymous to that. But we are amidst a complicated system. Yes, they might be wondering about the life that we have - comfortable home, vehicles to go about to places, machines that make life less tiring, healthcare facilities during sickness. The grass is always greener on the other side.This is not pity. I do not feel sympathy for them. I am just amused to see them living life on their terms. I keep coming back to a thought that we need to reduce our addictions on mundane things and enjoy the life as it comes, rather whining and complaining on what we don’t have. Sometimes this seems impractical as we run to secure our life as much as possible from unforeseen circumstances.
I have begun to appreciate that we are blessed with many things in life and need to show more gratitude by being better than what I was yesterday. Less whining and more smiling!!
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