Life's gains, misses

Manisha Gupta writes - The little gift my husband's friend's mother gave me when they came over to our place recently. I opened this beautiful, flower shaped golden and white box inquisitively to see what it contained.

you can't believe my surprise and excitement at finding another, identical but slightly smaller box inside the first one. My curiosity and anxiety rising, I opened the second box only to find yet another smaller identical version of it.

I was really curious, my excitement heightened and imagination flying beyond control as to what gift could fit into such a tiny, cute box. With trembling hands, exited mind and a fluttering heart, I opened this little, decorated container, only to find nothing inside.

But it taught me a big lesson. It dawned upon me that this is precisely what life is. You go from one layer to another, from one event to the next, from this end to the other with thrill and excitement, anxiety and curiosity and go on unfolding the mystery of life at every corner, But little do you realise that at the end of it all, there is nothing, Just emptiness, a vacuum to be precise.

And it is all about our expectations.

We get thrilled when our expectations are met, and we get into a 'low' when we find nothing. That's how we err in the journey of life. We fail to realise that life is like a game of gains and misses.

So, we must learn to enjoy unraveling the mysteries of life, have fun going through it, keep the excitement on while crossing all the hurdles and difficulties because you never know which "box" is the last one.

And be always a happy walker in the journey of life because life is in the journey, destination is only death. Even death turns out pleasant if your journey is pleasant. The "boxes" may or may not contain anything, but your attitude should always be: enjoy the process of discovery.