Optimism and Hope - Children!

I love small children. Between two and five years is the age that fascinates me - because then they have not been touched by the sophistication and the so called refinements of society. The world has not polluted their wide eyed wonder and they still retain the fresh and clean innocence that they have been blessed with by God. Their joy at being given a present exceeds the joy promised by visions of Nirvana shown by hundreds of gurus. The sorrow these children express when the mother goes away is heartrending. and when they shrivel up at being scolded, or when they fold up and withdraw on a harsh touch is something that I can't bear to witness. And on the other extreme is the abandon with which they run to you when you give them the tiniest morsel of love.
And so in my middle years, to enlarge my mental and emotional horizon - especially the emotional horizon - which had shrunk in size and capacity over the years of looking after work and money and house and husband, I invited a small group of children of this age group - two to five - from the neighboring slums and took them to the nearby municipality park. I thought they would be quiet and shy and subservient perhaps, diffident and may not open up. But I was in for a surprise to say the least. The youngest - Alok - was a two year old with a cold. He came snivelling and had brought a tiny handkerchief to wipe his tiny nose. He walked around with a sparkle in his eye. The three year old - Khuhi - bowled me over with her braided hair and well cut nails. She didn't know the meaning of Khushi - her name. But she immediately caught on when we dramatised what 'Khushi' meant by running in the park, playing a game of 'catch' and then telling stories and - most importantly - when she got a packet of biscuits from me as a prize for her story telling skills.
And so this meet up group of ours which originated from my need to expand my emotional self - and which has generated so much positive feelings in me - has become my pillar of strength. It gives me so many happy thoughts when I sit alone in my balcony or when I am in the kitchen finishing my cooking.When - inspite of getting so much from God - I feel down and out, this group of children become my reservoir of optimism and draw me out and help me cope with my problems.
The imponderables are rent apart by the young ones clutching my hand as they insist on making me play one more game, run one more race, sing one more song, tell one more story. And I sit down laughing away all grave thoughts. Physically they may live in slums but I am sure one day they will get the best of the houses we see in Housing.com where hopefully they will live in an atmosphere of joy, sunshine and pure unalloyed fun