Sukkot week is going on! Some of us our readers who have been following us would know how we are giving you all stories to ponder over gratitude and counting blessings. We will quickly tell what Sukkot is to our new readers. Sukkot is a weeklong Jewish festival, celebrated with a purpose to be grateful about our blessings, in all forms.
Stories provide us an outsider’s perspective, often helping us see the big picture in our own life as well! Something similar happened to one of our readers:
I was talking to a friend of mine, rather, complaining.
I will jump straight to our phone conversation (how else are we to talk these days?)
Let us call my friend Mr. H.
‘I am so fed up of this situation. It’s more upsetting because I finally felt like I had a plan. I had saved up enough to invest in a start-up. My wife was going to get a better job as well, somewhere closer to our house so we could spend more time as a family together. We had also seen a new, better house, in our same neighbourhood. Things seemed to be falling into place, finally. And then BOOM! Then came the pandemic, and I am stuck where I was. ‘
My friend H was listening to me patiently.
‘Let me tell you a story.’ I was about to go off on him. Here I was telling him my problems, and he wants to become a storyteller here! At the same time, I was curious. H is a smart guy. ‘Go ahead’. I told him, almost flatly.
H started his story,
‘There was once a little boy who loved to play football. His family was sort of below average in terms of income- they did well with the minimalistic lifestyle they had and spent only when something was genuinely needed. The little boy who loved to play football wanted those special boots all the kids in his neighbourhood wore, he wanted the football studs.
He asked his parents. The shoes were quite expensive! They told him that they would not be able to buy those for him immediately. Maybe, in a few months.
The boy was sad and angry at the same time.
Why did his family not have the riches? Why could they not afford a pair of good shoes?
He tried to ask his parents once more. Twice, thrice during the week, but it was the same response.
“No.”
“Maybe sometime in the future.”
Dejected, the little boy went on his way to the playground. It was evening, and time to play with his friends, something he looked forward to, but today, the air felt heavy and gloomy. The sunny evening seemed to have a cast of grey over it.
Suddenly, he saw a car stop over at one of the houses on the way. From it, a woman quickly came down and opened the door of one of the seats at the back. The little boy who loved football tried to see who the woman was trying to help get down the car. It was a boy with clutches. The boy who loved football saw a boy with clutches, struggling to do a simple activity. ‘
And with this, H concluded his story and paused.
It was my time to speak now.
‘I understand now what you mean. My life is still beautiful, even with all its problems. I have a lovely family. A comfortable house. Food to eat, and everyone I know is safe. I think I need to be more grateful for what I have.’
‘My friend is wise’, said H. I could feel him smiling through the phone.
I could hear the song ‘kuchh log hai juto ko rote, kuchh logo ke paun nahi hote’ in the background. H had started to play this song on his laptop as were talking and I could hear it. He has a weird way of storytelling.
Through my conversation with H, I also realised how gratitude is all about attracting more abundance. The more grateful you are, the more happiness you will get. The more gratitude you practice, the more things you will find to be thankful about.
And with this, we wind up our series of Sukkot week articles!