Thoughts: Hannah's Blog

Having shifted recently to a different location, my commute to office has become longer. My day starts early on my “going to office” days, to accommodate the distance and to avoid the traffic. My routine happens like clockwork, I have scheduled my getting-ready activities down to the 5-minute mark, because if I am late by even ten minutes, I’d have to spend an extra half an hour in traffic. (Bangalore folks would know)

My journey starts on the bumpy roads, then on to the outer ring road, where it is lined up with corporate offices as far as the eye can see. Add a railway station on the way to the mix, just to add to the crowd and traffic scene. But right in the middle of all of this is a lake, with water!

Depending upon the speed in which the cab driver zips past, I get a span of 5-10 seconds to admire the lake scene in front of me. There are trees on the borders, there is an enclosure around the lake where people go walking. It’s so green and pleasant to look at!

As a bonus, due to the time in which I travel, sometimes the Sun lines up just above the lake granting me a mesmerising vista, with its reflection glittering on the waters. Long have I attempted to capture the beauty with my mobile camera but in vain.

Some days it is cloudy (no sun), some days I start too early (the sun has not come in position), some days late(the sun already crossed over) some days I happen to sit on the other side of the cab, some days I’m too late in opening the camera app in my mobile, (remember it’s just a few seconds as the driver might be fast) some days I’m just content in not taking a picture lest I miss the beauty of the moment, other days I end up with a photo that is shaky, blurry, out of focus, half hidden by other vehicles, walking people, poles and what not.

I think of this as an oasis because it’s all green and it is in the middle of a concrete wilderness with buildings all around. I look forward to this moment in my journey and enjoy this for the precious few moments before I get back to the view of the buildings.

I thank God for such breathers in life as well, we might be in the wilderness for a time but we do get to see or experience the Oasis once in a while. When we focus only on our problems, which seemingly occupies the major part of our journey, we will miss out on appreciating the good things that happens along the way.

If you had been busy of late complaining and grumbling about what’s not going well in your life, can you take a moment to think or look back on your oasis moment in the recent past and be thankful for it. I’m sure it will refresh your spirit just like it did mine.