It’s a Dog’s Life

Today I saw a very wounded and sick dog on the street just below my office and he was running helter-skelter in search of a sheltered place. He finally decided to climb the stairs that lead to the office entrance but was shooed away by the guard. I requested the guard to allow him to sit in a corner so that he could take a little rest but as I had expected the guard refused.
My heart skipped a beat when I closely examined the dog. He had literally no hair, had cuts and bruises on most of his body parts with some open and bleeding wounds, a broken leg and was panting heavily. I was astonished that he was even alive in such a condition. But the most striking thing about him were his grayish-green eyes. He looked at me as if pleading me to help him. I remembered my dog at home that has all the luxuries and demands everything by barking at us, gets upset and angry when not attended to. And here was this dog who was so scared of the people around him, probably because of the way they had treated him in the past.
I immediately bought some glucose biscuits, a bottle of cold water and a plastic tumbler out of which he could drink the water. The moment I poured out some for him, he slurped it as if he had never had water before. I poured some more and he drank that as well. I then gave the entire pack of biscuits to him and filled his tumbler with some cold water again.
While I stood there watching him, I heard a passersby’s remark that people don’t get food and water and here I was feeding the dog. I ignored the comment. The poorest or the sickest person can atleast ask for help but how will these helpless and dumb creatures? How will they communicate that all they desire is just a loving pat at times or a second glance or for us to understand their unspoken words, their passionate and sad eyes? But in return what they get is “all of a sudden” infection concerned person wanting to shoo- away the ‘dirty’ animal, a person more interested in checking out what the other is doing and a uncompassionate person who only understands spoken emotions. Have we ever thought that when we spell GOD backwards, it actually reads DOG and maybe it’s just not a coincidence?

Thought for the Mood:
"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”
(My dog is a living proof of this)

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion"
(We should owe every bit of it)

"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where
they went."
(I certainly would)

Life is so Simple

I am sitting in a coffee shop sipping a hot cup of Cappuccino and there is a lot of hustle and bustle around. I try and concentrate to make some sense out of what appears to be a mere clamor in the beginning. I try and focus on the conversations.

In one corner a guy is talking, loud enough to be heard by everyone and not really moved by the stares people are giving him. “Maybe he is sitting with his girlfriend” I think, but then by the occasional looks he is giving me, I believe her to be his “just a friend”. This guy is cribbing about his job and his boss and is going on and on without bothering about his friend and her bored expression. I am not sure whom to empathize with so I move on to another set of conversations.

Right behind me are two boys talking in their local dialect (Gujarati) and all of a sudden heavy US accented English replaces the local touch. Oh, a US returned Gujju bhai! They are discussing about the US economy and the down sizing happening in companies. I smile and move on.

A group of young boys and girls seem to be having fun looking at other people and passing some or the other comments. A girl in the group is rubbing her finger nails together. Seems like a fan of Baba Ramdev who suggests doing this as a daily practice to improve hair quality. I am wondering if I should do the same from tomorrow and then move on again.

Next is a young guy in his early 20’s wearing a sweat shirt of NUS, spiked hair, spectacles and face red with pimples. Looks the very studious kinds. He calls for a Latte and is now watching some Bollywood song on the TV across. His expressions show how amused he is. I give another look and move on.

But I don’t seem to be hearing anything else now as my own thoughts have kick started a conversation with me. I am thinking, rather taken aback by how simple things are around- the easy flowing conversations, the sweet smiles, the serene faces; everything is just so simple. Life is so simple; we just complicate things around us. Time for me to leave now. I’ve paid my bill and just as I am about to move out a cute looking old couple walks in hand in hand with their own stories to tell and their set of sweet conversations...

Thought for the Mood:
“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”
(I also feel the limited your desires are, the simpler your life gets.)

“The simplest things are often the truest.”
(I think of my parents here- simplest and truest.)