Page 27 - Balvihar january 2024

the comforting embrace of her mother or then the scent of wet mud, floating paper boats in a
small puddle of water or the sound of the bell in the cow’s neck.
Meera’s father realised that Meera wasn't mourning the loss of a jar; she was sad because the
fragments of her happy world lay scattered.

Meera’s little act of collecting happy trivia was a profound learning for her father. 'In our
pursuit of happiness we adults have forgotten the little good things that add up to a happy
day,' he thought.

The next evening Meera’s father found Meera sitting quietly on the wooden bench. The
chirpiness was missing. Meera’s father put a hand on her head. As Meera turned to him she
saw that he was holding a glass jar with all her chits in it! Meera looked at it in wonder. “The
happy things that you are collecting cannot be taken away from you. Jars may break but
happy moments still make your life.”
Meera’s innocent heart was convinced and
she beamed a bright smile. She took the
jar from her father and ran inside to
get her old notebook.

As Meera dashed into the
house, her father said a small
prayer, “In the hustle of my
daily life, I had forgotten to
appreciate the simple joys
that surrounded them. Thank
you for reminding me. May
you always have jars, full of
happiness!”

This little girl, in a simple way,
thus taught her father that joy
resides not in grand gestures
but in the appreciation of life's
little good things.
Indeed, trivia is not trivial, but keeps you jovial and cheerful.

– Vaijayanthi Arun

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Balvihar - January 2024