A Beautiful Day

Each moment is an eternity in separation and even an eternity is but just a moment in love. This was the feeling I had when I saw Sri Hari at the Sydney ashram a couple of days ago. It was so lovely to see him and sit next to him for a wee bit. 

I remember I was in grade 7 when I first read Leisure by W.H. Davies. Frankly, at the time I did not understand the poem at all. It starts off with: What is this life if, full of care… I’d thought, hmm, wasn’t a life that’s full of care supposed to be good? Aren’t we supposed to care for each other? It wasn’t till I spoke to Prof. Sharma (my English teacher I wrote about in my memoir) that he clarified that in this poem care referred to our worries, stresses, and work. It wasn’t a person cared for but careworn. 

Aha, I remember thinking, it’s the same word, but the context changes its meaning completely. 

As is our life. Whether you see the world around you a world full of love and beauty or chaos and mess depends on the context of your understanding. It’s the same world, its understanding, however, changes its meaning, your life’s meaning, completely.

Here’s the full poem, by the way:

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

It was an eternity of bliss in Sri Hari’s presence. 

Peace.
Swami