Joy & Misery
A short story by Sharmen
“How are you happy most of the time? Do you not get affected by things that happen to you and around you? I have never seen you angry before. You have a pleasant vibe,” Jen rested her bag on the table and continued her conversation with Jim.
“My joy and misery comes from within. Not from what someone says or does to me. Someone can say nasty things to me, but I decide whether I want to get affected by it or let it bounce right off me. I am not always successful, but I try and it mostly works. You don’t have to be joyful all the time. That is close to impossible. But you can choose to not be affected by events around you.
I believe that you attract what you think and speak. So, if something unpleasant happens to me, I know that it is because I was thinking or speaking something similar. That would make me more cautious of my future thoughts. Meaning, if I catch myself thinking something angry for example, I will stop and observe the thought. I will examine the cause of the anger and look for something in that situation that I can appreciate or be grateful for.
Let us say it is a debate between a friend and I, and I said or thought something unpleasant. I would now look for something positive in that debate. Maybe a valid point made by my friend and be grateful for it.
It might not make sense to you now, but I am sure that it will not take long for you to comprehend,” Jim replied.
“It does make sense to me. How about for days when I do not see or talk to anyone? But negative thoughts do pop up. Can I do the same thing?”
“Of course. All battles that happen within are based on memories and things that have yet to be. Conversations what we have with ourselves are on things that have happened and, on fear of the future too. So, it does not matter when or where these thoughts pop up. You can still be the observer of your thoughts and come to the present moment.”
“How do I practice this regularly? And make a habit out of it.”
“You can start your day by being grateful that you woke up from your sleep to a brand-new day. Millions go to bed, never to wake up again. So you should be grateful that you did. After that, you can show gratitude to the things around you — your bed and pillow for giving you a comfortable place to rest, your blanket for keeping you warm and safe, your fan or aircon for keeping you cool while you slept, your room and home for providing you with a place to sleep, the glass of water next to your bed for quenching your thirst. The list is endless. There are many small things that one can be grateful for. When you start your day that way, the Universe will give you plenty more things to be grateful for. You would not take life too seriously.”
“Thank you for talking to me Jim. A pleasure as always. You have intrigued me further and I will practice what you have taught. I need to go now. I do not want to be late for my own class. I won’t hear the end of it from my students.”
“It was a pleasure talking to you Miss Jen. Have a great day,” Jim waved goodbye to Miss Jen. He picked up the broom that he rested against the table and resumed sweeping the school’s canteen.
