A Book of Simple Living

I read the book- A Book of Simple Living by Ruskin Bond. This is an amazing read. The book is a personal diary that records the many small moments that constitute a life of harmony – with the self, the natural world, and friends, family and passerby. In the book, we see a wild plum blossom and the moon come up between deodar trees; we hear a red start whistle and the rain drum on a tin roof; we recognize the aftermath of loss and the consolation of old companions.

This book is a gift of beauty and wisdom from Ruskin Bond. This book is a simple recipe for happiness. A real gem, simplicity at its best….the entire book is replicate with magnificent life lessons.

In the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you.
– Leo Tolstoy

We are too busy with our daily life, we are in too much hurry for everything. Why? Where we want to go? Why we are missing the pleasure of the process or the journey of life. The destination is not more important than the journey. Why we are missing the pleasure of the journey. Look around you and start noticing every small or big thing and enjoy it, experience it.

After all, it is a good thing to laugh…and if a straw can tickle a man, it is an instrument of happiness. – John Dryden

Wisdom does not come with age. But the fact is, for all its hardships and complications, life is simple.

Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece.” ― Ralph Charell

You can not make happy everyone and you can not achieve everything in the world, so be content whatever you have and desire the things that is in your limits. It is all right not to climb every mountain. A good monk would know that contentment is easier to attain than happiness, and that it is enough.

Let’s ask then- What is happiness?, the author have the answer of the question as –

“Happiness is a mysterious thing, to be found somewhere between too little and too much. But it is as elusive as a butterfly, and we must never pursue it. If we stay very still, it may come and settle on our hand. But only briefly. We must savour those moments, for they will not come our way very often.”

In the fast running world, we forget to find the time for yourself. Where is your #ME time. I am me when i read a good book or when i write the post on this blog. That is my #ME time. Find your #ME time and do the things that you really want to do in that time, nothing else.

The Author reminds us the importance of family, friends. Love them. No one is on the earth ever. The life is just a journey and the death is the final destination. So instead of accumulating the worldly material things, enjoy the journey. The poem from the book:

“We must love someone. We must keep loving, all our days,Someone, anyone, anywhere outside our selves; For eve the sarus crane, will grieve over its lost companion, And the seal its mate.
Somewhere in life, There must be someone, To take your hand And share the torrid day.
Without the touch of love, There is no life, and we must fade away.”

It’s the simple things in life that keep us from going crazy. They contribute more to our general happiness and health than acts of passion and high excitement. Like, A good sleep is a great gift to you. For a good life, there should be stillness in life and in mind. Learn to laugh on your silly mistakes, instead laughing on others. And live the life in your own way, Don’t live to fulfill other’s expectations. And for god sake, don’t live on the words like what other’s say about you or your actions. It’s your life, live it in your way.

Wars and upheavals destroy lives, but it is always worth remembering that life and humanity are bigger than them. We hear of heroic stands and superhuman perseverance, but fortitude and resilience are usually found in mundane things and are easily missed.

Slow down and listen. There are sounds that are good to hear. listen the rain outside, listen the sounds within. By nature of human being, one things better when one is alone. If you want to think better, go for a walk alone and think. Instead of joining the crowd, choose wisely because you the average of the five people around you. In the journey of life, we encounter both good and bad people but we should keep the good people with us and stay away from the bad people.

Memories are very important. Keep them with you, either in your mind, either in the form of photos or any other form you like. There are memories that we fear and run away from all our lives. But we also find solace in memory, often in unexpected ways, as unbidden images return from our past.

Money often costs too much – Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you owe nothing, you are rich, Money doesn’t make people happy. But neither does poverty. The secret , then, is to have as much as you need- or may be a little more and then share what you have. Start saving a little every month. Stop ruining your life and peace of live in the desire to make more money.

Always tell the truth, then you don’t have to remember anything.

True, when to hide something, you lie to someone, then to keep the truth as a secret you need to tell more lies and you need to remember the chain of lies, to maintain your reputation in front of others. It sounds very difficult and it cost you the peace of your life. SO why to lie, just tell the truth then its other’s problem whether they like the truth or not. You stop bothering about it.

Some lines of Stevenson’s which you can sing when you are alone:

And this shall be for music when no one else is near, The fine song for singing, the rare song to hear! That only i remember, that only you admire, Of the broad road that stretches, and the roadside fire.

when all the wars are over, a butterfly will still be beautiful.

Stick to what is your truth of observation, irrespective of a grand audience. Keep it simple. Trust your first emotions in the face of nature. Slow down. Observe. That is where all life is. There is life everywhere, it’s just you to observe. Start observing. Take walks. Long ones. Greet others with a smile. The best remedies for all the diseases is to walk. Hear sounds of birds. Pay attention to bugs on flower tips. Love quietly under the quilt of moonless nights. Hear the sound of rain falling on various things. Concrete terraces, mud, grass, tin roofs, car panes, glass windows, in the lonely corners of your heart. Pour secrets from your soul into wells for others to draw and share upon. Be a garden. Be a gardener. Bloom in spring. Be exuberant . Get naked in autumn. Be vulnerable. Try kindness for a change. To follow cynicism is to follow the herd. Read. Read more. Have a bed in a library instead of a bookshelf in a bedroom. Love. Receive it with both hands. Give it with both hands, limbs and mouth and kisses.

At the end of the post, Buy the book and read. It should be your ME book.

No one can take our dreams away! And until death comes, all is life.

-Mahesh