As my car was moving eastward on expressway on the night of 11 April, I chanced to glance outside the front screen of the car to be captivated by the striking beauty of pink full moon in clear April sky. It was a divine sight. A perfect luminous silvery disc dominating the ink blue summer sky. In cities I am a withdrawn person usually don’t pay attention to many things to avoid the overbearing distractions. But that divine sight had my gaze anchored to it. Not just that it had a purging effect on me. After a maddening day, feelings of calm and stillness flooded me.

At that moment nothing else existed, nothing else mattered. Everything was perfect in the world.

It brought back memories of childhood when I had spent countless nights on the rooftop of my paternal house playing peek-a-boo with stars and then lazily drifting into sleep awed by magnificence of the night sky. In the village there was no distraction from the city lights and towering high-rises both of which eclipse off the beauty of starry nights.

And then life happened over the years. In the madness of completing degree, finding and surviving the job, I some how became oblivious to the beauty from everyday existence? And now nothing is beautiful enough. Nothing is splendid enough. I am sure it is the same sky and the same moon, the same ladybug and the same weedy overgrowth. the world did not change overnight.

The culprit is span of our attention. Why is it that the most beautiful memories are from childhood? When we were wild, young and carefree, every ladybug was a thing of beauty, every dragonfly was a sight of wonder, even the roadside flowers of the weedy overgrowth was stunning. When we were young we were not distracted by feelings of insufficiency, insecurities, or instabilities. The moon was there, and it was only the moon. I could have spent hours watching it. I could have chased bugs, fireflies, butterflies and dragonflies impervious to hunger or thirst. It was a perfect world.

The world is still the same, though. The level of attention has fallen drastically. Everything is of divine composition and hence mesmerizing. We just need to open our conscious eyes to it. I remember an incident my friend narrated to me in college. One of his friend was hopelessly in love. He would often talk about her with affection and pride. As is natural his peer-group became curious to see her in person for themselves to believe. They would get the opportunity while attending a common friends marriage ceremony. Average height, average build, average featured and dark skinned, she was all but the magnificent girl their friend was mad about.

This is a very common situation. Because the lover pays attentions, the loved one becomes divine. While to others he or she remains ordinary.

It is all a matter of opening our eyes and paying attention. He paid attention to the average woman and she became divine for him. Pay attention to random acts of kindness from strangers, and they become beautiful. Pay attention to the wild roadside flowers, they become beautiful. Pay attention to the dilapidated, moss infested temple building by the river and it becomes beautiful. Pay attention to the mad rush of crowds in the metro, and it becomes lively and interesting. Pay attention to the writing I am presenting before you, and it becomes enchanting. Pay attention to the small thoughtful acts of your partner, and he becomes exceptional.

Beauty is that which touches us at some deep level and makes us pleased. It has a way of filling the heart with song and making the spirits dance. But only that will touch us at the deepest level which we will allow to by being conscious about it.

So what is the lesson here? Should I focus on my best friend’s girl and become smitten with her?

No, what I am saying is if you do not have a song in your heart and dance in your step, may be you are not paying attention enough.

Pay attention to whatever is there in front of you at the moment and see it transform into a divine expression. Pay attention to work, and see it become a source of satisfaction. Pay attention to people and see them transform into the source of joy. Pay attention to your self and see the self become a constant celebration.

Love and Light,

Punam for Spiritual Punditz