It is rather surprising that in a world that is so connected and so well-versed with emotions and emoticons, one does not see much thoughtfulness. In fact we are all more used to seeing thoughtlessness as the norm. It is perhaps so because we are all too caught up in our own lives and so self-centred that we rarely have the time to think about others.
Much as we may like to think we are thoughtful, we may all have to scratch our heads to think of a genuinely thoughtful act that we did in the recent past. One where you thought hey, this person may like this so let me walk the extra mile for him or her and make it special! When did you do such an act last?
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| Timely, Thoughtful - Priceless! |
Gifts are a great expression of love. Greetings are a great expression of love. Our many acts are great expressions of love. If only they are thoughtful. I remember a time when we used to scour greeting card shops (what are those dude?) to pick the one card that said exactly the right thing. pen the right message and post it so many days in advance so it reaches the other person on time. Those cards had thoughtfulness written all over them. These days, with all the gadgets and tools, apps and softwares, sites and connectedness, one would be lucky if one got a mail, a mention on a social networking site, a message on the phone. If anything the advancements seem to have made us more impersonal, more thoughtless and loveless in our dealings with people in our lives. I can certainly vouch for the thought that went into a letter, a greeting card, a gift, and when I look at the same people today I find most have lost that art of being thoughtful.
A simple test of how thoughtful we are being. Pick the one person (or two or three) and ask yourself what was the one thoughtful thing you did to him or her. Did you have a word that asked him or her about what is going on in his or her life? Did you have words of encouragement? Did you find out what is making him or her laugh, if at all, and if they are not, why? What is exciting them? Did you notice a gap in the need as he or she chases his his or her aspirations? Did you think of giving him or her a note, a card, a gift that will spur them along? Did you ask how far they have progressed with their struggles and aspirations? If somewhere you have not, its time to think. To be thoughtful.
I remember a book that taught me the art of fast bowling which was very thoughtful, an ipod because I loved music, a bookshelf, an ereader because I can read books and share books, a favorite dish that someone made because they remembered you liked it, a special word, a phone call, a dictionary and a pen when I wanted to write, a computer even. I remember a young boy helping an old couple who had got off a train in the middle of the night and who could not locate a porter even as millions of the devotees who were heading to see god ignored the frail old people. I remember the young child asking me if I drove all the way just to drop her - how thoughtful that she noticed - and the look of love in her eyes. That is all it needs sometimes to make life come alive, to use our thoughts more purposefully and thoughtfully.
Its wonderful to think of how much a little thoughtfulness can elevate our lives. True love is not the big cards, the fancy restaurants, the large gatherings, the money, the expensive gifts. the plagiarised and forwarded messages on phones. True love is the shabbily made hand made card, the burnt home made dish, the special effort to meet or greet the person and put a smile on their face, the thought behind the deed. It is genuine caring, true understanding of the other person and making an effort to hold them thoughtfully. A life lived thoughtlessly is a life lived without really experiencing love. A live lived thoughtfully is one that is creative, vibrant and full of love.
To a world then, that is more thoughtful.
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