Life in itself is an empty canvas; it becomes whatsoever you paint on it. You can paint misery, you can paint bliss. This freedom is your glory. ~Osho, Indian Spiritual Teacher.
Life is like a canvas, and it can be made beautiful and colourful, by the way we paint it. I met a cabbie who made me want to paint my canvas of life with all the colours in the world.
In India, it would be strange if a cabbie asked you about the book in your hand – but it happened with me. At the Delhi Airport, I had one of my favourite books, ‘The Alchemist’, in my hand. I have always enjoyed reading this book, because it has taught me the simplest yet biggest thing about life – to realise your dreams.
Before I could utter something, the cabbie said, “Wow, you are reading ‘The Alchemist’. It is a nice book by Paulo Coelho.” My eyeballs were oscillating like a pendulum gone crazy, while my ears were listening to his Americanized accent. He was wearing a well-ironed, linen shirt and a black trouser. I actually noticed him. I realised that he had asked me a question, the same question, perhaps for the third time, “Where is your hotel, ma’am?” I answered him politely.
While in the cab, out of curiosity I asked him, “Why do you drive a cab, when you can do something better. I appreciate your communication skills, client handling and your presentation of yourself. I respect your job, but I feel you can do better than this.”
He looked at me and gave a big smile. He then shrugged, and said, “I am like you. I work for a call centre at night, catering to US outbound calls, and drive a cab in the day. At the age of 12 I lost my father. Life is a tough journey for me, as I have 3 younger sisters. I have to fund my education as well. I therefore decided to do two jobs. I hardly get time to sleep – maybe just 4 hours a day. But life demands, and I have to serve. The book in your hand is about realising your dreams. If you take the challenges of life as dreams, your tough journey will become a smooth road to your goals.”
I was speechless. I was trying to figure out...was he happy, or was trying to make me feel better? It was a pleasure meeting an industrious, young gentleman – handling challenges as his dreams!
He gave me infinite reasons to live life to the fullest. He also left me with a question: “Have I painted the canvas of my life with all the possible colours – a colour of happiness, a colour of sharing, a colour of caring, a colour of confidence, a colour of contentment...?” And deep within me, I answered, “I will paint the canvas of my life with all the possible colours, within this lifetime.”
Internationally published author of ‘14 Pearls of Inspiration’ and the ‘12 Facets of a Crystal’
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