My little sister is one of the thickest eggs you would ever have the pleasure to meet, for her skill of somehow always being in a pleasurable mood. No amount of ill words, scoldings or thrashings ever seem to dampen her spirits, a sulking expression on her face is as rare and fleeting as a sensible thought on her mind. It is one of the things that I hate as well as love the most about her, a paradox familiar to those who are lucky enough to have siblings. Just the other night when I was scolding her for not having been prepared for a school test which was just the next day, she tried with all her might to give me a sombre expression, having lowered her eyes to hide the mirth in them and trying her best to contort her lips to form a sullen expression. But alas, she isn't the best of actors and the sullen expression didn't take time to turn into a much controlled smirk, escalating quickly to a full blown grin after seeing my reluctant, albeit encouraging smile. The sparkle had never left the eyes, and as expected, the scolding she had just received had travelled from one ear to the other without a word registering in her brain. I could do nothing but grin back, how else are you supposed to respond to a child's innocent mischiefs?
This insignificant moment, however, left a significant thought in my mind. Why can't grown ups face their seemingly 'important' problems the same way as a child? With a pinch of salt and maybe a resilient smile if not a full blown grin. Surely, failing tests must be as stressful for a kid; if not more, as an incomplete presentation or failing the set norms society sets for us, assuming us more akin to robots than individual human beings. No problem can be that huge, that it warrants a frown more often than a smile. And who knows, someone might smile back at you too?
As my train of thoughts came to a grinding halt, I registered that my sister had left me with all her books to pack and gone off to sleep, promising to get up early to prepare for her tests. With yet another frown, I concluded that grown ups have a thing or two to learn from the little ones. Also, the little ones are too smart for their own good.
This insignificant moment, however, left a significant thought in my mind. Why can't grown ups face their seemingly 'important' problems the same way as a child? With a pinch of salt and maybe a resilient smile if not a full blown grin. Surely, failing tests must be as stressful for a kid; if not more, as an incomplete presentation or failing the set norms society sets for us, assuming us more akin to robots than individual human beings. No problem can be that huge, that it warrants a frown more often than a smile. And who knows, someone might smile back at you too?
As my train of thoughts came to a grinding halt, I registered that my sister had left me with all her books to pack and gone off to sleep, promising to get up early to prepare for her tests. With yet another frown, I concluded that grown ups have a thing or two to learn from the little ones. Also, the little ones are too smart for their own good.
