What’s the occasion?

What’s the occasion?

I have a habit of periodically buying sweets/chocolates in bulk, and distributing them to colleagues and friends in my office. I do this most of the time for no rhyme or reason whatsoever.

I send a “Sweets at my desk” e-mail to inform people of the availability of the same.
What happens most of the time is that people read the mail, rush over, take a sweet and then ask – “What’s the occasion? Why are you distributing sweets?”

They expect some “logical” answer – e.g. buying something new, some achievement, some good news, or if nothing else, a birthday!!

I often wonder why we adults always try to look for a “logical” reason all the time. Have you ever given a sweet to a child? The child takes it without asking you the reason, eats it up as fast as he/she can, and then brings his hand forward and asks “Do you have some more?” He does not think of the reason why the sweet was purchased – just the pure enjoyment of eating it is the goal!!

It is sad that as we grow up, we lose the quality of living in the moment. Our worldly wisdom comes in the way of enjoying something wholeheartedly. The flight of a butterfly, warm sun rays in winter, the shimmering moonlight bouncing off the surface of a lake, the sound of the ocean, a babbling brook, a sunset or sunrise, the first rain showers of the season …
If nature stopped and thought “Why should these things happen? What’s the occasion?” Then we might not have any of these at all. Thank God that Nature does not wait for any ceremonial reason to do things!!


So next time someone asks me “What’s the occasion?”, I might reply “Life”. That is a great reason to celebrate, isn’t it?



© Amit Shirodkar, 2009. All rights reserved