A Thing of Beauty...

Rabindranath Tagore once wrote: “Things in which we do not take joy are either a burden upon our minds to be got rid of at any cost; or they are useful, and therefore in temporary and partial relation to us, becoming burdensome when their utility is lost; or they are like wandering vagabonds, loitering for a moment on the outskirts of our recognition, and then passing on. A thing is only completely our own when it is a thing of joy to us.”

Beautiful words from Gurudev. And how profoundly meaning and immensely helpful this thought can be to us every time we feel the urge to simply grab one more object from the shopping mall! We really own something when it is a thing of joy to us, and only then that thing becomes beautifully and completely our own. But perhaps when something is indeed a source of joy to us, the urge to own it also disappears and all that remains is the feeling of joy that arises because of the mere existence of that thing. Truly, we may possess something only when we have mastered the urge to possess...because then all is anyway ours to enjoy, simply because it exists.

Easier said than remembered every time we go shopping! Easier remembered than actually practiced!

These words could also have some significant implications for designing our living spaces, be it our homes, gardens, a room or even a small corner. More on that in a later post...for now let me close this with a picture of a small corner of our humble garden that is always a thing of joy for me and my husband.

....is a Joy for Ever.