Seasons- the flavors of life...

Seasons are the most beautiful way by which nature says-- yes I am breathing, I am changing, I am not still, I am just like you – moving for a better tomorrow. 

Sometimes I feel how boring life would have been if there were no seasonal changes. I mean, imagine your dinner plate with only spicy food in it. Boring! Isn’t it? But a mixture of sweet salty sour and spicy makes it scrumptious. Right? Seasons have similar role in our lives. Each season with its different flavor makes a perfect combo. Seasons fight that boredom which our monotonously running lives gift us. 

As a child, each season had its special attributes for me. Summers bought ice-balls and ice-creams but more importantly the vacations. Winters brought long sleep hours in chilly weather, Christmas presents and new year celebration. Autumn brought with it the time for leaf art. I still remember making purses, bags, boats and kites out of the different colored fallen leaves. Springs brought with them flowers and long play hours in wonderful weather. And monsoon blessed us with rain showers. As a child I made use of all my potentials to find some way to get wet in rain without mommy’s scolding. Though cough and cold remained the return gifts after attending the rain party but still I used to 'knowingly' forget my raincoat at home to enjoy those mud-games, football and boat-races in rain.
Each season had its own fun and as a child I crazily longed for each one of them.

As I grew old, my perception about seasons changed drastically. Summers no more filled me with excitement of ice-creams but rather made me bother of sun tan. Games in sun and sweaty tees were extinct from my life; their place was taken by sunscreens and summer coats. Winter was nothing more than getting up anyhow discarding sweet morning sleep to go to work with bulks of winter wears on. Like the poets and thinkers even I started associating leaf shedding autumn as a season of melancholy. Rains distressed me with the thought of water logged lanes and mud around. 

Despite of all the atrocities which my running life caused to my season-love, it could never lessen my love towards spring. Spring – the king of all seasons remained the ruler of my heart as well. The pleasant weather, breeze filled with fragrance, flowers, hues and sweet odor rejuvenated my soul ever since. And I could not stop myself from falling in love with this season each time even more. Spring also notoriously brought out my romantic poetic soul to let my ink spread love through my words. And I loved this ethereal feeling of bliss that spring gifted me with.

Once it rained heavily in my city. The roads were filled with water and to worsen this electric supply of the city crashed. I was out of my home and had no option but to wait for rain to stop. Meanwhile I and my friend Riya, waited under shelter in a shop. While waiting there I started cursing the rain and the mismanagement that ran during monsoon in the city. I told Riya how agitated I felt by the nuisance that monsoon created! While I was in the flow of agitation Riya shot lines of questions on me one by one- How do you feel about winters, and summers and autumn??? And I, in the flow of my bad temper cursed each of the season for the misery it bought… 
Just then Riya saw two kids making boats in candle lights for the boat race in rain water. She then interrupted me and pointed towards them. 
“See there, they are making boats… Let’s join them!” Riya said.
“Oh! Come on, they are kids, we are not! How can we join them?” Saying this I stopped her.

She tried to persuade me a lot but I did not lend her ear. So at last she gave up on her efforts and alone joined the kids.
I first stood away ignoring what Riya and the kids were doing. But seeing them giggle together, I couldn’t stop myself and so I went near them.

“Hey will you join us?” one of the kids inquired me while I was watching them.

Before I could say anything the other kid said, “Come on, it will be fun! We will have a boat race between two teams. Say yes and join us…”

Seeing the enthusiasm that the kids were filled with, I could not refuse and I joined the race.

I and Riya were a team. Now recollecting all the tact of the game that my childhood taught, we designed our boat. And the kids did the same. Then started the race… The boats were set in the water and it was time for- get, set, go…….. 
Boats roved in the water. Initially their boat was ahead. I and Riya were shouting—Come on, go ahead, beat them… Then our boat took over and they were shouting. The tough competition between two boats kept growing more intense and we kept cheering our boats with full passion. At last their boat drowned and our boat managed to win the race. I howled with pleasure on our boat’s victory. I did not realize during the boat race I was all in the rain. My hair were wet, my clothes became muddy, But rather than getting irritated a current of pleasure ran through me. And I was smiling to myself. 

Riya saw me smiling and inquired, “Enjoying na???”

I said, “yes!!! Enjoying a lot…”

“Why?” She asked.

And I was left dumbstruck. I said,”Don’t know! It’s just that I am feeling good!”

Riya smiled at me and continued,"Wait, I will tell you why? It is because you gave the nature a chance to show its beauties. Rather than pursuing your rigid mindset and hateful attitude towards the monsoon, today you lent yourself to the nature, to this rain and see nature gifted you with the bliss it holds in it. Give life a chance, Give seasons a chance. They hold the utmost potential of beauty that god could have gifted this mankind with. Breath with the nature, Sway with the seasons and you will realize what living means…”

Her words struck me deep and since that day I divorced from the rigidity my personality had. I no more curse seasons. 

I appreciate the way autumn turns the earth into colorful leaf laden bride. Autumn for me is no more a sign of death, a sign of oldness. Autumn holds its own beauty. It doesn’t signify melancholy but it depicts change. The way leaves change colors in autumn attracts me and makes me ponder how important it is for one to keep changing with time. Autumn holds in it the secret of rebirth. Unless the old leaves are shed how would new leaflets bud? 

The cool winters fill me with excitement of letting frosty wind embrace my body to gift me with goose bumps all over. I enjoy the mild sun of winters and lay in my bed to enjoy sweet sleep of chilly winter mornings.

Spring makes me crazy about the elegance that nature holds in it. I play with the delicate flowers, sing with birds and romance with my words. Springs are the time when knowingly or unknowingly each soul is refilled with life and dynamism. It fuels up my spirits to work with enthusiasm the year round. 

Yes, I enjoy ice-balls and lemonade in summers now. I love challenging the mighty summer sun so I swim and play games with my neighborhood children. I enjoy mango feast that summer brings with it. Sweaty clothes no more haunt me now and this carefree attitude of mine makes me really happy. 

Now I pause from my running life to let the raindrops tickle over my face. Rains make me feel closest to the nature. I love the way nature kisses me in form of rain. The messed up transportation though annoys me at times but it is not mighty enough to lessen my love towards the wonderful monsoon. The wet soil odor makes me go crazy. This rain magically drags me to my childhood times and brings that notorious kid out of me. 

When questioned- what is my favorite season? Pondering over the answer messed me up-
Winter I said- because I was born then!
No! How can I forget yummy mangoes? Summer it is!
But the inspiring autumn and romantic spring? They do not lag even a bit in this championship of seasons.

I thought and thought, finally the answer showed up-
Yes it is the rainy season that I love the most. Not because of rains, not because of muddy odor and not because of the childishness it holds in it. But because that one rainy day gave me a lesson to live the life in real senses and made me a blissful person...