We (my family) usually take our cat out in the mronings and evenings. You heard that right, our cat. As we walk or meet friends on the way our cat explores places he's explored many times before and yet seems to be in a zone of happiness few of us can hope to attain.
Our gated community is full of children of all ages which is great and children love nothing more than pets. Our cat is usually followed by four to eight children at any given time. He doesn't seem to mind it one bit. He is a celebrity of sorts and has accepted his status with grace.
But no, this is not what caught my eye today. I meet children as young as three and also ones who are into their teens. They all have one thing is common; all of them want to play with our cat, ask what he eats, if he's ever eaten a child and many other questions. I also notice how interested the children are in showing Speedo (our cat) to their parents. One of them asked me 'can I show him to my mom?'. I said 'yes but she would have to come here and see for herself as carrying Speedo is out of the question'. To this she replied 'my mom won't come'. After a while she went shouting to ask her mom if she wants to see the cat and guess what - she said 'no'. As kids run after the cat I hear parents (usually moms) calling out 'beytaaa it's wayree danejruss'. I agree, dangerous for the poor cat! I even heard one mom shouting 'stop wasting time' to her 4 year old! What is a four year old supposed to do in his summer holidays than play with a cat?
Most of us grown-ups seem to have lost all sense of wonder. We are ruled by time and chores. Its almost like 'I see dead people' everywhere. In one of Sadguru's talks a mother asks 'my daughter does not listen to me..' to which Sadguru replies 'out of the two of you who seems to be happier? You or her?'. She answers 'my daughter' to which he says 'maybe you should listen to her'.