It was a warm and bright morning, which was quickly about to turn into an afternoon. She is happy she chose this day to spend it outdoors.

The road is filled with houses of different shapes and sizes. They are of different shades too. There are a huge number of trees and shrubs lining both sides of the street. There is so much to see, so much to take in.

The wide path has vehicles moving on one side and people on foot on the other. As she walks and admires the beauty of everything, she hears cries of children somewhere behind her. They are asking for something from their mothers and fathers. She passes youngsters gleefully reminiscing a freshly witnessed funny episode at college. At some distance ahead are a few adults standing together, deep in conversation.

Suddenly she hears someone behind her, saying, ‘Get aside, please’. Oh! She didn’t realize when her walk became leisurely on a busy street!

Now she walks in a manner that allows her to do both- enjoy her surroundings as well as keep an eye on the traffic of vehicles and people.

Thus continued her reverie on the street when she approached the big statue of the laughing Buddha. She stopped beside it. It was her favourite statue.

It’s not been long since the statue has been placed there. But people have already become used to it, it seemed. No one gave it a second glance, and most of the time, not even one!

But she, oh no, she is not like everyone else. She always makes it a point to look at the statue whenever she passes by it. The carefree attitude, close-eyed laughter, and the relaxed posture- all seemed to teach her something about life. It appears to tell anyone who would give it a patient hearing that life is beautiful and deserves to be spent laughing and enjoying oneself, every moment of it.

But the unconcerned and always-on-a-schedule people via their bowed heads, averted gazes, and uninterested demeanours seem to be telling it, “Who has the time, energy, and positivity to live life, to breathe life?!!