Once upon a time, a man was going somewhere on a horse. After a long journey, his horse became very thirsty, but the man did not have any water left with him. He started looking around, and just then, he saw a well at some distance. He took his horse and came near the well. He saw that a farmer was watering his fields using a “rahat,” an old form of irrigation system in India, in which a wheel with equipment was mounted on top of a well. Bullocks were tied to that wheel with the help of a rope, and they used to rotate that wheel. As the wheel rotated, water would flow out of the well and then flow through a channel to irrigate the fields.
The traveler requested the farmer to let his horse drink water, and the farmer agreed, allowing the horse to drink water flowing through the channel. The traveler brought his horse near the channel so that it could drink water flowing through it. However, as soon as the horse tried to drink water by bowing its head down, it would get scared listening to the rattling sound of the “rahat” and go back. The horse repeated this behavior, trying to drink water from the channel, but it would go back again, fearing the sound of the “rahat.”
The traveler kept watching this for a while, then he asked the farmer to stop his bullock for a while so that the rattling sound would stop, and his horse could drink water. The farmer smiled and replied, “My friend, as soon as my bullock stops, water will stop coming from the well, and then your horse will not be able to drink water. Therefore, if your horse has to drink water, it will have to do so while bearing with the rattling sound from the machine; otherwise, it will remain thirsty.”
Similarly, if we look at our lives, we will find that this is the story of all of us. Our lives are also just like that. In today’s hectic life, we are so busy from morning till night that we do not get time to live the moments of happiness. Every day, we face new challenges and difficulties. Some people think that when they retire, they will enjoy their life, or that when all their responsibilities are over, they will live the life of their choice. We all think that only when the hustle and bustle of life stop, then we will enjoy our lives. However, what we often think does not happen. Life will always present new challenges and difficulties. But, as in this story, the farmer said to the man, “If your horse has to drink water, it will have to do so while bearing the rattling sound of the machine, otherwise, it will remain thirsty.”
Similarly, if you want to enjoy your life and live moments of happiness, you have to create those moments amid the hustle and bustle of life. Otherwise, life will keep passing slowly, and you will miss enjoying the important times of your life. Therefore, while doing all the work and fulfilling all the responsibilities, try to take out some time for yourself every day. Do what you enjoy in that time, whether it’s meditation, spending time alone in nature, being with your family, spending time with friends, or playing sports. Live your life like it’s a celebration because, one day, when you look back, you’ll find that life was meant to be enjoyed and celebrated, but you wasted it worrying about things that didn’t really matter.