#AtoZChallenge : Meraki
She walked, slowly dragging herself bearing the burden of disappointment of yet another day at work. It had been the same routine for some time now and she went about it everything with no zeal or enthusiasm. The day began often with a sleepless night spent questioning the decisions she’d made. All her life couldn’t have been a mistake, but so it seemed.
All her life she’d been encouraged to study and she found nothing wrong in that for she being the curious one loved learning new things. As a child she enjoyed doing a lot of activities – reading, singing, dancing and art! But it all changed. There were board and entrance examinations to deal with and everything else had to take the back seats for it was all a waste of time she was told. “Work hard now and you can enjoy later.” was something that was oft repeated. She didn’t mind working hard on things that she enjoyed doing but giving up things that she liked doing seemed impossible.
But she was offered no choice but to study and then study some more. There was no time to write those poems that she always loved to write or to read the books that she enjoyed, or to add a dash of colour and create something out of nothing. Life had moved on but the period of “enjoyment” hadn’t come. Those boards and entrances had made their way to more exams, which in turn had paved the way for a job that demanded every bit of her. Everyday was no different. She craved and longed for the peace of mind, that contentment that she never seemed to find.
Today was no different. She had done her bit of work but it had never made her feel happy. As she walked on thinking about those days of childhood when she didn’t have a care in the world, she saw the lights of new shop at the corner of her street. The variety of the art material displayed on the window display drew her closer. She went in and picked up whatever caught her fancy. She rushed home forgetting all the tiredness and the disappointment of the day for now she a task and hand.
The chores could wait, but her enthusiasm couldn’t. She sat with all the colours strewn around her, like a little child. With each stroke of the brush, she felt happiness like she had never felt in a long time now. Her mind, her heart and soul were all into the painting that she was creating. Meraki! She loved what she was doing for she felt alive. For long her heart had yearned to something that she loved and this was just what she wanted all along!
Meraki : To do something with all your heart and soul. To do something with passion.
Origin : Greek
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I’m participating in the A to Z Challenge again this year. This is my third time participating in the challenge. I’m going with the theme of “Rare, unusual and beautiful words from various languages”
I thought that was a story of my life. Study now, you can enjoy later. Study now, you can travel with your friends later. I am always waiting waiting and waiting some more for that time when i would be able to travel. Living with parents and abiding rules, is tough. Sometimes i just go, do things i love, despite the criticism because i don’t really have energy and patience to explain to them once again, all over again. Ah Meraki.
I do blogging with meraki. Another great word and great story Reema. https://trinalooksback.com/2018/04/14/mona/
This really resonated with me. Lovely.
Any form of art always does that to be. Be it cooking, writing, painting or stitching, I feel whole.
Loved the word.
Your interpretation through this lively story is just so entertaining – and my favourite bit is at the end when she buys those art supplies on an impulse. So joyful.
Do check out my #BlogchatterA2Z submission for letter M:
https://lonelycanopyblog.wordpress.com/2018/04/13/malgudi-days-revisited/
You are blogging with meraki then it seems.