DROP YOUR DOTS AND STARS

[Guest guest]

DROP YOUR DOTS AND STARS

 

 

 

Once upon a time there lived a woodsman in a village beyond the hills

yonder. People called him Alex. His little pieces of creation were

called Wemmicks, only they resembled people like you and me. Some were

tall; some short, then there were others who had massive feet, and a

few who had long noses. Some dressed up in grandeur with accessories

one too many, whilst some chose to stick to simple coats. In other

words, Wemmicks of all sizes and shapes constituted the village.

 

All that Alex did day after day was create more Wemmicks, thus mastering his craft. He worked ceaselessly, tirelessly, silently.

No one really saw him around, few caught sight of him at the

baker’s or the barber’s shop. Alex just chose to be immersed in his

world of wooden creations.

The Wemmicks were unique not only because they were made and felt

like wood, but also for the fact that they had a rather unusual way of

expressing their opinions of one another.

Stars were meant for any Wemmick who looked great or beautiful or

even talented. Dots were for the ones who received unflattering

remarks, basically the ones no one really wanted to befriend or be

proud of.

Stars were based on talent, appearance and popularity. A Wemmick

received a star from a fellow Wemmick if he could show off his speed at

which he did things. Some could jump high over heaps of furniture,

while there were others who could sing sweet songs. There were a few

who were handsome, and so everyone wanted to be their friend. One star

on a Wemmick would lead to another. So, some had hundreds of stars on

them, and that made them do more and more great things to earn even

more stars.

You didn’t have to do much to get a dot. If a Wemmick was plain

looking or dull, it would attract a dot. Or if a Wemmick was slow at

his work or couldn’t really jump very high in the air. Here again, one

dot would lead to another, and so, some Wemmicks didn’t really feel

good about having to be seen with so many dots as part of their attire.

The dotted Wemmicks were objects of ridicule and all they were

adorned with were dots, reminders of their lack of self-worth and what

the rest of the Wemmicks thought of them.

The typical star-studded Wemmick was obviously one who could throw

back his head, walk with a swagger, and have those airs as if half the

village was his. The stars seemed to give him the feeling of confidence

and the keenness to do better.

In this Wemmick-filled hamlet, there was a certain dotted character

by the name Punilito. He was an unhappy soul as he wasn’t smart like

the rest of the Wemmicks, all people had to offer him were dots after

dots. ---

Punilito felt miserable everyday, uncared for,

and considered himself a loser. He tried his best to do things like the

others, but failed badly. He would end up falling flat on his face and

get chipped off even more, making it easier for his neighbours to dot

him further.

 

The constant negative remarks from village folk convinced Punilito

that he was quite a picture of shame indeed. He began to live in

seclusion and would seldom step out of his house. He hated the idea of

people seeing him to tell him for the millionth time that he was a

thorough waste of space, and that he’d best leave their community.

 

 

It seemed that the opinions of the entire village were working as Punilito began to sink into depression.

 

Punilito wondered for days as to what he could possibly do to

change his situation. Who would want to be in his shoes anyway, He had

no friends. He was always shunned by people, unless they had to come up

to him to give him yet another dot. As his sorry state of affairs got

worse, he suddenly came upon a rare sight. A Wemmick who had absolutely

no star or dot! “Am I dreaming?” thought Punilito to himself.

 

Punilito approached this new person rather hesitantly, with his

confidence shattered to smithereens. Layla was the pleasant spectacle

who had neither marks of honour nor criticism on her. Punilito couldn’t

contain his curiosity anymore, and said aloud what was on his mind, “If

only I could be like you! How do you manage to be free from the

approval or disapproval of this place? Would you please share your

secret with me? I promise to be mum about it?” “Well, well, dear

friend, I go to Alex everyday!” replied Layla. “Oh what do you mean?

Please help me understand this better.”

 

Layla explained, “All I do is watch Alex at work everyday! Nothing

more, nothing less really!” “What’s your visit got to do with your

unique status?” begged Punilito. “Go on and find that out for yourself,

you poor thing”, said Layla with a sigh.

 

So off Punilito went in search of the woodworker Alex with little

faith that any real solution could be guaranteed. Alex was seen in the

company of loads of wood, his tools, and his new creations. “Welcome,

my dear Punilito! Where have you been all this time? I’ve been thinking

of you often.”

 

“What? So do you know my name? I’ve never met you before” Punilito

was visibly shocked beyond words. “Of course I know you, silly boy,

because it is I who created you. You are my creation. You are one of my

masterpieces. It’s not as if I don’t see you filled with dots, I most

certainly do, but that’s got nothing with how I value you.” ----Punilito began to choke and in a slight sniffle

muttered, “You know, Alex, I’ve done my best to be someone. Really. It

just hasn’t worked so far, and I’m getting tired of who I am and how

others perceive me.” “Stop apologising for who you are, my son, as what

the world thinks of you makes little difference to me. Some things can

never change; you’ll always be perfect, perfectly special to me. Could

you keep that in mind always, please?” Alex sounded as if he meant it

sincerely.

“But Alex, how is it that lovely Layla has no such thing as stars

and dots? Is she more special to you than the rest of us?” Punilito had

many unanswered questions, it seemed. “No, my precious. Layla cares not

what others think of her, she ignores compliments the same way as she

does rude comments. Her only focus is on what I think of her. I think

she’s perfect. Stars and dots simply refuse to stick on her as she’s

above it all.”

Punilito wasn’t sure he understood it fully. “Alex, but why won’t

the stars and dots stick to her?” Alex in his kind voice reassured,

“Don’t worry about understanding this strange phenomenon. Go home for

now, but remember to come over everyday because I need to tell you how

much I care about you.”

It felt like heaven to Punilito’s ears. He felt the sincerity in

Alex’s words. Alex picked him up from the wooden bench on which he sat

and placed him back on the ground with the parting words for the day:

“Again, Punilito, you’re special. I have created you, and I make no

mistakes.” Just as Punilito walked away feeling less of the torture he

normally felt, he saw a dot fall on the ground.

Alex is none other than our Divine Master, our beloved God.

Bhagavan has created each and every one of us, chiselled us to

perfection, He has chosen unique roles for all of us on this planet,

and He tells us everyday that we are special. Swami always reminds us

that we must avoid seeing the bad in others, and concentrate on only

the good. Good vibrations, good feelings and good words create a

positive, happy effect on us. If we have the tendency to judge, we must

tell ourselves, “Swami, I leave it to you to judge this person or

situation. It is your job, not mine. “

As Mother Teresa said, “If we are busy judging others, we will have

no time to love them.” Therefore, lets love all unconditionally, just

the Lord does, and at the same time, Love ourselves too. Because, no

matter what the world thinks of us, to the One who matters the most in

our lives, we are special!

----- With Love,Ganesh Babu+919880962897My Group: Kriyababa_spiritualjourney- (Send a blank email)