Oru Jeevathan Olu ( Only One Life)

 This stopped me on my tracks. A simple line, from an unexpected person!

One day, the lady who comes to help me in the household work asked if she could take a break between the working hours to attend a dance class. I said yes. Then I asked if she had learned dance earlier. She said yes, and that she had lost touch. Now she is a mother of two, and she came to know that there's a class near our house. 

Then I asked the typical question, what did your husband say about it. She said with a beaming smile and a sense of pride that he told her to do whatever she like to do, after all, oru jeevatham Ollu. ( You got only one life and do what brings you joy).

I was a bit surprised to hear this. In fact, quite unexpected from her. Why!

Here around me in many families with so much wealth and abundance, they have so restricted attitudes, which they keep enforcing on each other. In many cases husband will set strict boundaries - do this, don't do that. And the restrictions will be around flimsy excuses or based on their imagined or ingrained behavior patters which they have formed based on their household or from life.

It made me wonder, why do we make a big fuss about small things....after all oru jeevathame ollu.