One winter evening while stepping out of the college, holding a novel in my hand, I headed towards the known ‘Maggi point’ of the vasundhra enclave area. While I finished my book, taking the last sip of my tea, I was ready for an hour long journey to home when suddenly something sweet yet unusual caught my attention. It was the Maggi vendor talking to his wife.

Whenever one usually sees an aged, poverty stricken couple, the first and foremost thought is that of the dismal and miserable conditions they are in, the worry lines on their forehead leaves us with a petty feeling and we just walk past them, hoping for things to change in their favour.

To my surprise, it didn’t happen this time. This couple seemed to be happy and there were smiles all the way. The two were sharing a conversation with utmost affection and love, which is a rare scene.

A wooden shack under the shadow of a tree with benches around is a hotspot for the college students. A place to hangout outside the premises, a place to have maggi and Pakoras, a place to sip the adrak wali chae, a place which fits within the pocket of every college student and a place run by this aged couple.

As I was about to pay them off, a little conversation took place and I started to interact with the two.

Having a family of seven and residing in the middle of nowhere, the couple said, “We live far away from here, on the outskirts of Noida, reaching here at 6 a.m. in the morning we work till 9 p.m. at night”, to which I started wondering, how difficult it is for one to run a family.

Many such stories abound in the capital. While you walk through the streets in different parts of Delhi, looking at shacks and carts on every nook and corner makes you wonder about the plight of these people.

But unlike others, this couple seemed to be content. “We are happy with what we have. God has given us each other and we thank him for that. Cribbing about our circumstances or destiny will not help, but staying happy by sticking to each other is what keeps us going”.

I was in a state of amazement. Every now and then we complaint about things happening to us or around us, never being satisfied with what we have, the urge of desire keeps on increasing. But after talking to these two absolutely happy-with-life people, I realized how much we are missing on, I realized that one should learn to appreciate with what one has, I realized, even though this couple is living from hand to mouth, they still enjoy the little moments of joy and stay happy.

The gap between the have and have not’s is getting wider and wider, it seems as if it can never be bridged. Being able to identify this fact, the couple emerged as a source of inspiration for all the individuals who keep running behind money, the ones who are never satisfied, and the ones who are always cribbing and complaining. If someone residing in a hut, without being able to have a proper standard of living is happy with what they have, then who are we?

Appreciate what God has given you, for you never know when things might go against you in the race of having more of everything.