Today is the last letter Z from the alphabet, and what better word to write on than ‘Zest’ ? For the last 27 days, I have been drawing a Mandala every day with a write up on the word in the centre of the Mandala with a lot of enthusiasm and energy i.e. Zest! The dictionary meaning of this word tells us,” If you have got a zest for something, you put your whole heart and soul into it”, which has been true with me for the last 27 days. And the most important factor in this journey has been the fact that I have thoroughly enjoyed this process. As Osho has said,” Without zest, what is life? Just waiting for death?” For me, this zest has converted the potentially boring days of the Lock down into very busy, enjoyable days which I will cherish for ever.
As I was looking through the dictionary meaning of Zest, I came across one meaning which I was not aware of! Zest also means “a piece of the peel of a citrus fruit used as flavouring”. My son Satyajit, who loves cooking, was aware of this meaning as he keeps watching a lot of videos on cooking, but for both Manoj and myself, this was a revelation. And as I thought about it, I realised that this meaning is really apt! You can enjoy Life completely in any situation only if you add that something extra to give it Spice! Only with this zest, can you maintain your interest in Life and live Life with great enthusiasm and energy. Walt Disney has said, “ In bad times and good times, I have never lost my zest for life.” And that was precisely the reason that he could continue to create wonderful movies all through his life.
The present situation can become dreary and depressing if you lose your zest for life, but it can become more meaningful if you find ways to be zestful and energetic in these days. So, adding that flavour, that spice to the boring, monotonous routine can make life enjoyable even in Lock down. And as Norman Vincent Peale says,” if you have zest and enthusiasm, You attract zest and enthusiasm. Life does give back in kind.”
As I already said, for me, these Mandala Musings have added zest to my life. There have also been some other factors which I have consciously worked upon to maintain my interest in the monotonous routine of cooking and cleaning. Making chapatis while listening to either Music I like or to an Osho discourse breaks the monotony. Concentrating on making soft rotis which puff up like puris can be a rewarding experience, which can add Spice to this otherwise tiring job. Also, practising “Work as Meditation” has saved me from getting irritable with the unending load of dirty plates and utensils in the sink. Dancing while washing is not really difficult, as I have found out in the past few weeks!
Moving your hips to Music you love can make this job definitely tolerable, if not enjoyable.
Trying to find something to enjoy while doing the monotonous jobs could be the key to getting back the Zest in your life. Of course, changing the way you look at the situation, whether as a punishment or as a challenge, can be of paramount importance.
So, let us all concentrate on adding zest to the current situation that we find ourselves in. Do let me know if you find some Novel ways to incorporate Zest in your Life in Lock down.
