Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind – by William Shakespeare
Blow, blow, thou winter wind
Thou art not so unkind
As man’s ingratitude;
Thy tooth is not so keen,
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath be rude.
Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly:
Most freindship if feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then heigh-ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly.
Freeze, freeze thou bitter sky,
That does not bite so nigh
As benefits forgot:
Though thou the waters warp,
Thy sting is not so sharp
As a friend remembered not.
Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then heigh-ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly.
Probably not a good idea to read a poem about winter when you are already shivering with cold, is it? But still, it seemed apt. And so I posted this famous poem on my poetry blog Golden-Smiles-n-Tears-of-Poetry today. But as I read it, I also realized that even though a bitter cold wind was blowing outside, I was still warm and comfortable as I sat inside my room. And yet, I had done nothing but complain of the cold since the time I had stepped out of my bed in the morning.
But I don’t think I’m alone in doing this, am I?
The trouble with most of us is that we are so busy focusing on our troubles that we barely notice our joys. And I’m no different. As I run chasing my dreams, there’s so much of happiness, joy and comfort that accompany me through my days. And yet, I scarcely ever notice them, or think of rewarding them with any sort of gratitude. I have a safe and comfortable home. I have a loving and supportive family. I live in a place that’s not under a constant threat of attack, whether by man or nature. I have all that I need, and even more. I may have some medical troubles, but I know I’m still better off then many others.
But do I notice all this? Scarcely. Except when some shocking event mentioned in news makes me realize just how dangerous and uncomfortable the world outside my home is.
Or in winter nights. Every time when I feel the snug warmth of a quilt around me on winter nights, I do feel thankful that I’m not one of those millions of people forced to tremble their nights out in the open even through this bitter chill.
Passing the winter months seem hard even though we are warm and comfortable in our cozy homes and with all our warm clothes and woolens. But what about those who can’t afford any of this? I don’t even want to imagine what it must be to be forced to pass a night out in the open with barely anything to give warmth.
I suppose, i am not the only one who has such thoughts in winters. I know that many charities are trying hard to provide warm clothes and shelters to homeless poor in these winter months. Some of my friends too are engaged in the same endeavour. Some of my young friends on Facebook have joined hands to form an NGO. They feel strongly about various social issues plaguing the Indian society these days and want to bring about a change by their efforts and messages. One of their initiatives is to collect old woolens from those who don’t need them and distribute them to those who do need them. The newly formed NGO is named Amaanat – Ek Muhim. If you are in India and would like to help these enthusiastic young people, then you can connect with them through their Facebook page.
Here’s a message from them:
