Big things are nice, but happiness lies in small pleasures

It was Dussehra last week, the traditional burning of Ravana effigies and story of good triumphing over evil. We discovered an trio of Kumbhakarna, Ravana and Meghnath effigies on our normal Nero walk route. So on Dussehra morning, Nero and I walked over to have a look at them before they went up in flames at sunset.

When sunset arrived, hubby and I were taking Nero for his customary walk, when we decided to go and have a look at the effigy burning ceremony as well. Anyway, it was part of his normal route! We weren't sure how he would react to the firecrackers, though so far he hadn't shown any reaction or distress to them. When we landed there, we were amazed to see the huge crowd who had thronged there. We kept Nero close between us to keep him safe...and to keep others safe from him! He was as good as gold. He sat quietly between us, looking trustingly up at us. "Hmmm...I wonder why we're sitting here instead of sniffing interesting things, but I guess I'm happy to be here with them." At least, thats what I hope he thought :)

A little girl next to us pointed to her mother "Look, even the dog has come to see Ravana burning!" Nero, sat like a good boy throughout, only getting up inquiringly when the first firecracker went off. It was all over in seconds, and he remained relaxed between us, indulging the humans in their weirdly polluting habits of burning and exploding stuff. Once it was over, we walked back quickly to avoid the pedestrian and motor traffic on our normally sleepy road.

Supremely blaise about the burning, the crowds and the fireworks, Nero walked back revelling in the natural gifts of the road and sniffing around as the humans stopped for a glass of juice. Looking at him reminded me of two things: that the best things in life are free, and the fun is often more in the journey, than in the destination. And I looked back and thought, I'd had as much if not more, enjoyed walking to the field with my hubby and frolicking dog, creating a greater sense of togetherness, as I had enjoyed standing those few seconds, watching evil burn to the ground.