A Lesson from Spilled Moong Dal

Today felt ordinary—until it wasn’t.
Today, as usual, I was busy working on my laptop, lost in the usual flow of tasks and thoughts. My daughter came to me asking for some fried moong dal. I handed her some with a smile and returned to my work. A few moments later, she came again—perhaps that salty crunch had won her heart. I gave her more.

Then, once again, she came back, this time reaching for the entire packet. In the blink of an eye, it slipped from her tiny hands and spilled all over the floor. She knew something had gone wrong. She paused for a moment, looked at the mess, then quietly walked away-perhaps out of fear that I might get angry.

I looked at the scattered pulses, and felt a tinge of irritation rise within me. But I didn’t say a word. I began picking them up, one by one. It was a slow task. The pulses were many, and they had scattered in all directions.

Even though I didn’t scold her, my silence might have been louder than any scolding. She didn’t come back immediately. But then, a few minutes later, she returned-still hesitant, still unsure. In a small, tender voice, she said, "Daddy, take and put in the bowl."

And right there, something shifted in me. That simple sentence stopped me in my tracks. 

I noticed three things-

1. Her innocence- I looked up at her innocent face and realised how quick children are to forgive, to accept, and to move on.
2. Her inability to hold guilt longer than a moment- She didn’t carry the burden of the mistake for long.
3. Her pure heart - that couldn't bear even a moment of emotional distance i.e. my silence for more than a minute.

I looked up and smiled at her. In a heartbeat, she came running-her little hands spread wide-and gave me a tight hug.

That moment-her hug-washed away every bit of irritation. I held her, knowing that these are the moments we live for. Messes can be cleaned. But a child's love is pure, fleeting, and infinitely precious.

In that quiet moment, I learned two valuable lessons:

1️⃣ Innocence – A child’s heart is unfiltered and pure. There’s no ego, no defense, no pretense nor even hesitation, in owning up and moving forward; but just honesty and an open heart.
2️⃣ Patience – As I picked each pulse one by one, it reminded me that life is often about handling the small messes calmly, without anger, and finding peace in the process. Life is full of tiny messes, and its about how we respond defines our peace. 

Sometimes, life spills a packet of moong dal-not to frustrate us or test our patience, but to teach our heart something deeper. 

"In the eyes of a child, even spilled pulses become an opportunity for love and learning."
Children don't need perfection from us—they just need patience, presence, and love.

by Dr. Jayaram Paul Justus

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