THE SMILING DOTS

“DOT” this word signifies different things to different people. To some, it means a mode of treatment, to some it is something to concentrate or meditate upon; for some, it may mean a computer programme. It could also  mean the department of telecommunication with reference to a government department. It might be an instrument of pleasure for some. Depending upon the colour and other symbols around the dot, it could mean different kinds of food. Dots also have religious significance depending on the place, size, colour they are used in.  

As per the dictionary, a “dot” is a symbol, or a very small round mark that is used for various purposes like making patterns, ending a sentence, or an email address/ internet address to separate its parts, etc.

For young kids who are ready to learn to hold things, colour or write alphabets, the first thing that is taught to them is to make dots and then join those dots. Kids enjoy doing so and for adults, the exercise of joining the dots to create complex patterns is a tool for relaxing or art therapy which is widely used to treat stress, anxiety and depression related issues.

To see these dots in a larger perspective, the whole universe is made of dots that are called as atoms which can be further divided into smaller parts like electrons, protons and neutrons. But for a common man or in a layman language, we can call these different names as one, that is, a dot, the smallest unit that can be joined together to form a larger body or a larger entity.

If we look at the satellite images of the universe and try to find our solar system or our earth or even our own respective countries, amongst the large number of galaxies, they all look like dots of different sizes. The different patterns formed in the galaxies are given different names according to the pattern they form when the different stars are connected, and it’s similar to dot joining on paper, isn’t it? The sun, the moon, few planets or the stars visible to the naked eye also look like dots of different sizes to a common man.  

In our day-to-day life also, whenever we are trying to figure out a way to solve a certain problem or reach a certain conclusion, all we do is link or join the dots. Activities like stargazing and joining the dots on paper or wearing simple clothes with polka dots patterns are always the source of pleasure for most people.

For a person like me who prefers to be known as an all-rounder (as it sounds more sophisticated) rather than being called as “Jack of all (not all, but many) trades and master of none”, these small dots play a significant role in my life. As a child and even today, as an adult, I just love joining the dots. It’s relaxing and a sure shot way to cheer up my mood.

I have been blessed to have some good friends and teachers in my life apart from having a good family. My family, especially my Mom and Grand Mom always encouraged me to see positivity in a given situation. And to have this perspective and make it a habit or rather a part of my existence, was ensured by the presence of some special friends who, I believe, came to my life for this sole purpose.

I still remember one of my school friends, Rohini, who was (I hope she still is) the most positive person I have ever met till date. She was one of the best students of our school and one year senior to me. Due to some medical reasons, she had to miss one of her final board exams papers, hence, she had to repeat her grade with us for the next session. In spite of such a big blow, I found her at peace with herself and happy. She never seemed to complain or begrudge over anything. I always wondered, how can someone be so positive!

Many times, along with other friends, I used to tease her or challenge her to find a white dot on a black board and to our surprise, she used to show it to us. She always had a positive take away even when most of the optimistic adults around us found a particular situation not so positive.

As I have grown older in terms of age and experience, this attitude to look for/ find positivity around me in any given situation has always brought a smile on my face and I have always been thankful to Rohini who taught me such an important life lesson even though we are not in touch with each other for more than 20 years now.

As we all move on in our lives from school to college, to pursue different careers and then to the daily grind of our respective lives, we meet different people at different points of time. Some stay with us in the form of good, happy memories and some stay with us in the form of good life lessons.  

One such good memory is of a late night discussion about typical teenage stuff with my brother and one of my friends. While seeing the night sky this older friend of ours, who was in his mid twenties, had drawn an analogy about dealing with difficult situations in life. He pointed out at the stars and moon as the symbols of light/ brightness/ positivity in the dark sky; again, the small white dots on the large black board of nature. He referred to the dark sky as the negative situations or people in our lives. I vividly remember him saying, “Even nature inspires us to be positive in any given situation. The darkest of nights give way to bright mornings.”  

As a language teacher, I have always taught that most of the sentences end with a full stop, again, a dot. Some sentences end with a question mark or an exclamation mark also. If we look at these symbols, they are incomplete without a dot. After every dot there is a beginning of a new sentence with a capital letter.

 As per my understanding of life, we should celebrate new beginnings with a smile.

All these memories bring a smile on my face, hence, The Smiling Dots, which is my own take on life, motivation, self-motivation, happiness and empowerment and so much more based on my own experiences and observations of people and their responses to their situations. I also wish to write about causes close to my heart and may be, through this space, I will find answers to my questions.

I hope to see you around this space as we go along!