During summer vacation, most of my time and childhood was spent either playing in Grandma’s huge orchard or visiting my aunt ,who was a maternal cousin of my father . I always look forward to visit her, because unlike my mother she was more lenient and I love the new found freedom at her home ,which ranged from watching movies late in the night , waking up late and binging on every snack available in the nearby stores.

She would spoil us silly ,and I love the experience of being without any restrictions .

Just in the opposite lane of her house , lived an old man which ran a small sweet shop, he had candies of various kinds ,and this filled me with curiosity ,especially the shapes and colors.

As a curious child ,I would often wonder about many things that pass my eyes and imagination, where they came from , how they are made , no one gave me answers ,and my brain with its own limited capacity but wide imagination conjured answers to my questions

Orange candies were one such sweet ,which caught my fantasy ,but had no money to buy it. The pocket money was already spent on watching horror movies on rent .

I asked one of my cousin if he had a chance to taste them ,and my naughty cousin not just lied that it he had a lot of it, also added his own story that they not just look like oranges but are made from orange pulp and that in his town they also have a tree that grows these candies.

Learning about the great marvels of the orange candy , my curiosity turned into a dire need to somehow find ways to purchase it, my aunt a generous lady she was ,after a little persuasion bought me 6 of it ,which I ate almost all in one go. The taste was wonderful, but my need did not end here, I asked my aunt if i could buy the plant and have it at home , on listening to my weird idea and where it came from, she gave me a tight hug and a stern advice to my cousin to stop cooking cock and bull stories, which i interrupted that it was an orange candy tree story and not that of a cock or bull.

Last week ,exactly two months after my father’s demise, while I happened to move around various government offices, to work on his pension closure process , I found the entire experience to be exhausting both emotionally and physically . Sometimes, a particular form was required ,sometimes a copy of my father’s picture , all this brought many memories, filling me with tears and complex emotions.

During one such work errand , had to stop over for , grocery shopping ,at a leading retail giant, where I saw these candies ,my orange candies neatly packed and sold along side variety of imported chocolates.

I picked my orange candies in plenty, few to consume ,rest to be distributed,

These candies took away my grief , filled me with my childhood experiences ,bringing back the best of memories ,and left me with a huge smile , I thought to myself, I wish an orange candy tree existed just as it in my imagination and I could buy it.

• Orange candies taught me the following
• Moments of joys we savor, often act as our saviors from grief
• Life can be tough and difficult, but little joys have the power to fuel it with motivation
• Savor things, and stay grateful
• Learn to live in the now , for no one knows what tomorrow holds
• Learn to be grateful to what we have than to chase what we don’t

The blog post series on – Little Joys of life ,you will find stories and experiences, bringing to my readers a closer glimpse of my life, with an intent to share the precious code of happiness ,which lies within our own self, and Life. All we need is to find it in “The Little joys of Life”!
About the Author : Mehnaz Amjad  , is a Coach, Founder of Guide & Advice which offers Life Coaching & Training services to both individuals and organizations. Online : LinkedIn