Samir Shukla
By Samir Shukla
There I was at the intersection. I stopped at the red light, started looking around and was intrigued by the combination of old buildings in this small town. The light turned green and I was still trying to paste an image in my mind when somebody behind me honked and I drove on.
It was a rural crossroads that I passed while driving to a destination. Oh, what stories these little corners, these crossroads could tell if you could rewind the clock. They may be small, they may seem boring, but some of these crossroads may have been catalysts, meeting points, that changed the course of history. Life is full of such corners and crossroads. Sometimes where we pause or turn can redirect our own lives.
There are many famous or notable intersections in our towns, cities, and byways. Cool corners, if you will. Here in America, the corner of Haight and Ashbury Streets in San Francisco marks the birth of an entire counterculture movement in the 60s. Just look up Haight Ashbury and a whole American story emerges. That’s just one example.
America is also one giant crossroads of cultures, peoples, migrants and travelers. You may have some legit concerns about the country, but there’s no other country that brings life and opportunity to those who seek it and are willing to work at it.
Of course, there are also many defining crossroads around the world. My birth country India is a master class in crossroads.
In my travels, when on road trips, I always gooseneck a bit or swivel my head while passing interesting intersections in the many places we have visited in the US. Some seem dark and uninviting, like some grim urban crossings in rundown sections of town.
Some are rural road intersections, where an old timey gas station or general store may be tucked away across from a rundown diner. Main intersections in small towns often are somber and in decline but are among the most intriguing. The stories they could tell, if someone just stopped and listened. Sometimes taking a different route in our own towns or the ones in the vicinity of where we live will present new discoveries.
I’m always surprised that some people living for years in a town or city have never fully explored them. Maybe take a drive through unknown neighborhoods or parts of your own town. Take the scenic route or the long way, if you will. Get lost on purpose. You just might discover a juncture, a crossroad that you may want to learn more about or explore further.
We encounter intersections daily in our lives, work, and relationships. The most potent crossroads linger not in the physical realm, but in our minds and emotional states. These corners where life and sadness, life and anxiety, life and fear reside. There are many others. Ah, but there’s always a side road, a well-lit short cut, ours for the taking when we are navigating in this emotional ether. That diversion, that short cut, is a corner always available but often overlooked.
This little crossing, a place I seek the most, is the corner of life and laughter. In the twists and turns of life, I’ve always thought a good laugh was a cue to help ease our unending dilemmas. Of course, I don’t mean to laugh when someone is going through a crisis or tragedy, but most problems can be eased with a good chortle. Listening to a comedy routine or watching a funny film before going to a difficult exam or a tough interview will loosen senses and give an energy boost.
A good laugh adds more oxygen to the lungs as they try to catch breath and breathe harder. It’s kind of like a rush after a run or brisk walk.
This little corner that can boost happiness can be created anywhere, in households, streets, neighborhoods. It hides in the recesses of our exhausted minds. It is available anytime. It is an existence enhancing place. It doesn’t take long to find. That corner is there if you seek it. It is there if you want to find the small joys in life. We have plenty to complain and crib about, fight and be anxious about. Take a step off that daily churn and find that little place when needed.
I’m at my favorite corner right now when I channeled it after a troublesome day. You can meet me at that corner of life and laughter, anytime.
Samir Shukla is the Editor of Saathee Magazine
Contact: samir@saathee.com
X: @ShuklaWrites
Newsletter: ShuklaWrites.Substack.com
