Curious relationship

I am drawn to him, day or night; I can always make time for him. An unassuming part of my life, but a very important one. Like a pet or a sampling, he asks for my attention and only unconditional love pulls me to him.
Uncertainty filled me as we started our relationship. “How far will it go?’ my friend asked concerned. But looking at each other with each passing day, we knew our bond would only grow. Everyday, I keep a watchful eye on what he is nourished with. That being an important part of our relationship, it’s an important part of my mornings. I leave him alone giving him the much needed space and time and he only rewards me bountifully, when we meet again.
We have raised curious eyebrows and people only want to know more about relationship. It’s more than 6 months now and my compost pot has yielded enough manure to nourish a small garden.
Simple concern on the growing rubbish on the streets made me turn to a simple earthen pot, in which I store all my biodegradable kitchen waste. Doubt and uncertainty saw me open the lid the first couple of times but the debris of my last night’s dinner only attracted me more. I mixed the compost affectionately and looked for any plastic remains that may obstruct the decomposing. Sprinkling lime to wade away the smell, dry grass and newspaper pieces to dry up the pile – I was turning around good! Soon I graduated to 2 pots; one for collection and the other for storage. Finally, the black residue at the bottom of my first pot signalled the passage of time and fresh manure made me proud. I anxiously set about straining my manure and the touch of the fine earth, made it worth the wait.
The smell, the process of decomposing, the rodents, mixing up a wet pile and finally straining the fine black soil – fruits of labour. I gifted my small work of art to a couple of like minded people, with a pride that one feels presenting a tempting dish or a kanjivaram saree.
Couldn’t have asked for a better relationship with my compost pot. And for the process of composting, I never knew one can find happiness, cutting a rotten water melon skin, only to put in my pot part by part.
In this simple process of nature, I have learnt that beauty lies inconspicuous everyday things that we sometime called ‘ugly’; only inspection doesn’t lead to accomplishments but hands on service does, what’s inside counts and it’s the humble manure, which makes the flowers bloom bright.