Memory Catcher

We are collectors. We collect experiences. Sieving the good from the bad, carefully sorting them and storing them deep down somewhere in our hearts. Experiences taught by life, by people , some forgotten as mishaps, some reminding us to be on guard and others seeping  deep into our souls to change us forever.
Remnants of experiences are meant to be savored in our memories - we thrive on them. The inspiring moments, the fleeting impressions that somehow leave you transformed, the collage of pictures, the scars - visible and invisible  paint a picture of how we become as persons. What we collect is what we become. Collect happy memories to lean on when you need them... and you have a  treasure full of nostalgia to dig in to energize and move on
Be selective, before you store those memories. We have the power of imagination to water down the negative and to enhance the positive experiences in our lives. Visit the happy times more often, to soar high, and shrug off the negative memories, because it still has the power to influence us.  Our collection of memories are what we become in the end.
 Some people become a part of you - you don't forget them or remember them - they are just there. They might have passed away, they might not be physically present , but they very cleverly seep into your very soul to be there till the end.
Collectors always have a problem of not knowing though when to stop. Crowded and useless collection of people and memories will only drag us down by its weight. I prefer to at times just erase the unnecessary, retire the memories that no longer inspire or give me pleasure.
So guard your memories, cherish the happy ones,- they are your powerhouse of strength.

I have a collection of friends -some not in this world anymore, some too far away from me physically, some I am in touch with regularly, some not anymore, yet their influence on my personality can never be denied.

Packaged goods

Packaging, promoting, marketing - yes we all are products  and are as such required to brand ourselves and present to the world. Some people are naturally gifted and and are brash about their achievements while others are shy and prefer to keep low profile. Times have changed and humility is no longer considered to be a virtue. Presentation is considered one of the strengths.

So what about people who work and deliver results in professional life but are unable to brag about it or shout off the rooftops about it? What about people who are in the shadows in your personal life but refuse to effusively praise or blatantly display their popularity? Is there any hope for these people?

What you are and what you present yourself to be are two different things. We can magnify our strengths, distort our weaknesses, glorify our sacrifices to create a persona that hardly resembles what we actually are. Yet this is how most people will know you as. I read books, but to label me as bookwork would be unfair - implying that my knowledge is bookish is an insult to my intellect and also stereotypical.

Branding comes with its advantages - except for a select few - no one ever knows who you really are - you are well hidden under the wraps of gift wraps and packaging. Packaging that you choose  to pacify and please the audience  you are playing to. I can present myself to be an intellectual or a dumb person - but I am both actually - at times my wisdom surprises me and others I can't believe how stupid I can be. The ratio varies with situations and negates to making me an average ordinary person.

I refuse to be defined. If there is only one thing that I am passionate about and ferociously guard is my identity. My identity - fluid and colourless like water- undefined, , without a label, without a tag. How can I define or know myself when each day I grow and evolve into a different and hopefully a better person?

We are composite of different traits and characteristics and to label  someone with a characteristic that we are shown or prefer to see is foolish to say the least. 

Maybe that is why it is so hard for us to digest videos such as that of an executive who was caught on camera abusing a puppy or an athlete lying for years about drug use or in some cases committing crime. 

The art of doing nothing

There are days when I don't know where I am going . No plans,just floating aimless, when guilt and reason jolt me out of my peaceful stupor, instigating me to think, to plan, to reach somewhere. Reason comes with the ammunition of goals, success and achievement along with the super villain insecurity and fear. Yes they all come and mock at my seemingly happy life, taunting me to show what have I done with my life.

Isn't it enough that I am living my life, accepting whatever comes my way with open arms, I ask? Just   Accepting and adapting myself to whatever life brings me- no questions asked.  Don't get me wrong, I am all for dreaming big, setting goals that are beneficial to the humankind in general, but, I also have the wisdom to understand that what I want is not what I  will always get. Sometimes life offers more than I  expected and other times even the simplest of our desires are nullified.

The only key to living a happy life is to adapt to the changes that come our way.. Life is alive, breathing and unpredictable. You live it only when you communicate in the language it speaks, when you love it whole heartedly with all it's warts and flaws that are part of this gift called life. The  more you resist, the more you struggle, the unhappier you are. One day at a time, one breath at a time is  the only way to live.
The day when I have nowhere to go, no desire to be anyone, when I am at peace with my "now", not wanting or not basically totally unaffected with my past or future, is when I am happy. No desire to change, no desire for more, just plain and simple acceptance.

Life is beautiful, and the only way to enjoy it is embrace it with open arms and open hearts. Yet one of the hardest thing for a human being to do is to be open. Life is simple, organized to a certain extent , with natural laws and guidelines guiding all species.