Views and opinions

Opinions are just that... Opinions. It carries no weight and rightly should not matter so. What you think is your viewpoint, we all have the basic right to think and derive our own conclusions.  Every kid,every adult should be encouraged to think and form their own opinion.  Facts and truth are not the same, and in the same way what I think is not necessarily right.

Growing older and being wiser, I also realize that keeping my channels opened to new information, and reserving the right to change my opinion is a part and parcel of growing up. Whenever we close our minds, whenever we our stuck with what we believe to be right, we reject so many opportunities to learn and grow. 

Years ago, I rejected hard rock music, deeming it as loud . But when I sat down with my teenager, to listen, to understand the lyrics, it opened up a whole new world to me. I wonder what if I had obstinately stuck to listening to only what I had heard when growing up. I enjoy discussions, enjoy stepping out of my comfort zone to grow as a person. Every day I am exposed to new facts, new information, new people and new opinions that change the way I look at world. If I am not the same, how can I still be sticking to the same old opinions? 

If there is one thing that I have learnt in life, it is to keep your mind open. Be ready to accept your mistakes, be fertile to learning new things. There is no right or wrong. Years ago the thought of eating raw fish was unbearable, now I love eating sushi. Embrace new experiences, even of it makes you uncomfortable..because that is the only way to grow. 

Connecting the dots

I had the pleasure of watching the brilliant colours of evening skies melting into darkness. Someone splashed the sky with hues of orange and reds and then decided to quietly ease the dramatic colours to subdued greys. The living and breathing skies ...For that moment - watching the sky hide its talent, made me realise my good fortune to play the attentive audience.

Every stroke painted on the sky, every song played by the breeze, every twinkle, evening light, all seeking our attention defines the purpose of our life. Each time I am invited and included in the show or concert of nature, I feel I am the chosen one and that the purpose of life is to applaud nature's shows. Whenever we are connected to nature in our own small ways - we are connecting the dots, being part of what we were meant to be, announcing in our own small ways that yes - we belong to this planet.

Yet there are some moments, some sights , some sounds that inspire awe in us - this sense of disbelief that we could be lucky enough to be part of this journey called life. In that particular moment all your worries dissipate, all your sense of accomplishment or lack of it become unimportant and all you are aware of is that life is so much greater than us.

Connect with nature to feel blessed, to understand that we are part of it and the rules that apply in nature applies to us too. The rising and setting of sun, the waxing and waning of moon, the falling leaves, the drying rivers, the flaming forests - all a reminder that losses, failures are as much a part of life as the magnificent beauty of  power displayed by nature.

Make your own story

Isn't life just a series of moments connecting to make a story that is uniquely yours? Think about it, why is it when we lose somebody, we miss them so much? Why do some wounds although bandaged and safely medicated, never heal?

As human beings, our relationships with others are what gives our life a meaning. Every being that touches our soul, , isn't this what ultimately is life about? I believe that there are 5 essential rules to living a fulfilled life - 

1. Be true to yourself. We are not perfect, none of us are. Our flaws are a part of us, and they complete us. 

2. Be present : This is the hardest. But isn't being there in the moment, being present the only way to live? Nothing absolutely no moment can be replicated and that is the truth. Whether it is sorrow, or happiness, until and unless we give it our 100% we are not living . 

3. Let go : As much as I like to be in control, letting go of a situation, and just allowing universe to take its own course is the best solution. 

4.Adaptability : When we stop resisting change, and learn to adapt to new situations, living begins.

5.Love: Life is love and to love is life. We generally associate love only with human relations, but love is wishing good, seeing good and being joyous.

Welcome life, grab every moment of joy, and hold on tight. You are unique and your story is unique too.  Spread joy, and see it reflecting back tenfold times 

A place to call home

Lately a thought has slowly been gaining prevalence amongst all the other  emotions generally clamouring for attention. A feeling that I have tried to shrug off, brush away as irrelevant or just a fleeting emotion. But the more I try to ignore it, the more it keeps popping up.

Time and again I like to take stock of my life. The older I grow the more I realize the fallacy of analyzing  life,  or even basic emotions. Yet the older we get, the harder it is to get rid of old habits... And introspection is a part of me, which just refuses to let go.

In finding the recipe for happiness, I always underestimated or maybe refused to admit the importance of belonging. We all have our identities tied to our religion, region, our language or our blood ties. But when you are displaced, either by choice or forcibly, your survival depends on  your adaptability. Adapting means giving up on some of your old characteristics and blending into a society of your choice.

I have always struggled to belong.... The longing to be at home, to be myself , to be
at ease. We humans are insecure and always feel threatened by change. We like to stress on our difference rather than the commonality, maybe because the differences are what makes us belong to the herd -- our nationality, our religion or language. We are social, we live in groups and being an outsider can be a challenge.

Our desire to belong, to be accepted by our peer, to revel in the strength of similarity is what encourages us to conform to the unsaid laws of uniformity in society.

As I grow older, I have realized that the void of not belonging has been filled with empathy and kindness. Over the years I have accepted that I will be living on the fringe of society, I am too mutated to be accepted in any group or be a member of a herd. So I will be walking alone,secretly   always looking for the place that I can say truthfully is home

Gift of life

Every dawn brings in a new day wrapped as a gift - a gift that may or may not be what you wanted, a gift that might just be ordinary, or maybe something that amazes you. Whatever be the case, every morning, at daybreak, life knocks on your door, with 24 brand new hours. Open it up, admire it  and don't forget to say thanks to the Giver, for there will surely be one day for each one of us, when the gifts will stop coming in. 

Do you wake up, feeling curious about what the day will hold for you? Does every day feel like a new day to you or an extended version of yesterday? There are days, when I just wake up, taking for granted the new day offered to me and then there are days when you watch the sun rise and realize what a miracle it is for your eyes to be seeing such a glorious sight.

Life flows, we are an extended version of our yesterday, preferably a better version. Yet learning to welcome each day with open arms, each new experience as a gift, a fleeting gift, is what living is ultimately about. The more we feel abundant in our gifts and miraculous life, the more we will share our joy.

We have the choice to take the best of the past and use it to guide in  our future.

So appreciate the blessings, the people in your life, acknowledge and let go of negative people and incidents, because the lighter you travel, the easier the journey will be.

― H.L. Mencken

Of Bruises and Pain

Who knew that one sprained leg and restrictive physical movement would teach me so much about myself ?  I am basically a very skeptically person. I  need physical evidence like bruises, measure temperature or hear the sneezes to empathize. Naturally it applies to me too. It is frustrating for me to understand  with my own pain. Yet a week of controlled pain - thanks to painkillers, forced rest and slowing down in my everyday activities taught me to be humble. In many ways it was a like travelling 25 years in future -giving me a glimpse of what life has in store for me in my senior years.

Handicapped parking, staircase railings, lift chairs all started to make sense and I can appreciate the advancement in technologies like motorized scooters as well. Just a minor damage to one part of my body brought me literally to me knees. It has taught to ask for help and not feel guilty about it. If I ever had any doubts about my contribution in housework, it is suffice to say within a day it was clear that I was the indispensable  union worker - the house could not function well without me. 

I am learning to accept that although the body is mine, I don't control its healing. Patience, lots of patience is the first lesson. I also have a renewed respect for my old imperfect self - I could move, walk, run, and even jump with both legs. 

The most important lesson I have learnt is that you can never plan anything. Life happens when you least expect it. You can wallow in self-pity or laugh at the situation you are in, the pain and time to heal remains the same.

So here I am learning to make the best of the situation, hobbling and complaining, at times. Grumpy and at times trying to comprehend what this is supposed to teach me. In the meantime, I will continue to work 50% of my capability without trying to feel guilty about it. 

Unfolding your dreams

Life is fluid and unpredictable. Yet we are always setting goals  in personal and professional life. Come to think of it, isn't it foolish and to a certain extent arrogance on our part to plan ahead? The  unfolding events revealing our path slowly as we move ahead in life, makes all the more reason for us to just go with the flow.

We all like to plan and create our own path, it is considered desirable trait to be ambitious and chart your own course.I am all in favour for it, after all even a river follows a course. Yet wisdom dictates that time is ever changing  and to survive and be happy, we need to go with flow. 

What is life in the end, if not a series of experiences, as fleeting as the drops that merge into a flowing stream? In a nutshell life is not our memories, it is not our plans for future, life is now. Every minute, every breath we take is life. I also feel, that living is meaningless  without connecting with other beings. Every touch, every smile, every tear that we share, every heart that we touch, is what reaffirms that we are alive and kicking.

The people we connect with, open our hearts to, and show our vulnerabilities to, are who in the end complete us . They are the dots  we need to connect to reveal the picture of who we are. Life is in the end all about how much we have enjoyed meeting the people, of lending a helping hand and of joys that warm our heart

We will all pass away,but if we have lived our lives being true to ourselves, living in the present and just accepting that this wonderful opportunity to be part of something bigger than we can imagine is a blessing, an opportunity to traverse the flow of life, we would have lived our life successfully.