Tag: beauty

The Pursuit Of Beauty

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

It is the pursuit of beauty in things and people that is the journey – the real journey. I was happiest when I sought beauty in words and music and images. I was happiest in movies or in the middle of a symphony – whatever allowed the mind to ponder all that was possible and glorious. The world, I suppose, is the result of actions taken by people possessed of an image or an idea, and the world I care most about is constructed from those images that reminded someone of the beauty and the nobility of people. I’m back on the job of looking for this beauty, and nothing is safe from my eyes and my ears. I want to find and host the beauty of the world.

– Tennessee Williams

A very warm hello to the people of the world!

In case you were wondering, this blog is still very much alive! I know it’s been a while (7 months!) since I last posted anything, but I haven’t stopped thinking about this blog, and what it means to me. Life has been busy this year, and I’ve been running a little short on motivation to write anything.

But I recently came across the above quote by Tennessee Williams, given to James Grissom in an interview in 1982, that resonated quite a lot with me, especially with regards to this blog, and which shook me out of my lethargy enough to finally pen something down. 😅

One of my goals with this blog has been to share and reflect on the beauty that I see around me, wherever it may come from – people, pictures, places, or in any other form. 

I do feel that given all that is going on in the world, sometimes, we do need to be reminded of the beauty in things and people. To be inspired by them. To strive to be better than before. To try and make the world, or at least our little corner of it, a better place. I know sometimes things like these sound very naive and cheesy, but I don’t think there’s an alternative. We can either choose to be cynical and become apathetic to the way of the world, or we can try and treasure those little moments of beauty in our everyday life, so that we at least have hope for something better, no matter how naive it may be. And I think you’ll agree with Tennessee when he says, “[t]he world .. is the result of actions taken by people possessed of an image or an idea..” So, it’s very important that that image or idea is a positive one, rather than a negative one. 

So yes, I do think that “the pursuit of beauty in things and people that is the journey – the real journey.” I do want “to ponder all that was possible and glorious.” And even though I’ve lost a little bit of touch with that pursuit in 2024, I want to get “back on the job of looking for this beauty”, and “I want to find and host the beauty of the world.”

As a new year dawns, this almost sounds like a new year’s resolution! But I’m not one for such yearly resolutions, which usually don’t last very long. So I’ll just simply hope that in 2025, I can try and be better at this journey than I was last year. And I hope the same for you too!

May we all seek and find more beauty everywhere around us in 2025, and may that beauty inspire us to take actions, no matter how small, to make our world just that little bit better.

Wish you all a very Happy New Year! 🥳

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Credits | Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash | Edited with Canva

People And Their Stories

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

Just one of those days today. Contemplative. Thinking about the connections I have made over the years with people. Now that I think about it, it’s only natural to be in this mood, this time of the year: ‘tis the season! The year-end holidays give us an opportunity to pause and to look back on the year gone by. And sometimes, on more than just the current year.

Have you also ever reflected on the people you’ve crossed paths with in your journey? And I’m not talking about family. We are kind of born into this group of people. I’m talking about friends, partners, colleagues, and even strangers in some cases.

At this point, I’d encourage you to think about someone whom you know well now, who is important to you, but who was once a stranger.

Now think about how, over time, you have come to trust, rely on, and confide in this person, who was once upon a time a total stranger.

I’m guessing you guys found a mutual connection somewhere. Of course, the connection would’ve solidified and become stronger over time, but the potential of this connection was always there, wasn’t it? Yet did you really know that one day, you would connect with this person this way, when you had first met them?

And that brings me to the point of my post today: there is so, so much more to people than what first meets the eye!

Every person has a story. Every person is a story. Every. Single. One. 

And sometimes, we tend to forget just how deep and rich these stories can be! There are so many little things that make us who we are today. Things we have done, things that interest us, things that we want to do, things that keep us going.

It’s easy to get caught up in the fast-paced life of today. Everyone is rushing from one thing to another, one day to another. Work, family, friends, our own interests, everything demands our time and attention. It’s rare to find people who can say they have extra time in their life; most of us always have more things to do than what we can manage.

In this rush, it’s easy to see people, and yet not really see them. We come across so many people today, whether through work, social media, dating apps, travel, whatever. And when we meet all these people, we quickly put them into buckets, based on broad categorization criteria like their appearances, or job profile, or family background, or a myriad of other ways..

But people are more than that, aren’t they? Aren’t you? 

A lot of what makes us, us, are the little details about our lives. The pet projects and pet peeves that we have. The quirks, the edges. 

I think most of us go through “phases” in our life. During any one of these phases, we are very much into one particular thing or another. Some examples: those years or months when you were into sports. Or gymming, gaming, singing, reading, learning a foreign language, baking, traveling, blogging… The list can be endless. These are like the sub-plots in our “main” storyline. We do these on the side, while on our main journey of studying, working, dating, family, etc.

Sometimes, one of these “phases” consumes us enough that we want to pursue it rigorously. We may decide to take it up as a career, or stay invested in it some way or another for life. Most of the time, we simply outgrow these phases. Sometimes, we move on to a different phase. Sometimes, we get so caught up in our “main” storyline, that all these other things seem childish and a waste of time.

But irrespective of what happens to these phases in the end, the fact remains that at some point, they were a significant part of our life. And I feel that over a lifetime, these small things taken together is what really makes us unique. Millions of people do the job that I do. Millions come from similar socio-economic backgrounds. Millions might have the same kind of family structure that I have. Yet, everyone is unique. Why? Because no two people would’ve had the exact same kind of life because of these small details.

And I find getting to know these details about people fascinating! Discovering these tidbits about a person makes me feel more connected to them.

[As I write this, I realize this sense of “discovery” is a recurring theme with me. Few years ago, I talked about something similar, when I wrote about “the joy of discovering connections”.]

Anyway, getting back to the main theme of this post: A friend was recently telling me about one such phase of her life. And it made me feel like I was seeing this side of her that I had not known of before at all. And there’s so much that you learn about a person even from the smallest of things, isn’t it?! The reasons why someone gets into something, why they keep doing it, and why they stop. I had an even greater appreciation for this friend after getting to know this part of her life.

And it made me realize that there are so many such mini-stories within the main story of everyone’s life. And this is true not just for others, but for ourselves too! Which is something that at least I, personally, tend to forget sometimes.

But yeah, the thing I want to remember from that night, and the thing that I hope you’ll take away from this piece is this: people are way more than what meets the eye. So, ask them their stories. Of course, not everyone would be willing to share theirs with everyone else, but if they give you that privilege, recognize it as one. Ask them what things they were into as kids, as teens, as young adults. Even the things they are into now. And the things that piss them off. And the things they think about late at night when they can’t sleep. Really get to know them. It can be a beautiful and life-affirming experience.

And on a related note: look for opportunities to share your story too! Some people might find it hard to initiate talking about themselves. I do sometimes (Ok, maybe not in writing, but in person, yes.. 😅). We tend to overthink that why would someone else be bothered about these things about us, perhaps we shouldn’t bore everyone with our weirdness. But chances are they just might appreciate us sharing all of these things! I know I am glad that my friend decided to share that story.

If you are a F.R.I.E.N.D.S. fan, maybe you can relate to this example: Remember the series finale, where Monica reveals that Ross tried to make it as a dancer in New York, and Ross replies that they almost went 10 years without this topic coming up? Such a small detail, a passing reference really, and yet, didn’t we feel like we knew so much more about Ross just based on this one thing? Didn’t we feel more “connected” to the character?

As another year dawns tomorrow, perhaps this can be our new year resolution: that we will try to connect more with those around us – that we will encourage them to share their stories, that we will strive to be more open ourselves.

I don’t know about you, but it seems like a good idea to me! 🙂

* * *

On that note, I’ll wrap up for this year. On a personal front, this year was one of the toughest for me, for several reasons. Of course, I don’t want to lose sight of the fact that this year was far worse for so many others, owing to wars, climate catastrophes, natural disasters, poverty, political conflicts, etc. So, I’m just glad this year is in the rear-view mirror now for everyone.

Here’s hoping that the coming year brings a lot more peace, prosperity, health, happiness, laughter, and love for you, and for everyone around the world. The world really can do with some better days!

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year! 🥂

See you on the other side.. 🙂 

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Credits: Photo by Maegan Martin on Unsplash

The Beauty Of Incomplete Stories

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

Dreams can be a bittersweet experience. They are ephemeral, like our lives, like the cycle of happiness and sadness. Let’s just enjoy them while they last, without worrying about how and when they’ll end.

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Credits: Quote by me. Photo created with Canva.

Wonders Of The Night Sky

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

So, sometime ago, a friend and I, both interested in the craft of writing, were talking about writing something based on a prompt. We randomly selected “the night sky” as our writing prompt, and we decided to write a short poem on it.

This post is not about that poem though. The poem I’ve already written and shared earlier (can you guess which one that is from this list?) In this post, I wanted to delve into what I find so fascinating about the night sky after all.

We usually don’t think much about why we feel a certain way about something. We just feel the way we do. At least that’s the way it is for me. So, from time to time, when we do sit down to think about the reasons, it can seem like a journey of discovery. About our likes and dislikes, our ways of thinking, our inherent nature. About ourselves.

There aren’t many things that can give us the kind of mind-opening, light-bulb-turning-on, a-ha! moments that learning something new about the self can. And I love those moments!

So, without further ado, following are my reasons for being in love with the night sky, in no particular order, but grouped into categories:

Physical & Scientific

I’m always, always amazed by the universe. The only thing that I think comes close to it, in terms of how amazing it is, is the human body.

Talking first of the universe: it is astonishingly vast. We can not even imagine the distances. On top of that, it is remarkable how the stars work. Not many of us realize how the processes that power stars work. But I’m sure that those who do, can not help being in awe of them. If you are interested in knowing more about stars and how they work, I recommend this short video by Phil Plait.

Then there’s the marvelous ability of the human eye to perceive something that’s millions of light-years away! From the way a light photon is generated, absorbed and re-emitted, thousands of times, as it travels across the vastness of space, to reach the eyes of that single human observer, to then travel through the optic nerves, to be processed by the human brain (which itself is the most complex thing in the known universe), while the brain simultaneously observes itself observing the universe. Wow!! I mean, just wow! I get goosebumps thinking of it all!

Spiritual & Philosophical

The night sky often puts me into a reflective and introspective mood. It reminds me of how small and insignificant we are, how small are our problems and concerns, in the overall scheme of things. We amount to nothing, yet there is so much beauty in the fact that we are able to perceive and appreciate that moment. How can that kind of beauty be insignificant? What exactly adds “significance” to something? What does it all mean in the end? What lies beyond? Why are we here? Once you start pulling on that thread, there’s no stopping the stream of questions that sprouts.

But despite all those unanswerable questions, the night sky still brings a sense of peace that goes beyond just the quietness of the night.

Romantic

Well, this goes without saying, doesn’t it? Countless odes have been written about the Moon, and how it invokes such romantic feelings in people. I’m no different. And it’s not limited just to the Moon either. The stars, the clouds, the wind, everything takes on a sense of intimacy in the serenity of the night. In that moment, it is just you, and the night sky. And maybe someone else too, looking up at a similar view somewhere, thinking and feeling the same things, maybe hoping to find someone who appreciates that moment like they do. Like you do.

The night sky is the common cloak enwrapping you and that stranger, across distances, protecting and warming you both against the coldness of the night, both literal and figurative. It makes you feel closer to your soulmate, one you may not even have met yet.

Imaginative

When I look at the night sky, I sometimes can’t help but wonder what life on another world must be like. The universe is so huge that I don’t doubt whether or not there would be some form of life on another world somewhere. There most definitely would be, even if it is microbial or very primitive. Intelligent life would be harder to come by, but again, in the infinite possibilities out there, how can it not?

What would those worlds look like? How would it feel like for a human to stand on that world, and look up to find three suns in the sky, or maybe a giant planet hanging right on the horizon? What kind of societies would they have, if they have any at all? Would they have flying cars (a reality, finally, at least somewhere in the universe)? How would they view life? Would they have hopes, and dreams, and fears, too? Would they understand love? Might someone from that world be looking right in our planet’s direction, at that very moment, while I’m looking in theirs? What would it be like for our two species to encounter each other? When the mind starts wandering, it really does wander, doesn’t it? 😀

* * *

So, as you can probably guess from the above, the night sky invokes a lot of feelings and thoughts in me. If you look at it, in a way, it reminds us what it means to be human, by speaking to us through knowledge, consciousness, spirituality, love, companionship, curiosity, imagination.. everything that makes us, us.

The night sky is a thing of beauty and wonder. And I just hope I never lose touch with it. 

How do you feel about it though? Does it move you too? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below or on our social media channels! 🙂

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Photo by Roberto Nickson on Unsplash

Chemical Reactions & Business Transactions

A Wondering Wanderer1 Comment

Sometimes, in the daily grind of human life,
We forget what it means to be alive,

Which is to see the beauty, to find peace,
In the swaying of trees, in the cool breeze.

To wonder how, to ponder why.
To imagine all the worlds in the sky.

To really live a life,
free of the cycle of distractions.

To be more than just…

Chemical reactions
and
business transactions.

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The Power Of The Knowledge Of The Self

A Wondering Wanderer4 Comments

Many times in life, we find ourselves in situations where we can’t figure ourselves out. We don’t know why we act or think the way we do. And what we can do if we wanted to change ourselves.

As a typical INFP type personality (yes, I do think there’s some merit to this personality categorization. Don’t know about you, but it works for me at least), I definitely like introspecting and asking questions of myself, and, in the process, discovering more about myself. I may not always be right, but the desire to understand myself better is there.

Even though there are numerous self-help books and articles and talks and so-called “experts”, all telling us about ourselves (some sincerely and helpfully, some not), I think it’s rare to find opportunities to really know ourselves. And rarer still to find those opportunities at the “right” time. Because, to really make full use of any such chances, we need to be in the right frame of mind emotionally and spiritually, based on our experiences. I’ve had instances when the same things have made much more sense when I came across them after certain experiences, when I was in a certain place.

Life is a constant teacher, but one has to be ready to receive the lesson to really understand and remember it.

* * *

But you might ask: “Why does it matter how well I know myself?” Well, to each, her own. Perhaps a person can only answer that question for oneself. Or, who knows, maybe it doesn’t even matter for everyone. There are some who even say that knowing oneself could be dangerous. But for me personally, it matters. It matters a lot.Read More »

The Struggle For Innocence & Authenticity

A Wondering Wanderer2 Comments

Let’s try an exercise today: I’d like you to think of at least one person whom you think is immature, childish, or unsophisticated. Take your time; no rush.

(Waiting….)

Any come to mind? No? Perhaps this might help: Such a person doesn’t conduct herself according to her age or reputation or environment. Maybe laughs or talks in a weird way. Is brazen, doesn’t know when to speak, and when to shut up. May ask for, or share, too much personal information.

(As I write this, I’m reminded of Mater from the Cars movie franchise. That’s not weird I hope.)

Does anyone come to mind now? I think by now, you probably can recall one such person. It would be fair game to call such a person immature, right?

Read More »

What Else Did I Miss Out On?

A Wondering Wanderer3 Comments

So the other day, I decided to leave a bit early from office. Now usually, my office timings are 11 to 8. But sometimes, I leave a bit early. And for anyone from my office reading this blog, let me clarify – I’m not shirking my work; I completed the required hours of work after reaching home! 😉

So, anyways, as I was saying: Sometimes I leave early. I do this so that I can get to see the sun set (I have a thing for sunsets). And there’s a stretch on the way back home that offers a very nice view, weather permitting.

I’ve seen some really beautiful sights this way, but this time, the view was extraordinary. Golden-orange sunlight streamed through openings in the clouds. I could make out the edges of the beams of light, but just barely. It was more like a golden fog descending through the clouds, diffusing as it approached the ground, slowly disappearing mid-air, before ever touching down. It was spectacular! I wish I had a photograph or video, but I was driving and couldn’t stop to take one. (The above beautiful image is not mine!)

Watching this amazing sight triggered a thought, which has finally culminated in today’s blog. And that thought was: What other wonders have I been missing out on?

Read More »