Tag: life

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! 🥳

For more such posts, please follow Echoes In The Ether on Instagram, Facebook, WordPress, or Medium.

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

Now Is The Time

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

Dreams of a lifetime,
Realised or ruptured, in a day.

Try all we might,
This time won’t stay,

So, just live, laugh, love,
This is the moment to play.

We won’t be us tomorrow,
Let’s not let life get away.

– Ehsaas

From the archives, dusted and refurbished.. 😅

Wrote this short poem some time ago, on a day when I was feeling particularly excited and full of energy. Regular readers of this blog would realize that’s not how most days go with me. I guess that’s why I never felt like sharing this one earlier. But today I was like, meh. I guess a writer is like an actor. We don’t necessarily have to be the person the words talk about. Words are an idea, a feeling that deserves to fly free. Why chain them down to be about one person, their limitations, and situations?

Anyway, hope you like it. Till next time.. 😊

For more such posts, please follow Echoes In The Ether on Instagram, Facebook, WordPress, or Medium.

Credits: Poem by yours truly. Pic created with Canva.

The Relationship Between Words & Reality

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

Lately, I’ve been noticing a lot more instances of the gap between what reality is, and the words which we use to describe it. And it impressed upon me how limited words are in their capacity. Reality, on the other hand, quite literally, encompasses all there is.

Yet, when talking about things, people, ideas, we tend to get caught up in the words that are used. Not only that, words are not even objective; they are highly subjective. The same words can mean different things to different people, depending on their own personal journeys. (I’ve talked about this before, and if you’d like to explore this idea in slightly more detail, you can check out my post, “What Do You See And Hear?”)

Now imagine using something so limited and subjective like human vocabulary to describe the utterly rich and complex reality of the world around us. When we stop to think about it, it shouldn’t be surprising that there’s a huge gap between what we can describe with words, and the real thing.

But as Boyzone said, “It’s only words. And words are all I have.” We have to do with what we have. So, I’m not saying that we should just give up on using words to talk about things. But what we should do is to try and avoid getting boxed in by these words. We should remember that no matter what words we use, no matter how well we articulate something, reality will be, more often than not, way more than that.

The key is experience. We need to really live the thing we talk about to fully grasp and appreciate it. And until we can do that, we will do well to remember: it’s only words. And words are not enough.

Oh, and yeah, the irony of using words to describe how words are not sufficient to describe reality is not lost on me! 😅

For more such posts, please follow Echoes In The Ether on Instagram, Facebook, WordPress, or Medium.

Credits: Quote by yours truly. Image created with Canva.

Warmth In The Middle Of Winter

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

As I hold this toasty cup in my hand,
with crumbly sunlight filtering through this misty morning,
and steam gingerly rising up from the cup,
disappearing into the disappearing fog,
I’m reminded of what warmth feels like
in the middle of winter.

Not much to add to this today.. 🙂

For more such posts, please follow Echoes In The Ether on Instagram, Facebook, WordPress, or Medium.

Credits: Quote by yours truly. Pic created 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.. 🙂 

For more such posts, please follow Echoes In The Ether on Instagram, Facebook, WordPress, or Medium.

Credits: Photo by Maegan Martin on Unsplash

How Many Times More?

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

On a recent trip down the rabbit hole (while searching for something on the net), I came across something that I felt like sharing with you all today.

Because we don’t know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. And yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, an afternoon that is so deeply a part of your being that you can’t even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four, or five times more? Perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless…

This is an epitaph written on Brandon Lee’s tombstone. For those who don’t know him (I confess, I didn’t at the time), he was an actor, and the son of the legendary Bruce Lee. And unfortunately, he died at a very young age of 28.

And to give credit where it’s due, the above epitaph is actually paraphrased from a 1949 novel ‘The Sheltering Sky’ written by Paul Bowles.

The reason why I wanted to share this is because I found something really heartfelt about this quote. It just makes you pause and think about things, doesn’t it?

How many times do we really see the full Moon rise? When was the last time that you saw it? How many times do we share conversations and laughter with our loved ones? How many memories do we have that we cherish beyond anything?

The numbers may vary for different people, but one thing I think would be common for us all, is that we never think about how many more times we will get to experience those beautiful moments again. We just take these things for granted.

We are so used to certain things that we never fully realize how precious they are. We have such fragile and ephemeral lives. Anything can happen anytime. Yet, it’s like we are blind to the whole thing.

Now I do understand that there’s a practical aspect to the whole thing, and that we wouldn’t be able to function properly if we kept thinking about the impermanence of it all. I agree that we do need to focus on the present moment, and not worry about what might happen in the future, which we can not control beyond a certain limit.

But that should happen as a conscious choice, isn’t it? Not because we don’t realize the nature of these things, and are just living unconsciously, tumbling from one day to another. We must remain aware of how limited our days are. Because only then can we truly, deeply appreciate things like those wonderful memories, beautiful Moon rises, the laughter of loved ones, etc.

We get so caught up in our lives, postponing our plans for that vacation, for that conversation, for that reconciliation, for that thing that we always wanted to do, that we never stop to think what if there isn’t enough time to do those things later?

Experience what you can while you can. Go see the Moon rise!

For more such posts, please follow Echoes In The Ether on Instagram, Facebook, WordPress, or Medium.

Pic Credits: brandonlee.com

Phases Of The Mood

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

If you are one of those few who read the title correctly (“Phases Of The Mood”), and think there’s a typo there, let me tell you: that is not a typo. 🙂

We have all heard of the phases of the Moon. The Moon waxes and wanes as it revolves around the Earth in a 29-day cycle. And as it does so, some days it shines brightly in the sky, some days not so much. And some days, not at all.

Indulging in a little bit of personification here, but recently, I was looking at the crescent Moon, and it made me wonder: Does the Moon doubt itself on those days when it shines less brightly, or not at all? Must it feel like an imposter, that on the rare days when it does shine with all its might, it’s just a random fluke?

We are all like the Moon in a way, isn’t it? Some days, we are high on energy. We feel good, and we light up our surroundings. While on some other days, we feel low, and can’t “shine” as brightly. We question whether we are good for anything. We have self-doubt.

But as I continued to admire the Moon, even in its crescent form, I realized something: the Moon may shine less brightly on some days, but it’s still the very same Moon that shines as brightly as it does on the Full Moon nights!

The Moon is what it is – it remains whole, whether it shines brightly, or not at all. It doesn’t change one bit, no matter how much it is glowing on a particular day. It’s only a matter of circumstances – being in a certain place at a certain time – that affects how bright it appears. And actually, it’s not even about the Moon itself if you think about it. It is about where the observer is in relation to the Moon. If one could leave Earth and be in the right place, they would see a Full Moon every night!

So, on those days, when we are feeling low, or inadequate, or having self-doubts, it would do us well to remember that just like it's simply the phases of the Moon, and nothing more, that affect how brightly the Moon glows that night, we also go through our own phases of the mood.

We remain the very same radiant being who has illuminated their surroundings earlier. If somebody tells us that our light is no longer the same as before, maybe they are just catching us in a bad phase. A matter of circumstances. Maybe our current disposition is just an intermediate step on our way to full glow. A phase of our mood. Or perhaps the observer themselves is not at the right viewpoint to see our full potential.

It is totally okay to go through these phases of the mood. The thing to keep in mind is that the whole of us is still there. Not glowing as brightly on some days doesn’t mean we are any less of a person than what we were earlier.

And just like it’s a given that the Full Moon will eventually come around, we too will once again shine with all our light soon enough.

For more such posts, please follow Echoes In The Ether on Instagram, Facebook, WordPress, or Medium.

Credits: Photo by Marcus Dall Col on Unsplash

Letting The Kid Go

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

Even though I know,
I’m not that kid anymore,
It’s hard to let go.

– Ehsaas

Found this haiku in the archive of my unpublished drafts. It’s time for it to finally see the light of day. As they say, things happen, when they are supposed to happen.. 😅

Many of us have unpleasant memories or experiences from our childhood that still hurt us when we remember them.

And even though we have grown up now, in more ways than one, and are wiser and more mature to understand why we had to go through those experiences, sometimes, we may still find it difficult to process those emotions from our childhood.

And these childhood experiences may not even be that traumatic from an adult’s point of view. They may even be something very trivial. But to that young kid, they mattered! And they left a deep imprint.

What hurts the grown-up today is not so much the direct experience of those childhood incidents – time takes care of that. What hurts the grown-up today is the memory of being that kid who had to go through those experiences, who was helpless and perhaps alone, in being able to do anything about those events, at that time.

This is where healing comes into the picture. May anyone and everyone who can relate to this post one day reach a stage where they can embrace that kid, and yet not feel sad for them, where they can reassure that kid that despite those events, or perhaps even because of them, they will end up having a happy and content life.

For more such posts, please follow Echoes In The Ether on Instagram, Facebook, WordPress, or Medium.

Credits: Haiku by yours truly. Pic 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! 🙂

For more such posts, please follow Echoes In The Ether on Instagram, Facebook, WordPress, or Medium.

Photo by Roberto Nickson on Unsplash

Find Your Words…

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

As J.K. Rowling said:

Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it.

– Albus Dumbledore in “Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows”

I absolutely love this quote! And I couldn’t agree more. Words are indeed magical, and we can all do with a little bit of their magic.

And sometimes, we are the only ones who can bring that magic in our own lives. Because, we know ourselves. Because, the stakes are highest for us. Because, if we don’t, nobody else will.

So, find the words that give you hope. That show you the way forward when you feel lost. Only you would know the exact words to use.

Find them, write them down, and then put them on the walls, on your screens, in your heart.

And remember them on the days when you need a glimmer of hope.

Everyone needs to be a writer.

Not for anyone else, but oneself.

Because there will be days when you need the right words to get back up.

And the only person whose words would work would be yourself.

– Ehsaas

For more such posts, please follow Echoes In The Ether on Instagram, Facebook, WordPress, or Medium.

Credits: Quote by me. Photo created with Canva.