Tag: life

The Joy Of Discovering Connections

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Have you ever noticed those moments when you discover something – something important? Like a life altering piece of information, or such an obvious piece of knowledge that you can’t imagine how you never thought of it before. It doesn’t even have to be so dramatic – it could even be something as simple as stumbling across a song or a book that just moves you.

There’s a certain quality to those moments of discovery.  At first, you don’t realize what it is that you have discovered, but slowly, it dawns on you – what you have stumbled across, its significance. Whatever the discovery may be, you’ll never see the thing it was about, the same way ever again.

It’s like enlightenment – to get your eyes opened, to see something that you had been seeing all your life, yet to see something that you hadn’t seen before. And I find these rare moments quite pleasant. This is what I mean by “the joy of discovering”.

And when I talk about “the joy of discovering connections”, I’m talking about those moments where Read More »

How Old Are you?

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You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair.

– Samuel Ullman

Most of us must have heard of the oft-repeated phrase: “Age is just a number!” What it’s meant to imply is that our “age” is not defined by the number of years that we’ve been alive. But this phrase also doesn’t specify what, then, is “age” defined by?

I think this quote by Samuel Ullman very cleverly tells us what our “age” really is – a measure of the impact of our experiences.

I like the juxtapositions presented by the author – faith vs doubt, self-confidence vs fear, hope vs despair, and the way he related these to one’s “age”.

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The Discovery Of A Treasure

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Well, the intervals are getting longer and longer now. I should be making more of an effort to write more frequently; lest, one day, they’ll become too long. If you give them the slightest space, “valid” reasons will always take up all your time. Currently, for me, those are settling into a new job, new city, searching for a house while living out of a suitcase, foraging for food, etc. And to write, I need a calm and settled environment, especially given the themes of this blog.

But, as I said, these are just excuses. If there’s time to do anything else, then there’s time to write. It’s all about getting the priorities right. And then having the willpower to do what needs to be done.

Anyways, enough ranting. I’m here now. So, let’s begin.

Today, I want to share with you an important discovery that I made recently. Potentially as valuable as any treasure in the world. In fact, even better than a treasure as no one can steal it from me!

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When People Kept Cutting In…

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First, the excuses for taking so long since the last post: If you were wondering where I have been, let me tell you: This last month has been BUSY! A lot going on, at the office, at home, and then there’s the football world cup! 😉 Although, I did share a couple of interesting posts on my FB page. So, you know where you need to go to get your fix, juuuust in case you craved it… 😀

Coming to the topic of today’s post. Today, let me share an incident that occurred late last week, and how that reminded me, once again, that problems are not always bad – sometimes they are a way to something better!

So, the story goes like this: Read More »

Dear Diary…

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Hey there, dear diary!
Nice to meet you again.
But, after years on this road,
Time’s up on our journey.

We rarely realize,
That word after word,
Our journal fills itself,
N’ how swiftly time flies.

But, what a wonderful gift
You turned out to be.
An anchor for choppy seas,
Saved me from being adrift.

Oh, the accidents it took…
For us to come together.
For this story of mine,
To find a place in your book.

Hopes n’ dreams, anger n’ screams,
Stained your pages with ‘em all.
Yet you somehow held together,
Dangling between the extremes.

Many did I share before –
Memories too important.
Some best forgotten, but
Many still left to explore.

So, it is hard to let go.
Stitching, sketching, stretching,
What will be the last story,
That you’ll ever get to know.

But it’s a good reminder:
No one knows or controls,
The stories and pages,
They are left in the binder.

With nary a chance,
Too many end too soon.
I know I am lucky,
To get one more dance.

But here approacheth the end,
And even though,
There may be more,
None can take your place.
So, in this last little space,
Let me just say:
Thank you, and goodbye, dear friend!

If you have been following this blog, you might notice that sometime back, I wrote a post about some parting thoughts on reaching the end of a journey. When I had had those initial thoughts, I knew there was potential for a poem there. But writing one takes time and effort (lots of it!) for me, and so, at that time, I thought I’ll just go with the flow and put my thoughts into the simple words that came readily.

But since then, the idea of expressing those feelings through a poem had been on my mind. And so, here you go! It’s done, finally!! 🙂

It’s definitely not my finest work, which, so far, (shameless self promotion warning!) I consider to be this, for a variety of reasons. But even though I knew this wasn’t as good as it could’ve been, I just had to get this one out of the system! Still, howsoever the poem is, I hope you’ll at least get a glimpse of that bittersweet feeling (if I haven’t done too bad a job of messing that up), and maybe, of even the larger picture… 😉

Thanks for reading! Hope you have a wonderful day!

Photo Credit: Dariusz Sankowski on Unsplash

The Struggle For Innocence & Authenticity

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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?

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The Importance Of Life’s “Center”

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Recently, I was the victim of one of life’s conspiracies to teach me a lesson. And although I had heard others talk about that lesson before, I had never fully realized its value and wisdom until life shoved it in my face.

And that lesson was the importance of finding a “center” in my life.

By “center” I mean something that one would love to be associated with in whatever way they can. It can be the people in one’s life, the work they do, an activity they like to engage in, or even something as abstract as a thought. The key thing is that nothing about the “center” feels like an inconvenience; just the mere thought of it should be able to bring one immediate calm and happiness.

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What Else Did I Miss Out On?

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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?

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What Begins, Must End

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Apart from this blog, I sometimes also write in an actual journal, a diary. I find that sometimes, you just need that physicality to writing – the sound and touch of paper, holding and moving the pen, the rhythm of the hands, instead of the mechanical “clickity-clack” of typing and staring at a white screen. And well, some thoughts are too private even for a “personal blog”. 😉

I don’t do it often – just a couple of entries a year. Sometimes even fewer. So, I’d been using that same diary for the last many, many years. But as I was writing in it this time, I realized that I had reached the end of it.

As I neared the end, I wanted to write a “goodbye” message in the little space that I had left (yeah, I’m “weird” that way), which I did. But as I began writing, I had an amusing and pleasant thought, one that I think (more like “hope”), some of you might find some beauty in. So, here I am, reproducing that final, short diary entry below:

* * *

And just like that I’ve reached the end of this journal – a journey that began many, many years ago, with a thoughtful gift. Now, there aren’t many pages left in this diary, for another one of life’s journeys.

A little more space to continue writing would have been nice, but we don’t control how many pages we are given, and where our story ends. I guess I’d never really be ready for it to be over. So many stories left untold, incomplete. But not much that I can do about it.

Sometimes, you get a chance to wrap up your story in time, when you know the end is near, but even then, it’s not easy letting go. You wish you could continue in some way or another; just refusing to let go.

But, the end approaches, and it’s time to say, “Thank You! And Goodbye.” 🙂

* * *

Photo Credit: Dariusz Sankowski on Unsplash

The Fire That Refuses To Die

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Today I bring to you this gem:

What an amazing guy! Hats off to the guy’s spirit and will! What a fighter! Just imagine the determination, the practice, the skill it must take to do what this guy does, given his situation. Wow!

I wonder what drove him to decide to make these clay sculptures that require such deft touch, despite his disability. Did he always make these figurines, before he met with an accident apparently? Or did he choose to make them after, to take this up as a challenge, to prove to himself (and to others maybe) that he wouldn’t let his disability stand in the way, that he’ll overcome it?

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