Finding your anchor!

Life is funny at times. It is those moments one needs to cherish and savor! Those fond memories, actions and love can give one the strength to overcome tough times, hurdles, sorrow, depression and the like.

In my time living on this beautiful planet, I have seen my share of the best, good, bad and the ugly. My perception of any event, person or situation constantly evolves as I accumulate more facts or life lessons. In a nutshell, I realized "no single person is wholly good or bad". We all have flavors of the best, good, bad and the ugly, each of which shades choose to reveal itself based on our reactions to external actions, perceptions, prior experiences or inner feelings.

I am by no means an authority on human behavior. Merely being an avid people watcher, I have assimilated skills that help me assess and interpret actions and words with the best of intentions. It comes with a fair bit of letting things slide, being the nicer person, having a big heart, ability to forgive and forget, etc. By doing this, I find myself taking things easy - not much bothers me.

This is effectively how I have turned the focus inwards onto myself - thoughts, words and actions. In turn, finding my inner peace and strength to handle any situation the Almighty sends my way.  

Strength is having a graceful life!

"SHAKTIHA KRUPAYUKTAM JEEVANMASTI" means A graceful life is a peaceful life.

In the daily pace of living, recognition, fame and attention, we often forget how beautiful and necessary grace is.

We have little to no control on the circumstances that come our way. What we can control is how we react to or handle each situation. It takes extraordinary discipline and a peace within one's inner self to handle any situation with the utmost grace. It also places a burden at times on being the bigger person regardless of who we are dealing with - a child, a friend, a spouse, an elderly person, etc. 

A lot of times, I draw my strength from the good within and around me. It can be one's faith, one's support system, one's inner happiness and the list is endless. To find my inner strength, I try to follow these 5 principles:

1. Lower expectations from people in my everyday life 
2. Do not take things personally (start with the trivial things)
3. Do not judge or criticize anyone
4. Learn what's good from around you
5. Have a healthy introspection (once every 3-6 months)

Life can be a bed of roses - it is up to us to choose to see the roses or the thorns!

The Miracles of Life !

Somethings make you wonder if humans are as great creators as they proclaim to be. The circle of life aided by nature, a newborn child, a parent watching their child take a new step every day with love and care, and so many such things that existed long before we had electricity, the world wide web and a lot of the technological inventions without which we seem so much impaired these days. 

Definitely I don't want to discredit the human race of all the innovative findings which make life easy and fast...kudos to every human that ever lived on the face of the earth and contributed to such inventions. 

It just make me wonder how awesome must be that greater power that created such a human...simply divine!

Comeback...

It's been awfully long since I blogged...and I am starting today with the hope of keeping this going with at least one post a month :)

A few years gone by and when I look back there is just one prominent message - "live life one day at a time". This does not preclude planning for the future. Enjoying the simple and small pleasures of life adds more meaning to every day...be it sitting around the table for a family breakfast, reading a book with your husband, watching a movie with the family, listening to music or radio with the kids.

In this ever shrinking world we live in, time is a very important factor. Taking oneself too seriously can become a big hurdle in the path to happiness.
You may ask how do we not take certain things seriously? 
I only say this: Try looking at it through a different perspective. Most times, this approach adds sense to a happening that seemed totally incomprehensible before.

There is an ancient quote that "Life is not a bed of roses".
My thought: Life is a collection of little meaningful moments...make the most of the moments you have, to make your time in this world larger than life!


Signing off...

Life being married...

It's been awfully long since I wrote on my blog...and I've been missing it a lot. 2007 just whizzed by which normally means a lot of fun time. Being married is a big change in life - one has to share one's life with a spouse. No matter how much love there is in between the two, it is an upward climb easing itself as you take it on steadily.

In our culture, marriages are not just between individuals - it involves the association and mingling of the families the individuals come from. So it's a grander and slightly complicated affair. And trust me, no matter who you are, what you do for a living and how good your bank balance looks, you really can't be prepared for this (may be the bank balance can get you off the hook a few times by bribing troublesome relatives/in-laws). It is an interesting experience where love and patience have to be harvested to reap the crop of affection and respect as time goes by (although I'm still an amateur).

Personally, if you are good at math you can solve the puzzle of marriage easily. I say this because at any time, it is always a question of priorities. If this is comprehended, there cannot be many hurdles in this relationship. The other key thing is being truthful to yourself and your spouse.

Family is a great thing and it is easy to understand why, when you have your own. It is a huge responsibility nonetheless but I honestly think it is worth the time and effort! What is life without someone to love and a whole group of people to have a good time?

Stay tuned...

A fantastic journey home

It's an inexplicable feeling to be back home, meet family after spending time away - working, socializing with friends and handling the daily do's. The love of home is what makes the heart warm (it probably reaches the soul)...the beaming faces of parents and relatives who care for you, their loving enquiries and the way they go about caring for you like you are a kid...no matter how old you are, it really doesn't change...does it?

Jet-lag never sets in despite the 15 hour difference in my home country time from the US. I attribute it to the splendid way of things happening: my dad waking me up and wishing me 'Good Morning', my mom is already cooking so we can have brunch and get started on catching up. I started to relax and take in the spirit of my home...what a great way to begin a vacation. After a day or 2 of family time, relatives and friends call in to chat up. It's worth anything planning to meet up with friends from college, hang out at a shopping mall talking about memorable stories that will make better hits than Bollywood movies, get some south indian chat/dinner in one of our fave restaurants and catching on a movie if time permits. Time really flies and there's more things to do than can be done...shopping always tops my list ;) .

For the most part, visiting my native place is always on the to-do's in my trip. It's a village in Tanjore district, south of Chennai and enriches my love for nature every single time I go there. The small sit-out before entering the house is a camping place for all my cousins and me. We love playing cards, taking a walk down the street (a narrow foot path sided with shrubs and thorny bushes all the way through), investigating the cattle each home has, also manage to capture few pictures of flowers, ponds filled with lillies, some flies too, and eventually are summoned to get into bed so we can get up early for a day of temple visits. The next morning, the house is busy with elders running around preparing for the day. The smoke from the water boiler signals water being ready to shower and freshen up. Off we go and get dressed in a jiffy. It's an occasion to show off our traditional clothing which is not suitable for the metro life in Chennai. The temple visits are fervently completed by early afternoon and we are all starving to eat lunch...cooked in an earthen stove. Wow...the taste is amazing...so healthy and an aroma of freshness. A nap usually follows lunch (such good food). Then it's coffee time...the cows tied across the house in a small shelter are milked and unbelievable is the smell and richness of coffee thus made. After an evening of catching up on the local news and affairs, the day almost gets to a close with a splendid traditional south Indian dinner. After spending a few days in this fashion, we are all caught up on the idea of staying on when our parents start packing. That's the killer...we have to return to the hustle bustle of the city. The memories of each trip are good to carry on till the next one.

There is definitely something about the earth of one's homeland. You can appreciate and be astonished by the many foreign countries you live in or visit...but nothing can equal the happiness that warms the whole being when visiting one's home country.

2006 - It's been a great year !

I'm back to blogging after a break...life has treated me very well these past few months...but I missed writing too much that I'm sitting up at 3:05 AM on a Sunday morning writing this piece !

The year started off with me spending time back home among family fantastically. A lot many improvements in my career and a special touch to my personal life...guess what??? Yes, I'm getting hitched. Call me fantasizing, but I've always believed in "A special person is out there for me". It's a feeling of a dream come true !

With an approaching wedding and a few deadlines in a new job, you can't imagine how life can be. There is a long list of things-to-be-done-and-best-done-with-less-folks-around. It's been fun performing at work and going shopping for a wedding in the evenings/weekends. To top it all, I have had a few people ask me if I'm getting cold feet. Not that it's a silly inquiry, but where is the question of uncertainty when you are sure of what you are doing. The very thought of a reply brings up my fiancee's face and I just smile to myself. We are a strange combination ~ quite the opposites really...excluding the principle of magnetism, this is where I understood what they mean by opposites attract.

So much said, I'm eagerly looking forward to the New Year's and my upcoming home going...not to forget the very special occasion of our wedding !
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Fabulous New Year !!!

Festival of lights

Deepavali ~ This word is a compound of two words 'Deepa' and 'Avali' in Sanskrit. Deepa means light and Avali means row. Thus the literal meaning of the word is 'row of lights'. The festival of lights symbolises the victory of good over evil, and lamps are lit as a sign of celebration and hope for mankind.

The most significant esoteric meaning is "the awareness of the inner light". The heart of Hindu philosophy, is the assertion that there is something beyond the physical body and mind which is pure, infinite, and eternal, called the Atman. Just as we celebrate the birth of our physical being, Deepavali is the celebration of this Inner Light, in particular the knowing of which outshines all darkness (removes all obstacles and dispels all ignorance), awakening the individual to one's true nature, not as the body, but as the unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent reality. With the realization of the Atman, comes universal compassion, love, and the awareness of the oneness of all things (higher knowledge). This brings Anandha (Inner Joy or Peace).
Deepavali celebrations include fireworks, lights, flowers, sharing sweets and worship. While the story behind Deepavali varies, the essence is the same - to rejoice in the Inner Light (Atman) or the underlying reality of all things (Brahman).

Wish you a very Happy and Prosperous Deepavali !

Friendship ~ a treasure for life

There are a handful of relationships where we get to make a decision. Friendship is one of them. We meet many people in our day-to-day life: at work, in school or in the neighborhood. Few individuals leave an impression. More often than not, friendships start off with a good feeling about a person that remains for long in our memory amidst a fast paced life. I believe every individual is unique. What really takes me by surprise is the way people interact and complement each other. I know a few friends who can read me inside out. I've always been grateful for their presence in my life. What a relief it is when there is no need to word each emotion you feel whether you are excited, anxious, confused or frustrated.
It's a privilege indeed to be understood by someone you care and love. To me, it's a priceless treasure !

'Friends are the siblings God never gave us' - Unknown
This post is a dedication to my wonderful friends who have been there for me always and love me just as I am.

Good Night, Sleep Tight !

There a many many greetings people say often. For eg. Good Day To You, Have a Great Afternoon, Nice To See You, etc., It generally gives you an upbeat feeling if things haven't been going so well or a little more enthusiasm when everything is working out just fine. Recently I came across a piece of interesting information.

In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes, the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. That's where the phrase "Goodnight, sleep tight" comes from.

So no longer in the modern days of futons and innerspring mattresses resting on bed frames, "Goodnight, sleep tight" doesn't make sense...so have a Goodnight !