~ Reflections ~

It's that time of the year when one looks back at the year gone by, trying to delve on the good, the better and the best parts of it... wondering whether it could've packed more !  A consistent realization this time every year is the thought that time just flies by.. swiftly... often without as much as a whisper... which leaves me wishing that I'd done more in the year... This is also the time to think about what one would want to accomplish (not exactly a bucket-list, but even that isn't a bad idea) with the time at hand. So while I resolve to make my life better, by not trying to solve everything for everyone (read interfere in everything) , but instead just being there (at hearing distance :D), I hope I end up making room for other people and things in my life as well. I know the next year will be bigger and better. So cheers to the year that zoomed past, and to the one around the corner. Hoping it would bring good times for everyone. Happy New Year !!!!

After a long long time, I'll be doing something I've really wanted to do...  Did I have to make some alternate settlements... maybe... Will it live up to the hype of it all... can't say... Was it worth a try.. only time will tell... But there is something very clear in my mind... I am glad I'm trying it out.. Because clearly, this is something I've been wanting to do for a long time now...  

If I was being honest, I'd have to be admit that I am facing a midlife crisis... I mean what is with all my muscles telling me that they need some extra stretching, and my spine giving me subtle indications that its time to start exercising.. my mind continuously second guessing all decisions at work and home... or my belly which has suddenly chosen to appear after 40 year.... Sigh !!!  Infact midlife would be an inaccurate description... this is probably 2/3rd of my life gone by.. in a swoosh.... Recently, I managed to do a vacation (finally!) with my college friends.. and what struck us was that the theme appears to be common... parents at a stage where health is a concern... our lives at a stage where we are getting wake up calls.. children growing up in a world of technology and often a sense of entitlement.... and all of us just reliving our yesteryears....  Is this just a phase where my mind is freaking out... I hope so :) But I need to rein in all my thoughts, and take some

The world is a family. Our friends are a part of our family. We create our families.. define them, guard them... create walls, open gates... Whatever the definition or boundary, we revel in our family, with our family... It is often that part of our life which is without inhibitions.. M not saying it is all hunky dory, but it is definitely the better parts of our time on this planet.... But what portion of our waking life do we spend with family, knowing fully well that they provide the most joy ! Oh yes, there is work, and the other regular things we do/must do. There is also that annual vacation to the far west or east that one needs to prioritize...  Despite all these supremely important commitments, do we really even try to make the time ? As time is passing by, and showing up on my head in the form of those wiry white strands, I am increasingly caught with the thought of whether we try enough ?

Most of us in the middle/upper middle class spend what we earn, and maybe, save a little. Working long hours to make ends meet, to make life a little more comfortable is what we strive for. But we don't realize when this strife, becomes a struggle... and ends up hampering our 'life' in total. I've heard so many peers saying life is so stressful.. Little do they realize that it's their work that makes their life feel that way ! I'm not saying work is a joke, and don't take it seriously.  But we need to have as much discipline towards life beyond work. More often than not, family & friends become the collateral damage. Cartoon Credit:  https://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/h/heavy_workload.asp

We all go through phases... Of loving, and losing,  Of loving what is lost, and then losing what is loved... And then it moves in a loop.... The love and the loss needn't pertain to a homo-sapien, but could be something as simple as a habit... In all this loving and losing and loving all over again, I have come to a single consistent conclusion each time...  Look for the bare necessities, Forget about your worries and your strife And then the bare necessities will come to you :)

The mind is screaming... for some peace... Little does it realize that the screaming is what is causing all the chaos :D There are often times when I wish I could keep my buzzing brain on the side,  and enjoy some not-thinking time... As if I need to be short circuited to keep from going zzzzzzz !!! Afterall, the mind is its own master....

It takes a pandemic to realize how many miracles we witness on a daily basis :)

Reflections in water, Shadows on the wall, but can't seem to find anything at all. Maybe it's all an illusion.  It will all be fine. And the thought that I cannot define, is just some fancy emotion  flaring up and making self doubt have its way.

Often, we take so much for granted... That we have a roof over our head... sufficient money to survive through these trying times... the faculties, mental and physical to execute what we want.... And most importantly (and often the most taken for granted), loving family, friends and well wishers who truly care... who are willing to step up when you are forced to step down... who are willing to lookout for you well being at all times, in your highs and their lows as well !!

There are a million thoughts running in my head right now...  But the mind appears to be calm.. radio silence...  Does that mean too much chaos results in peace???  Then why is there so much fuss around trying to focus our thoughts?  But in all the randomness, there is a pattern!!! 

I never thought creating something will create a new being in me.  This part of me seems to be a new find, even to myself. I guess its the circle of life... being created and then re-created, till the end of life.

One of the most impactful modes of communication for companies is advertisements. In most companies, lots of thought foes into what they wish to convey to their audience. While ads from the likes of Tata Group (read Tata Tea, Titan and Tanishq) have always been a cut above the rest, there are few other brands/companies which have consistently managed to break through the noise to deliver meaningful messages. Take for instance Ghadi Detergent, a brand from RSPL Ltd (a Kanpur based company) which has used the punchline #SaareMaelDhoDaalo to deliver beautiful messages, be it about forgetting old grudges , our prejudices about certain professions , the different hues of a mothers or respecting the people who enable us to accomplish our daily work i.e. domestic helps. Brooke Bond (an HUL brand), has also managed to deliver socially relevant messages through the brilliant campaigns like  #TasteofTogetherness  which has managed to shatter many myths, including the recent ad pertaining to

Some of us are wrong all the time, and all of us are wrong sometimes. But that doesn't stop us from stressing over trying to get it all right - to be perfect. Ironically, what we don't realize is that there is no perfect. One can't have it all. Love the advice given by Renuka Shahane  in one of the episodes (S02, E03) of the web-series called What the Folks  by Dice Media . Afterall, no one can have it all !!! Just let the ball drop once in a while.

Have you ever sought validation for your actions and decisions... As a child, the job is done by our parents and siblings, and they seem to be more than happy expressing their opinion. But what happens when one grows up.... Do we still seek validation as adults ? And more importantly, is it a reflection of our self confidence ? Recently, I was told that I still seek validation from some people. While I was initially taken aback by the feedback, I subconsciously knew it was an accurate observation.  Amusing as it sounds, there seem to be a bunch of us who appear confident and self assured, but who often seek validation from their people. Validation when making key decisions reinforces once belief.  But what sets apart the confident from self - doubting person is whether the absence of this hold one back from making the decision/acting in a situation ! 

What would you do if you were having sleepless nights? Though night is when sleep should finally got you, it is the middle of the night that the deepest thoughts come alive... And start talking to you... Or confuse you... So how do you make it stop and get back to sleep? Try to count stars? Count backwards from 100 to 1? What really works? Especially when your mind is suddenly buzzing!!!

Most of us are alive most of the time, and honest  (read without any masks) some of the times.. This 'honest' self is often seen only by a chosen few friends/family/spouse, and sometimes to our selves.. Being honest not just means accepting one as they are, but being able to express oneself in true nature, without having to soften the emotion or blow... But what would you do when this true expression ends up violating someone else's space.. What then ? Is your being honest and expressive a sufficient explanation ? Recently watched the movie Thappad , a movie directed by Anubhav Sinha . While I could go on and on about the brilliant performance by not just Kumud Mishra , Taapsee Pannu , Ratna Pathak but by the multiple stars like Naila Grewal , Geetika Vidya Ohlyan and Dia Mirza who have each excelled in their parts in the restricted screen time of just about 10 - 20 minutes.  While Thappad might be called a feminist interpretation of what we face in our day to day lives

Everyone is talking about Covid, the economic impact (both shot term and long term) and the life changing impact it seems to have on all of us.  Sitting safely in our homes, most of us are as far from reality as one can think. Very few have been able to articulate the situation being faced by individuals who are locked-out (not locked down) by their own states because they were working elsewhere.  Arundhati Roy, in her article in Financial Times , appropriately said,  The Covid crisis is still to come. Or not. We don’t know. If and when it does, we can be sure it will be dealt with, with all the prevailing prejudices of religion, caste and class completely in place.  And that sums up the impact of what this has done to the society at large. While most of us (read netizens) are happily talking about rejuvenation of body, mind and the soul, what we don't understand or appreciate is that we are lucky enough to be able to do so. We are the privileged ones, not havin

Life seems to have come to a standstill.. or is it the reverse ? An external virus has now ensured that we all stay indoors, and spend more time doing things which we haven't done in the past few decades. While the initial day or two took some adjustment (!?!) to be able to spend more time with our families, ourselves, most of us have now come around the corner have started establishing a schedule around it. To think it took a virus to halt the circus, and ease out the pace... make people do things they haven't dreamt of in the past.. come to terms and appreciate what others have been doing for them, day-in day-out.... hmmm.... While I know the economy is going to suffer and there are lots of issues being faced by different parts of the society, I wonder if this standstill was required, just for us to understand what we are doing with are lives and to introspect if it is all worthwhile !!! PS:  A big salute and standing ovation to all the doctors, pol

We often say and believe, that we do things that appeal us (read our senses), and more often than not, our eyes. While I was already in disagreement with this philosophy of pleasing the eyes, being choosing partners basis appearance or judging your colleagues basis the way they dress, the latest trend is even more distasteful. Thanks to the advent of smartphones, I find that everything in life seems to revolve around how it can be captured 'beautifully' on the camera.  Don't get me wrong, I am all for photography and capture some priceless moments. But this urge of everyone to capture everything since they now have easy access to a camera on their phone has started to tick me off. This urge to click seems to be irrespective of whether it is a party or a pious moment, or just an emotional ordeal ! And due to this urge, things and moments are arranged to make them look 'more appealing' in a photograph.. without realizing that they are losing the spontane