~ Reflections ~

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

The first week of the year is often spent in recollecting the best and the worst of the year gone by. It makes sense to thank what we have had, hoping for good times to come. I'd love to say that I make resolutions each year, and try to stick by them, but that's not true.. not even the first part. So let me not call these resolutions. Let's just say these are realizations of the past year, which will be setting the theme of the year ahead. Winds of Change : With a toddler in tow, life has taken a 360degree turn. While we keep trying to restore equilibrium (read: relive experiences and moments of the past) , situations and time spent has changed definitively. Of course it is all for the better, but one often wonders if we can re-attempt what we did earlier. So till we find a new equilibrium (now that there is a tiny human in the equation) , hope we survive the swings & friction, and redefine the new status quo soon. Leap of Faith : There is help all around us, in differ...

What would you do when you randomly decide to bunk office... not because of an urge to rest or complete some pending work... but simply to do what YOU feel like... In our races against time, to complete the chores at hand, be it home or office, we often sideline these random wishes... after all they seem to random and trivial to pay heed to... And even if we do succumb, we end up feeling guilty to have 'wasted' those precious hours on some of our whims instead completing the work at hand. But once in a while, it is important to let go off this obsession about 'constructive' utilization of time, and not measure everything under the parameter of productivity of work. We need to understand that such breaks of routine are required to keep the mind working and happy. So the next time you have an urge to watch a movie alone, or taste something haven't tasted in ages right in the middle of the day, don't try to push the urge in the background and succumb to...

What does one do after you realize you have goofed up.... I am mean after the realization dawns.... Once we get past the moaning and groaning of what a fool we have been not to see this coming... what next..... Make amends, so that future goof ups are avoided... Done... Do you then go and inform the other impacted parties about your goof up ?  Own up the mistake ? I guess one should..  And hope that they all forgive and forget...  So that you are not taunted for the rest of your life about it...  

Boredom is a funny thing. Or maybe our mind is. When we are overworked, we look forward to a phase of no work... and as soon as we hit such a patch, we crave for work. Wonder if there is anything called a Balanced work-life.

All of us are doing multiple things at a time... Various responsibilities... a list of pending chores...  A long list of confused thoughts and a longer list of woes.. As we walk through life, we get used to juggling everything... precariously keeping balance.... living it to the edge....and focusing our energies on keeping it together... So what happens if we just drop a ball... does all hell break lose...  Most of us aren't conditioned to handle this momentary chaos !

We are all planners.  Some of us try and plan the minutest detail and the others plan just the milestones. But whichever way we look at it, there is some amount of thought and 'inception' that goes into it. A believer would say that it is all pre-ordained and part of a grand plan... Each joy, each pain, each loss and each gain... But in that moment (of happiness or gloom) it is quite difficult to identify this plan. But if that's true, what's the point of our planning? Was it all for nothing?

All of us (or atleast most of us) slog at office.. We explain the donkey work in one of the many ways... financial independence... fruitful (fruitful ? for whom ?!?) utilization of time... alternate social circle..  Whatever the excuse, we always find reasons to work more... push the limits.. try and prove that we are the best ... Little do we realize, that the trade off if ticking someone off... someone you'd want to be a part of your life... for life :) Jobs are temporary... but in the strife to excel at work, we loose track of our home... and annoy (often more than once) the person you'd rather be with..... and in effect, loosing them for life.... So is it all worthwhile...  in the end...  what matters more ? "Your" life or your "Life" ?!?

Have you ever encountered someone with a neurological condition in your daily life... It makes me wonder how anyone can cope with something like this... physical disability is one thing.. but mental imbalance due to things beyond your control is scary... My workplace had one such person who is a Schizophrenic, who was recently fired... I have not worked with him ever in close quarters, so I can't say what the "output" of all his work was... but to think that one would suddenly be deemed useless is very scary.. As if to reinforce the emotion, I happened watch Still Alice , an movie nominated for Oscars, for which Julianne Moore, the protagonist, went to win the award for the Best performance for 2014.  It is scary to think that one can slowly (or is it too quickly) lose memories, thoughts, speech and eventually control over our own life... I wouldn't wish a neurological disease on even my worst enemy, leave alone a friend.  But are we doing enough... ...

All of us work... some on our own free will, and some for the corporate world, and a lucky few who manage to achieve both... While I am pondering how to best do the work at hand, I often wonder about the choice to be made... whether to the best I can do with the one opportunity I have to prove myself, or to do a good job leaving some space and energy for other things lined up... Some might argue that every job should be done with an attempt to achieve perfection, and only then do we come close to achieving something worthwhile.... at the risk of sounding lackadaisical, putting your heart and soul into everything at hand is very exhausting....  So I am always left wondering where to give in my 100%... but the balance will get nothing at all....  So much for work - life balance !!!

All of us like to feel that we are responsible beings.... responsible about our family, friends... responsible about the work we do.... there are almost infinite facets.... And each, has a unique sense of satisfaction, almost irreplaceable... But what happens when you've bitten more than you can chew... how does one face the consequences.... when you feel you are duty bound and responsible, but all you want to actually do is run away from the scene....  Is this just a moment of weakness or your gut suddenly giving you signs ???

It suddenly hit me that the year is about to come to an end... This time of the year is normally when I sit down to think what have been the high points and low points of the year.... I don't exactly do this try accounting for the year that has, as usual, zoomed by...  I do this because somewhere, it makes me identify, more clearly the people/things that count to me the most... moments that have clearly left a mark, and are now a part of me...  Almost every year, most of the high points are contributed by my family... close friends... whom we often take for granted the most.. This year has also left a lot to seek... a healthier life for everyone... take a break from work more often... and some growth in work & family... But in the middle of all this.. some highs & some lows... I feel that the year went by fine... And hope that we have even better ones ahead of us...