Joy in the little things of Life!!

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Potter, Writer, Blogger, Quiller, Avid Reader, Chatter Box, Traveller, Foodie, photo crazy, Orchid lover, FB addict, and an enthusiast.... I work on extremes... You'll either find me laughing insanely or discussing something seriously serious.... I suffer from a laughter disorder...I am a lover of arts and crafts and anything that's colorful, bright and beautiful which includes my plants and my little lovely birdies... I am a mad friend, an insane daughter, a crazy wife and an unconventional sister... I choose to love, laugh and live!! My smile is contagious....So be careful :)

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Life may not be just.... but it isn't that bad either

Life teaches you some lesson at every step and it's solely up to us whether to pick it up and treasure it as a learning or just shrug our shoulders and walk away from it. I am the kinds who would pick every thing that life has to throw on me, good ones to cherish and the not so good ones to learn. And the lesson that I learnt today would definitely top the list of my learnings forever.

It was just a routine day of my life. Hush hush in the morning for office, reaching with the never ending struggle in traffic and finally making it safe there. Planning the entire week, scheduling work etc etc and as usual the song that life is not just. I am the kinds who are a little more on the pessimistic plane as compared to its antonym. I wondered if life could get a little better than this. In the midst of this ocean of my daily saga popped up a thought that it was my colleagues' birthday and we had to make his day special by presenting him something that he would cherish. Another colleague of mine and I decided to go out and hunt for something really good.

The idea seemed interesting and we made sure it was implemented right on time. We boarded an auto – rickshaw (the only easy medium to commute) and since it would take around 20 mins , my colleague and I began to chat about all the difficult times that we had seen or the turbulence in our lives some or the other way. The driver I guess was listening to our conversation but his reaction went un-noticed by us as we were engrossed in our dialogue. Suddenly a painful and hoarse voice interrupted our chat and it was the driver. He said, "I am not sure if I should be saying this to you, but I need help. My 3 year old daughter is unwell and is admitted in the hospital. I have no one to help me and am trying to collect funds. Would it be possible for you to help me??" We were stunned and didn't know what to utter in the very next moment. The very fact that we are surrounded by people who choose to fib for some reason or the other, made it difficult for us to trust this man. But the tear in his eye was well noticed and we wanted to give him the benefit of doubt. My colleague extended some help and we reached our destination. While we were leaving I looked at him, a father who by all ways and means was struggling for every breath of his little daughter.

We finished our work and while our way back to office we felt silence between us. The thought of this incident kept on wobbling my brain. My mind was running in two directions. It could be that, we were conned and the fact that we are women it was easier for him to deceive us. But what if it was true????? What must a father be going through whose 3 year old daughter is in a hospital, wanting to live??? The helpless father who wants to be with his daughter but knows he has to earn every penny to bring his daughter back to health. And I realized all this while I was cursing my fate for petty issues but my life was far better when I looked around. People have bigger problems and they are still fighting, against fate.

This incident has definitely taught me a thing or two. One, that life is not meant to give up and sob in a corner, it is meant to stand up and look at its face, eye to eye with all the will and power. Come what may, don't ever quit. Second, parents are visible gods and the only ones who know what's best for us. They do all that they can for our well being. We are indebted to them and will always be.
All my prayers go out for the father and his beloved daughter.

Its true, If you feel miserable about anything in life, look around and am sure you will realise, "Life may not be just but it isn't that bad either".

(Written on 16th August 2010)

Friday, September 17, 2010

10 simple ways to beat stress!!




You want it or you don’t, stress comes without asking for it. In this fast paced life when one is trying to do so many things together in order to be ahead of the other , stress has become a part of everyone’s life. But over stressing yourself can lead to multiple problems both physically and mentally. Anger, irritation, anxiety etc can all be attributed to the side effects of an over stressed life leaving it meaningless.

Mentioned below are some simple ways that may help you cut down on the unnecessary stress and give you the needed relaxation and rejuvenation.

1. Eat Healthy, Feel Healthy: It’s not only your hectic work schedules that traumatise you but also your eating habits may be one of the reasons for your stressful life. Improper eating habits makes us lethargic and we tend to become irritating and slow at work which adds to our pile up of stress. Thus a healthy diet is one of the great ways to burst stress. Eat healthy and eat on time, this will make you physically fit and prompt at work. Avoid eating junk food, skipping meals or over eating. Drink plenty of water and eat a balanced diet. A healthy body is a happy body.

2. Sleep enough, sleep sound : In the rat race of today we all have deprived ourselves of a peaceful or sound sleep. This is one of the key reasons for stress. Long working hours, hectic schedules and addiction have led to an enormous rise in insomnia, thus leading to a lack of proper sleep that your body needs. Thus it is advisable to sleep for at least 6 hours a day, and sleep sound.A peaceful sleep is what your body deserves after it has been exposed to almost every kind of torment in the day.

3. All work and no Play makes Jack a dull boy: Life can get too mechanical with all work and no rest or peace. It happens and it happens to all of us. We lose focus from our health and its demands thus leading to a sluggish body, lethargic mood and no spirits left to move. At such point an exercise or an outdoor game comes to your rescue. Your body needs some work out to keep it going healthy and fit. If not exercise an outdoor game which requires movements of your body parts is a must in our routine lives. Play any outdoor game and you will soon see the difference. Moreover games teach you to accept failures and keep trying till you overcome your obstacle. At the end of any of these activities you will realize you have just learnt to be in shape without too much of an effort.

4. Music therapy: Music unwinds you, your body and mind. It helps you calm down , gives a break to your thought process and helps you rejuvenate them. Music could be of any sort depending on your likes or moods. Anything from the traditional to folk, from jazz to rock, from soft and soothing to upbeat ones. They will help you relax yourself after a long strenuous day. These days the trance music is quite popular and is easily available all over.

5. Communicate your feelings : “A problem shared is a problem halved”. Talking about your feelings acts as an outlet to all the anger, frustration and agitation accumulated thus giving you enough space and time to focus on solutions and finding a way out. Talk to your mom, dad, spouse, sibling or friend or anyone you feel is close to you. Sometimes by just saying your thoughts or worries out loud can help liberate you from them. Also you may gain their perspective and who knows their inputs may help.

6. The Power of Meditation and Yoga: Meditation has helped people in more than one ways. Meditating at least an hour a day keeps you peaceful, active and positive all through the day. Meditating before you hit the bed gives you a sound sleep thus you are up fresh and relaxed the next day. Meditation not only relaxes your body and mind but also helps you connect to God, the Supreme Soul or whatever you call Him. It simplifies life, reduces tensions, makes you sharp and focused. It helps normalizing your blood pressure, use oxygen more efficiently and gives much needed relaxation to your brain. Yoga, when performed daily helps reduce stress and alleviate all the other issues that one has been struggling with. It increases flexibility, augments lubrication of joints, ligaments and tendons, detoxifies your body and tones your muscles. This in turn proves to be of assistance in your professional and personal life. A positive mindset is the easiest way to curb stress.

7. Spend some time with “Kids”: As they say “ a kid is the most happiest of all. He has no anxieties of the past and no worries of the future”. Spending time with kids can serve as a great stress reliever. Their innocence and creativity is miraculous.There is so much that you get to learn from kids, they never give up even if they fall short and they are more than curious to know and discover newer things. They don’t feel foolish to ask questions and are happy with the smallest of the things. Once you begin to learn from them, you will realize that your life becomes simpler and tasks easier.

8. Laughter is the best medicine: It is always easier to be happy than to be miserable. It’s easier to laugh than to frown. Laugh often, laugh loud. Laughter is turning out to be an extremely popular tool helping people relieve stress. It opens up your lungs thus allowing oxygen to reach properly to all parts of your body and making you feel fit and fresh. Apart from this, laughing eases out the physical stress and makes you feel lighter from inside. A research says, that laughing lowers the blood pressure and reduces stress hormones. It also produces positive emotions thus leaving you with a happy feel.

9. Pursue a Hobby: Remember your childhood days, when you always wanted to be a gardener? Because it would be such fun to chase the butterflies amongst the multi hued surroundings, play with the leaves around and then lie on the grass when you are tired of the play. As we grow up we lose out on our real wants, the want to be what you really feel from inside.Discover yourself and do what you always wanted to. It could be a childish thing like watering the plants, or a piece of pottery, writing a line or two, trekking, singing, discovering new places or any other leisure pursuit. Whatever it is, do what makes you happy. You will enjoy being a child again and the contentment you derive from such an activity can’t be expressed in words.

10. Love yourself and be grateful:
This is most important and you have no escape to it. The major reason for stress is because we either over - estimate or under – estimate ourselves. The former leads to complications because we set un realistic goals and when we do not succeed to achieve them we find ourselves in a situation of agony and disturbance. The latter is even worse. We end up as losers sobbing in a corner and falling prey to self pity. Accept yourself and love yourself for what you are. Be thankful to God for giving you a healthy body, a family to love you, enough to eat and good to wear. You are not perfect, nobody is perfect. It’s good to fall sometimes, because you learn so much. Be thankful for everything you have and learn to share. This gives eternal happiness and no trauma however potent it is will ever be able to shatter you.

A combination of the above mentioned steps may help you in curbing stress, but the real help has to come from within you. A simple lifestyle is the best way to begin. Learn to be happy and appreciate the smallest of the things. Focus on solutions, problems will find their way out. Spend time with your family, share a laugh. Don’t seek peace and happiness outside, it is well within you.
So stay happy and stay Stress Free!!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

The Little Orchid!!!


The Little Orchid!!!

I love flowers or be it anything that’s multicolored, has leaves or petals, photosynthesizes and rejuvenates. For me being in a garden with such beautiful creations of Him would be as good as enjoying the solace of heaven itself. There is this particular group of flora that I am very fond of or rather they are my most beloved– The orchids, so much so that in the past few years they have become real darlings for me and I have been gifting them to almost all of my friends (now the state is such that before I decide about getting a gift for a house warming my friends immediately pop up “no more orchids please”). But whatever it is Orchids have always been my choice.
Thus going with the same idea of lighting up any place with the exquisiteness of this delicate darling, I decided to present this to a very social place where it would brighten up the aura and bring smiles to peoples faces(don’t really want to disclose the place though). When I first bought it, the plant had tiny little buds; all set to bloom in to beautiful flowers, probably lavender or dark pink (can’t really understand the color). It looked pretty and I was more than excited to flaunt it to everyone. And as expected everyone loved the little buds and it became extremely popular among all. Every day I noticed people getting enchanted with its magnificent beauty and would often smile. I knew it would be loved and cared for. Days passed by and I basked in the glory of my Orchid.
One day when I was just passing by I noticed something very strange. The orchid was abandoned in one corner with no leaves on it, the flowers that had just blossomed, disappeared and the stem was strangled to death. The tiny sapling looked naked in a small corner. I was stunned for a moment. The plant no more looked beautiful; it was the ugliest of the things I had ever seen. Who could have been so uncouth to do this to my orchid? I just knew I had to bring it back home. It was indeed wrong to take something back that you have given to someone else but at that moment what I could see was my little orchid dying. It was more than painful and the fact that it would never grow again was killing. I picked it and managed to carry it home with a heavy heart but a hope that a miracle would bring it back to life.
It looked ugly for days and I would look at it every morning hoping to see a leaflet grown but all in vain. It continued to die with each passing day and I had almost given up. But there was someone who didn’t. My husband would nurture the leftover of the dead orchid everyday. Almost a month passed by and one fine morning I see a green stem, standing upright against all odds and I knew my orchid is back to life. It fought and came back. Today after a month it has many tiny buds of flowers growing and it looks stunning as ever. Looking at the sky with its spine upright, it flaunts itself and I go crazy every time I gaze at it.
Apart from sharing its beauty to me, my little orchid has taught me many important lessons of life which otherwise I would have taken years to learn. First, love heals all wounds, however deep it is. Love is the best medicine. Second it has taught me, never to give up. Whatever life has to throw on you, good bad or ugly accept it and live it with a smile on your face. Fight back and put in your best efforts. Hope gives strength. You will triumph. And the most beautiful of all, Patience is a virtue. Just like a small sapling takes days or months to grow, any relationship needs its time to mature and all it needs is the nurturing and care to become a fulfilling bond. And once it blossoms after all the giving in it, it turns out to be as beautiful as it could be.
Ah!! My beautiful Orchid…. What a love we share!!