Moving on…......

Can I move on? That is the real challenge I am faced with in my life at every step of the way. At times this whole thing seems like a game. We are challenged after a couple of steps along the way in our journey of life. That too after we have settled and come to terms with almost most of the situations in our lives.

Many a times, I have this question, of what this whole thing is about! We are born, grow up the usual way and as most children do. Some children have more challenges than the others. Somehow we end up as what we are at the present stage in life after many falls, rises, challenges, hurts, happiness, joys etc.

Most of the time, we are so caught up with all the happenings around us that we get lost in acting or reacting relating to those situations.

Do we take time to pause and question, what this is all about? I don’t seem to be doing that when I am in the midst of all the melodramatic activities in my life. Only when I have passed them, do I pause and analyze, question and try to understand what it is all about. – And that too only sometimes!

We are always placed in a position of opposites in our lives. I get disappointed when I think that it is all about everything being black or white. Now I have come to understand that it is also about the grey areas, pale grey areas, white areas and not so white areas in the whole picture. It is also about the blues, greens, oranges, yellows, reds, the pinks, the mauves and all the different hues on the palette of color.

This art, this life, this being is just not about right and wrong. . I have come to understand along the way that this journey is about falling down, learning, waking up and walking forward. This journey is also about forgiving, forgetting and understanding. And this journey is about adjusting, letting go and accommodating. If I fail to understand this simple formula I will never be able to come to terms with life and will be stuck in the same hole again and again. I have learned that I need to let go and move on.

Finally it is all about moving on ………..

Why oh Why?

Teoh Boon Hock the political secretary of Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, was taken in for questioning by the MACC at its 14th floor office in Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam.MACC said he was freed but his body was later found sprawled on the roof of a five-storey building next door.

‘Why would someone who is slated to get married tomorrow take his own life?’ This the question posed by Lim Kit Siang – the opposition DAP leader. Many questions are being asked, but will it bring him back to life. How will his family and his bride to be going to be consoled. Will they be able to come to terms with such a tragedy?

Why oh why?

What words,

What reasons to describe this death?

We have never met each other,

Nor have our paths ever crossed,

But my heart is in anguish.

Why oh why?

Am I tormented and restless?

Wrenched in pain and sorrow,

Thinking about the cruelty brought upon you,

Where is mercy and compassion?

Why oh why?

Another death, another tragedy!

One so young full of life and hope,

Promises to be fulfilled, journeys to be taken,

Why was it robbed from you so soon?

Why oh why?

Why this injustice, why this violence,

How many more Kugans have to follow,

How many more Teohs need to be lost?

How many more victims to endure?

Why oh why?

Who is responsible? Who has the answers?

When will the nation awaken?

When will it rise against these injustices?

Why this cruel fate?

Why oh why?

How long will this go on and who will be next?

Another flower, another leaf,

Plucked from the tree of life prematurely,

Taken away, so callously.

Why oh why?

'Silence'

Be silent,
Only the Hand of God
Can remove
The burdens of your heart.

I guess, we would not have any words to go beyond this. The moment I read this verse of Rumi, my heart literally slowed and became silent. I don’t think I can find any other methods to unburden my heart or any other words which would bring such profound wisdom even when one reads it once. I could only feel wow!!!!! What wonder, how sublime!

What can I say other than to observe silence?

THE CREATORS OF OUR OWN DESTINY – Pt.1

There is Disharmony …..

Disharmony between humans,

Disharmony between humans and nature,

Disharmony between religions,

Disharmony between cultures,

Disharmony between genders.

We find so much of agitation, anger, hatred and vengeance surrounding us. Every morning we wake up to read more news of pain and suffering in the lives of people all over the world.

We are bombarded with news of killings, terrorism and other calamities taking place everywhere. Some conveniently decide to ignore the tragedy and misfortune happening to others considering it as destiny. Others take it upon themselves to complain and do nothing about it while a few resort to deal with the problems with violence.

As individuals, we may think that we can’t change what is happening around us. But we are totally mistaken. We have the choice to bring about a positive change in our own lives and bring about a change in the relationships with people around us. As life coach Mike Jaffe says, “It is designing your life the way you want it to be so that life just doesn’t “happen” to you”.

We have the possibility to lead a more harmonious life and together as a society, we can change the state of the world. Change begins with the individual. Change does not happen when we wait for someone else to bring about it. What starts as a change in the life of an individual human being can then lead to a global change.

Significance

Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.

- Mahatma Gandhi

How true! Sometimes there is a tendency in many of us to feel that what we are doing in our lives is insignificant. But if we really look at it, each and every one of us is a special being. We are so important that we were given a life in this world in the first place. Our conception is unique. Our lives are unique and our journey is unique too.

Each on of us is the little flower, though they may look alike, they are not the same. In the same way each grain of sand on the beach is unique by itself. I too am a unique person. I am an exceptional being and came into this world because I was not insignificant. Whatever I undertake in this life therefore will be significant and special.

I mattered therefore I am!

©ekta25

Rainfall on a Desert

I have sort of got used to be by myself this past year or so. With both the children away, life has taken a routine by itself. I do enjoy the quietude and the tranquility it brings. Things have definitely slowed down now. This situation has in fact made me a little complacent and a little idle though. I think I am doing something or other, but the day seems to go by with not much completed.

There are days when I find myself motivated to do some work or other. Other days find me occupied with the computer or the television which leaves me quite disappointed that I have not attended to some important things. Lately I find myself procrastinating. I tell myself I should not be doing that but sometimes it just seems to be so.

Now with the children back for their holidays, they put me on my toes again. It is fun too having them around. I did not realize how parched it had become. It takes some company to make us realize how lonely we have become in their absence. But I am also a person who still needs plenty of time for me. I question myself whether I am selfish. I see some mothers who seem to be sacrificing their time and energy incredibly for their kids.

The last couple of weeks I have been busy with some work that I had to complete. Writing has been the furthest from my thoughts. But today, I took a breather to do some surfing and writing.

My parched lips thirst for some water,

My parched heart longs for some love,

Having company is like rainfall on a desert.

Life is but a Dream....

Row… Row… Row your boat,

Gently down the stream,

Merrily, merrily, merrily,

Life is but a dream

This is a nursery rhyme most of us would have sung when we were kids. I too continued to sing it to my children when they were young. Not did I ever once pause to understand the meaning of this simple rhyme.

I guess I do take a while to comprehend certain things. Not certain, but most things. Isn’t this message amazing and profound? How many of us take things so seriously, that we forget to enjoy life itself. Everything around us becomes so pressing and demanding that we hardly stop to ask ourselves whether this is really important.

Should I give so much priority for things that could have been allowed to have been ignored? Do I need to get so involved with all the actions I perform everyday that I forget to feel that I am alive. It takes someone’s death to remind me how vulnerable I am. I am reminded of the dreamlike state of this life. That death is a certainty!

This simple poem reminds me once more that I need to row my boat gently. Yes, gently down this stream of life. My boat is extremely fragile. I can’t allow it to rock too much lest I get drowned. At the same time it reminds me that this life is only a dream, so I need to row this boat of mine cheerfully too. At the end of the day, I too will become a dream……….

Human Family

I have always felt that we seem to get caught up in all the differences. Somehow we are taught from childhood how different everyone and everything is. Strange but true that this is the cause of all the distress that we find around us. I don’t ever remember of being taught of the similarities.

All we are reminded constantly is of how diverse and varied each and everything is. We focus on the differences in the animals. We speak about the variety of flowers, fruits, seasons and name it, we know of all the differences.

Yet oddly we too teach our children the same things. We teach them how different every person is. We teach them about the different colors of skin and the disparity of the different races and nations.

It can go on and on, yet when will we be able to stop for a moment and say, I am able to see the oneness in all these differences? I can truly see the same chord running through the various people of the world. We as a human race share the same hopes and destiny. And to be able to say that I am truly glad that we belong to the same human race!

I read this simple yet thought provoking poem by Maya Angelou, where she speaks about the human family.

Maya Angelou

I note the obvious differences

in the human family.

Some of us are serious,

some thrive on comedy.

Some declare their lives are lived

as true profundity,

and others claim they really live

the real reality.

The variety of our skin tones

can confuse, bemuse, delight,

brown and pink and beige and purple,

tan and blue and white.

I've sailed upon the seven seas

and stopped in every land,

I've seen the wonders of the world

not yet one common man.

I know ten thousand women

called Jane and Mary Jane,

but I've not seen any two

who really were the same.

Mirror twins are different

although their features jibe,

and lovers think quite different thoughts

while lying side by side.

We love and lose in China,

we weep on England's moors,

and laugh and moan in Guinea,

and thrive on Spanish shores.

We seek success in Finland,

are born and die in Maine.

In minor ways we differ,

in major we're the same.

I note the obvious differences

between each sort and type,

but we are more alike, my friends,

than we are unalike.

We are more alike, my friends,

than we are unalike.

We are more alike, my friends,

than we are unalike.

WHY GOD MADE MUMS

A cute mail I recived which is just so funny and heart warming.






WHY GOD MADE MUMS

Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the sticky tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mum just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of ?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other Mum?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's Mums like me.

What kind of little girl was your Mum?
1. My Mum has always been my Mum and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did Mum need to know about Dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your Mum marry your Dad?
1. My Dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mum eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My Grandma says that Mum didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mum doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because Dad's such an idiot.
2. Mum. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mum is, but only because she has a lot more to do than Dad.

What's the difference between Mums & Dads?
1. Mums work at work and work at home and Dads just go to work at work.
2. Mums know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but Mums have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.

4. Mums have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your Mum do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't have spare time.
2. To hear her talk, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your Mum perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. You know, her hair. I'd die it, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your Mum, what would it be?

1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my Mum smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

Thank You.....

Hello everyone,

Somehow I could not pull myself together to write. Something just went off. I saw Viv’s comment and a special warmth embraced my heart. It is like someone who came by and gently woke me up from my slumber. How sweet of you Viv. Thank You. I went to Viv’s blog and read her latest posting Too tired to.........

I am tired too. Felt drained of all energy for the past month or so. The weather is not helping either. It is extremely hot with no rain. Not that I like too much rain though. But everything needs to be balanced. My brains have stopped functioning for whatever reasons! Shocking? Yes. I try to write something but I feel drained.

I am tired too. Tired of everything. Tired of going on...... Tired of talking, tired of writing...... Well I could go on.So much happens around us and within us too. There are times when we are able to overcome everything and still keep the spirit going on. There are times too when something just decides that it does not want to move on. I am going through one of those phases in my life.

It is like an engine breakdown. A void is there, but it is also a veil created not to allow any pain to go through. It is sort of an auto protection. A numbness, whatever we want to call it. It does not really matter.

All of a sudden I feel distanced from everyone and everything. I felt all alone. Though I seem to enjoy my own company. I don’t seem to want to speak to anyone unless it is necessary. Could I call it depression? A mid life crisis? A menopausal period with my moods going haywire? I wouldn’t know. I am not even interested to talk to anyone about it.

This aloofness seems quite comfortable too. I am not really worried about this space of time. I know it will pass. I told my self while it is here let me not get too agitated about it. The thought of having people care and feel concerned makes me feel wonderful. I know Indu you are always there with your encouraging words. Words can never express our friendship of all these years. I could take this opportunity as a time to thank all my readers who visit this site.

Thank you Sissy T for your sweet words. And of course Viv. I am touched by your words and many others who may not want to comment but visit this blog regularly. I take this opportunity to acknowledge all of your presence. To know that there are people who care for you is the best sensation one can experience. It is one if the most refreshing feelings of life.

I love you all and Thank You.

Magic of Being Alive

Spending a few days listening to Prem Rawat also known as Maharaji renewed my energy. Most of the time we seem to get lost in the day to day happenings of life, forgetting the simple beauty of life. To feel the magic of being alive and recognizing the breath is such an amazing experience.


Sometimes we need a reminder of how beautiful and simple this life is. For me this was what I felt when I had this opportunity to listen to Prem Rawat last week. Yes his message is simple and listening to him speak made me feel as though I had been washed by the fresh waters of the waterfall. Cleansed of the luggage I have been accumulating for some time. I feel lighter, happier and feel grateful for all that I have. Paused complaining about things and started to appreciate the wonderful gifts of Life.

This reminds me of the words of the Master, Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. He said that when the ground is dry we notice all the potholes on the path. But when a heavy rain falls and there is water all over, it covers all the potholes and makes everything even. In the same way, when our hearts are filled with happiness, joy and contentment, we will stop seeing all the inadequacies and defects of things around us. We start to see the fulfillment and feel gratitude for all that we have.

Kindness

"Kindness in words creates confidence.
Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.
Kindness in giving creates love."
Tao Te Ching

Wisdom

By associating with wise people you will become wise yourself.

Menander

The seat of knowledge is in the head, of wisdom,
in the heart.

William Hazlitt

Of all parts of wisdom the practice is the best.

John Tillotson

The more a man knows, the more he forgives.

Catherine the Great

Quotable Quotes

LIFE

"What most people need to learn in life is how to love people and use things instead of using people and loving things."
~ Unknown ~

"To be sensitive is to feel the thoughts and hearts of others as only you would want yours felt."
~ Author Unknown ~

"Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it."
~ Buddha