Growing up at what cost?

At the age of 10, the only thing I wanted to do was to grow up. I was tired of listening to various excuses like, "You can do this when you grow up." "You are too young" for almost everything that was on my To-Do list. A grown up was the most enviable person for me at that stage

On the contrast today when I am all grown up I could do anything to trade it for my childhood days. Such wonderful times - no worries, just fun and frolic!!It was so good to see life is only black or white shades. Everything could either be good or bad.

Though my most desired dream of growing up has come true I feel that I have paid a very heavy price for it. I have lost those simple pleasures of playing in the backyard with a friends on a rainy day. I don't recollect the last time I did star gazing, cuddled up with my teddy for company. I want to wake up lazily someday with no worries about tomorrow but ample plans of how today would spent. Those summer holidays spent with grandparents and cousins listening to stories, playing hide n seek, taking long walks to discover something new. It is all gone. Thanks to our hectic schedules today we barely manage to speak to each other leave alone meeting.

Not to forget those various fun filled activities at school which used to keep my creative juices running. I always had my thinking cap on with the fear of being left out in the competition. These days the only things i can think of is deadlines, calls, submission and projects. My creativity has gone into a rut and it needs a real hard attempt to come up with an idea. Writing for more than a page seems cumbersome and I try to find shortcuts for everything possible. Believe me actually there have been instances where after goofing up I start frantically searching for CTRL+Z. :)

I don't know where this is leading to; the only thing that comes to my mind at such a time is a song from the movie 3 Idiots. It is just perfect for the occassion:

"Give me some sunshine ,Give me some rain;

Give me another chance I wanna grow up once again!!"

Indecent Decency

Source: Google Images

It is a common trend to ask someone "How are you" every time you meet them. It has come to become such an integral part of the inaugural discussion that it doesn't seem awkward to say, "Hi, How are you?" in one breath. Asking someone their well being is considered to be decency and someone not reciprocating actually risks being labelled as indecent.

Well, let me confess. I find this pretty annoying as most of the people asking this question don't intend to know the answer. The "how are you" after the "Hi" has become equivalent to a greeting and lost its meaning somewhere.

In simple language asking "How are you" means inquiring about the other person's health.But now we are so engrossed within ourselves that we find it difficult to find time to genuinely understand the importance of this answer. Our busyness has robbed the beauty of this question. Everytime I am asked this it hurts to know that the opposite person is just being formal and is not genuinely keen on knowing about me.

I choose not the answer this question or ask it unless it is genuine.

Yes, I pause after asking this question, looking into that person's eyes waiting for the answer. I don't let them leave this question unanswered. I am trying to make that person feel that I am genuinely interested in them and show a true concern as they are special to me.

So the next time you meet someone after a long time, do ask "How are you?" only if you mean it.!!

A special note

This is a special note of Thanks to all the people who have been a part of my life.  It’s “YOU” who have made me what I am today by leaving me with unforgettable lessons; both good and bad.

Your every hurt has made me stronger and your every hug has made me smile.Every smile has given me the strength to chase my dreams with more gusto and every tear has pushed me a step closer to my most cherished dream – NIRVANA. 

You all have left beautiful footprints on my life.

You might be there for some reason or some season but I would like to just say from the bottom of my heart –

Thanks for meeting me in this journey of my life!

 

It's Magic !!

Sometimes we get so engrossed in our day to day lives that we fail to recognize the real value of our most prized possessions - our loved ones. They deserve to be treated differently because they are special and they make our life beautiful.

Any dish looks more appetizing with added garnishing and dressing. In the same way, relationships become more strong and beautiful when wonderful words are used generously by us.

Here's a list of some statements which when used in your conversations could create magic by making your loved ones feel very special:

• I love you [Use this very often]
• I adore you [Make your loved one feel special]
• Miss you![Let them know the importance of their presence]
• Take Care[ Sometimes it feels very great to hear this statement]
• You are precious [ A heavenly thing to hear from your loved one]
• Thank you for everything you have done [ Sometimes it becomes necessary to let them know you acknowledge their presence]
• Can I be of any help? [Whenever your loved one is in trouble, don't poke to know the problem rather offer your help]
• I am lucky to have you in my life.[Let the other person how much you value them]
• Sorry
• I forgive you [It is important for the other person to know this]
• I care for you [It feels good to hear that you are cared for]
• I trust you [ Believe me, it's magical to hear this]
• You are beautiful [We all love to receive compliments, isn't it?]
• Please....
• I am not sorry [Yes, sometimes it is very necessary to say that it is not your fault]
• No [Learn to say this to make life easier for yourself and your loved ones too]
• Keep in Touch [ Always part ways on a good note]

I am sure all of us love to hear these words for ourselves. So why not try using them for our loved ones and bring a smile on their faces.

Please feel free to add your own to this list.....would love to know more ways to make the otherwise dull day  interesting and special for people around me. :)

Random Thoughts

Last night I was sitting by the roadside, looking at the constant flow of people on both the sides. What stuck me the most were the expressions on each one's faces. The expressions were either baffled or puzzled.

This is exactly what we do in the journey of our lives. We are so obsessed with our destination and other additions that come along with it, that we forget to enjoy the journey of reaching it altogether.

Answer it for yourself - How many times have we felt the cool breeze blowing through our hair while driving back home? On our way to office while passing through a garden how many of us have smelt the flowers?

I am thinking........are you ?

Questions N Answers

Recently while surfing the net I came across a wonderful blog . Going through their blog leaves me with 5 things -

1. Tears in my eyes
2. Lumps in my throat
3. Goosebumps
4. A huge smile on my face
5. A beautiful thought " It feels so....oo...oo good to be ALIVE!!"

I read one of their articles titled "50  Questions That Will Free Your Mind", tempting me to try and answer those questions. Here we go......

1. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? 5 or 6 years old.
2. Which is worse, failing or never trying? Never Trying
3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do? Because that's the way it is. We love to hate it and hate loving it.
4. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done? No
5. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world? Hatred
6. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich? Making others HAPPY
7. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing? Both
8. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently? Would have tried doing things which are currently still on my TO DO list.
9. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken? 25 degrees
10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things? Both
11. You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire.  They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend.  The criticism is distasteful and unjustified.  What do you do? Try to understand the reason for the criticism and bridge the gap by clearing the differences.
12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be? "Live, Love, Laugh" - Always
13. Would you break the law to save a loved one? Yes
14. Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity? Yes
15. What’s something you know you do differently than most people? LIVE :)
16. How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy? Because our reasons to be happy are different.
17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do?  What’s holding you back? Dance - fear of being ridiculed at this age
18. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of? Yes.....A lot
19. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why? Seychelles , because I love to be surrounded by water.
20. Do you push the elevator button more than once?  Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster? No
21. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton? A joyful simpleton
22. Why are you, you? Because I chose to be ME. Had my choices been different I wouldn't have been ME
23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?Yes
24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?Losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you
25. What are you most grateful for? Being Alive
26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones? Lose all my old memories
27. Is is possible to know the truth without challenging it first? Yes.
28. Has your greatest fear ever come true? Yes
29. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset?  Does it really matter now? Yes - No
30. What is your happiest childhood memory?  What makes it so special? My happiest childhood memory would be all my birthdays till the age of 10 - as that was the time when I was the centre of attention even if it was for a short while and I loved it :)
31. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive? Few days back when I was doing something I simply enjoy doing.
32. If not now, then when? Later
33. If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose? The dream of never achieving it
34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever? Yes
35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars? I myself am looking for the answer
36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil? No
37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job? No  :)
38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing? More work I actually enjoy doing
39. Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before? No...not at all.
40. When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in? Last night
41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today? My parents
42. Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous? No ways.....
43. What is the difference between being alive and truly living? Being alive is just breathing in and out ; while truly living is making a difference in some way or the other.
44. When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right? When your gut instinct tells you "This is it - Its NOW or NEVER"
45. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake? Because we value our fears more than the learning.
46. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you? Dance...like there was no tomorrow.
47. When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?Right now
48. What do you love?  Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love? Dancing. Sadly no :(
49. In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday?  What about the day before that?  Or the day before that? No.
50. Decisions are being made right now.  The question is:  Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you? Both

Trust you will enjoy reading it as much as I did answering those questions. How about trying them for yourself once???