Month: October 2011

Bandi Chhor Divas

Diwali also falls on the same day as Bandi Chhor Divas, a good explanation of this day can be found on :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandi_Chhor_Divas

It just seems like yesterday when my son and I were busy buying crackers and lighting up the house last year, time flies so quickly and its already Diwali again… Time to celebrate with family and friends. It is so deep rooted in our culture that no matter where you are in any part of the world, it is a must to light diyas (candles) make sure every corner in your house is lit, welcoming the New Year with lots of brightness.

With each year passing so quickly, I find myself lost in thought about the days gone by and those yet to dawn.. I am so glad that all these years I have had the opportunity to celebrate this festivity with my dear family and friends, the chance to share in their liveliness and energy. To see my son and his friends grow, to watch the excitement in they eyes, to perfect them at their community/ school functions, to see our parents performing the rituals every year with the same enthusiasm, is surely a blessing.

The best part of the day is watching the children play fireworks, the little ones of last year are now the brave ones of this year – begging to be the one to light a firecracker, with anxious mothers watching over them and over enthusiastic cousins and friends trying to create the biggest bang possible with the available fireworks. Their shrieks of laughter and the twinkle in their eyes while watching the fireworks always make me smile.

It is remarkable how, days like this that give us the phenomenal strength to actually wake and make thingshappen, whether that’s telling your help to clean the house or having to do it yourself (highly depends on the help’s mood and what Diwali gift she’s receiving – LOL) , or actually sitting down with your children to make colorful diyas or wrapping up gifts for family and friends or just being happy for yourself and for the lovely people who surround you.

Here’ s to a very Happy Diwali to ALL! I wish everyone lots of peace, health and prosperity.

A chance to help others

Kiva is a non-profit association that allows people around the world to help and make a change in a very small way but making a vast difference in someone else’s life around the globe.

It’s relatively a new concept launched by a couple back in 2005. I have only been a member with Kiva for almost a year now but to see firsthand how your loan is changing someone’s life is humbling.

Kiva itself does not charge any interest; the loans made by Kiva members (that is anyone who is interested to donate) are passed interest-free to the independent field partner designated for each loan.

Something as small as $25.00 can help alleviate poverty, if we all join hands. The best thing is, that it is just a loan, as soon as the group or the individual repays you, the amount gets deposited back into your account. You can now use it to fund another loan, donate it to Kiva, or withdraw it to spend on something else.

So go and register and become a member – It’s quite simple. You – Just you can be enough to make a difference in someone else’s life.

Reflections after a birthday

I know I have been very laid back the last week, that was just because I was enjoying my birthday and since a day is too short, I decided to extend it till the weekend. With so much time on my hand relaxing one can only start reflecting on one’s past and I came to some conclusions about myself.

As I have grown older, I have become more compassionate to myself, and less critical. I’ve become my own pal.. I understand now that the things which used to niggle me did not really matter.

I have known and seen too many faces leave this world too soon, before they get to value the freedom that comes with growing older – Freedom of letting things
go – Freedom of letting myself come first in my life.

It’s my business if I wish to read or play on my ipad  until 4 AM or sleep until noon . I will watch back to back episodes of Desperate Housewives on a Friday afternoon with a tub of my favorite Ice Cream or my newly discovered Cadbury “Clusters”. I will dance with myself to those brilliant tunes of the 80’s & 90’s. I will do these things because they are what make me tick and tick I must for myself!

I will go on about things I must complete for my bucket list- I will –  talk about learning Spanish / getting fitter / having a business / swim like a dolphin, travelling to places i can only dream off – despite the glares and  opinions from the hoi polloi. (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Hoi+polloi) They, too, will get old and on their approval I will not get rewarded extra time on this earth.

I will remember the bad times – They led to a wiser, battle scarred me.

Inevitably, over the years my heart has been broken. How can you not get hurt/ feel sad when your child suffers /when you lose a loved one, or, or even when someone breaks your most treasured knickknacks, but broken hearts are what give us depth and empathy and benevolence. A heart never broken is untouched and barren and will never know the joy of being flawed.

I am so blessed to have breathed so far enough to have my hair turning nearly grey (not many women would confess to that), and to have my laughter to be forever sketched
into fine lines on my face. Countless have never giggled let alone laughed, and so many have departed this life before their hair could turn silver.

As you get mature, it is easier to be optimistic. You worry less about what other people think about you. I believe I have earned the right to be wrong….
So I have stop asking myself questions and analyzing every single doubt. Live and Let Live.. Life is too Short!

So, when everyone around me wants me to answer – How old are you this year or Do you like Birthdays ? “My answer would be – I am one year wiser and Yes, I love
Birthdays”.  I  like the individual I have become. I am not going to live eternally, but while I am here, I will not waste time grieving what could have been, or agonizing about what will be. And I shall eat chocolates every single day (and so should you)

 

Light

[pullquote sid=”pullquote-1321475823″ type=”3″]There’s always going to be bad stuff out there. But here’s the amazing thing—light trumps darkness, every time. You can stick a candle into the dark, but you can’t stick the dark into the light.[/pullquote]

Steve Jobs 1955 2011

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life” – Steve Jobs

Thank you Steve Jobs for everything you have contributed to mankind and the generations to come. You are truly irreplaceable ! I am uploading this video – which sums up almost everything about him in his own words and life experiences. I found this video to be very touching and moving. I hope we all can absorb something from it.

“The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come.” Bill Gates

Why are Birthdays So Special?

How erratic we individuals are! We fear something and then feel total bliss in it when it comes. The fact is I hate getting older but I love rejoicing with friends and family. Not just my own birthday. I love other peoples’ birthdays too. What is of significance is the chance to celebrate that someone is among us or someone is thought about that day. It is the one day of the year when you get to say to someone I am really glad that you were born, I am really glad you are a part of my life (family or friend) and we can only wish them a long and a happy life. It’s banal I know but we don’t let the people we care about know every so often just how vital they are to us.

Well – I guess I am getting my birthday blues already. (the number seems to get bigger with each year though it only goes up by an addition of one!). So People here’s wishing everyone including my sister (29th Sept) (my friends in Oct) (my brother in law 7th oct)  and me 😉