For the restless spirit!

Today marks the end of my summer of 2024. Not because it's any special day in the calendar but simply because I have marked it so. ( These days, I mostly do as I please! )  Today I do nothing but simply look back.... I am not a fan of summers normally - especially given that I have been based in a sandpit for the last 20 odd years. Like most of us expats who live here in the Middle East, I have always found summers a good time to escape - either travel  back to India or to visit other countries that have, or used to have, cooler temperatures.  This year, I stayed put, mostly :) And it was different.  Yes, it was very hot and one had to stay indoors almost all the time but there was a sense of quiet and peace in and around Dubai that I quite enjoyed. Over the last 2 months, almost every expat had left the country, there were less cars, less traffic, less noise, empty malls and restaurants and generally a sense of slowing down every where. Even less socializing! So one...

As the years pass by, I realize, more and more, the importance of drawing lines. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The world is divisive enough on its own - some may say do we really need more boundaries between us?  The answer to this question could be debated. Yet, I have always been a fan of personal spaces - a concept alien to most Asians, definitely Indians! For me, it's linked to giving another human being the respect he/she deserves and ensuring that I have the same - the space to breathe free, to think without any pressures, to decide on my own. I tend to feel claustrophobic and uncomfortable, otherwise.  However, growing up - especially in my twenties and thirties, I did prioritize on "belonging" - to many groups and communities, for both personal and professional reasons. My circles grew so large that by the time I was in my mid forties, I again felt the need to set some controls once again - ...

  It's a new year again, new beginnings as they say .... and I wish for all, beginning with me, to be better, updated versions of themselves this year.  Yesterday, I met up with some friends and we were discussing about how we are changing constantly as the years roll by, as our perspectives change, as we "mature" and grow older! We spoke about how we used to be, say even 5 years ago, and how much of that has changed now. We also debated about whether it was even possible to change who you are intrinsically!  What I took home with me is that most of us are always "work in progress".... We are who we need to be, depending on where we are standing in our life's journey. At times, we are fierce warriors; at other times, we are gentle nurturers. Some phases make us materialistic as we build our worlds for those we love and care for and we wish for more; then, as the years pass, we move to more spiritual realms when we learn to let go of more and get back to the ...