For the restless spirit!

It's been almost 3 months! Since the world around us changed, suddenly....leaving us all gasping in disbelief and fear. Nothing happens unless something is moved - Albert Einstein The world has indeed moved and I think everyone and everything is gearing up for the new realities as they have started gradually unfolding. I am there too and trying to be as open as I can.... to these new norms. For someone terribly claustrophobic, I have now started going for my evening walk wearing a mask. It's terribly uncomfortable and makes breathing a struggle, but that's the only way I can step out, so tough luck.... I am making new choices. I think by now, we all have accepted that "normal" is going to have a new meaning. And I think once the horror and disbelief left us, we all have started the process of adjustment, within ourselves and our homes. We look at ourselves differently now, we look at our loved ones with a fresh pair of eyes  ( though some partner...

Wow.  We are now in the 4th month of the year 2020 .....  Gosh, what a start! It's like the world will never ever be the same again and we haven't even got to the half way mark of this year.  CoVid 19, social distancing, lockdowns, looming recessions ..... our world has come to a grinding, screeching halt. No one still knows what tomorrow will look like, for anyone. This is a watershed year for sure. Interestingly, for me, personally, I had anyways planned for this to be the year I changed courses. Even before the ugly virus appeared. Now the change appears bigger than I had envisaged. But I believe in change; I am ready for it. So here's to 2020 : the year of Transition! April, 2020  I have truly lost track of time. My life - and everyone else's - has changed drastically in the first quarter of 2020. All our parameters of normalcy have crumbled and disappeared and we have all got used to new terms and lifestyles - social distancing, f...

We are in the middle of the festive season again and I love my desi swag :) But something's been bothering me for a while now and as I looked at the pile of new sarees worn during the recent Durga Puja - ones that will probably not be worn for a very very long time again - something within me cringed. I felt almost guilty.   Over the past 2 weeks, I started researching about "fast" and "slow" fashion trends and how the textile industry is the second most polluted in the world!!! And how we all feed it through following mindless fashion trends and consumerism. I was appalled by the data. And I have decided to make a personal change. I will now create # MyConsciousCloset My underlying principles are: Conscious ethical buying - to be more aware of where I am buying my clothes from, what philosophies I am supporting through my purchases; to be much more mindful. Sustainable fashion  - to be more aware of textiles and companies...

I have had an interesting revelation in recent times.  In continuation of my theme: Renew  - and nudged by certain circumstances, I have recently given up something I really loved doing for years. Everyone around me knew it.  However, I have realized now that if I want to improve Life as I know it, I will need to try different routes, new things - to keep adding interest and meaning.  The reactions I have been receiving on account of that single decision of mine was what led me to this revelation.  We set our own patterns. Consciously and unconsciously, through our choices. People then tend to expect certain reactions from us - aligned to those patterns. Certain behaviors become your hallmark - good or bad. It just goes to "define" who you are, to most people who don't dig deep enough.  A life motto I follow is: If you expect different, do different!  And I am ...

It's  an empty nest again.... As my daughter moves on to her next chapter. And I weave mine. It's time to recalibrate, again.  I have realized that as we grow older, a lot of us, if not all, begin to feel voids in our lives.. these empty spaces are sometimes small and sometimes gaping holes.   I used to be an active mom - now I am not I used to be a daughter - now I am not  I used to be a sister - now I am not  I used to be a wife - now I am not  I used to be a full time employee - now I am not  Some of these aren't my choices, some clearly are - but that's not the important part; what really matters is that these have spaces  in my heart, soul and in my life that need attention; otherwise it's too easy to feel empty and low.  Despite them all, I have opted to live, to renew - onwards and upwards is the only way I know. Hence, the need to recalibrate! I have...

In Dec last year, in my last post here, I had earmarked 2019 as my year of Renewal.  (Clearly that has taken a lot of efforts - given that I had disappeared from around here for more than 6 months!!!!) So where am I now?  I am at the cusp - of The Next Chapter , of My Next Chapter. And what exactly does that mean?  It means that I have been tying the loose ends of my current chapter and readying myself for a transition;   a life transition into what could well be the last and most fulfilling chapter of this book.   Am I there yet?  No. Am I ready?  Yes. Oh yes! As a person, I often describe myself as "a learner, always".  Despite my grey hairs, I still need to learn and thankfully the world has so much newness to offer. So I have taken stock, looked back to see what more needs addressing there and looked ahead to see what opportunities lie ahead that excite me. I have identified priori...

And just like that, another year is soon about to end .... Time really doesn't care if you are having fun or not, it just goes on ... like the river, the river of life. I have also realized that I have not made an appearance here lately - did I not have anything to say? I guess, I have been taking time off and disengaging from some stuff in my life to focus inwards. Yes, 2018 was filled with that - taking stock!  For the past couple of years, I have been adding a theme to each year - the year of stabilization, the year of personal change, the year of reflections. This tag line stays at the back of my mind throughout the 12 months and I keep checking back to see what, if any, I have actually achieved vis-a-vis my annual objectives.  I have often prescribed that we need to step back from time to time and reassess our own lives - as I say, take stock - of how life's going in general terms - of our dreams and aspirations or eve...