Festivals are not dates on the calendar; they happen when your family comes home.
When they are far from you, you may remain in touch with them through the many communication channels technology brings us. Nothing, however, can replace the depth of live presence. Their presence fills spaces in you that you never acknowledge even to yourself.
Every ordinary, mundane routines become highlighted, brilliantly lit with a glow of unexpected significance. Every meal becomes an exhilarating picnic. The moments spent together at the kitchen stove become resplendent with a contentment so deep you wonder- in retrospect- whether it was food you cooked or ambrosia you churned up.
The food fills more than your stomach, the water quenches deeper thirsts than that of your throat, the conversations weave denser connections than you could have thought. Then, when the holiday is over and everyone who must leave has returned back to their temporary homes, you take those moments and put them in you treasure chest of memories. Every once in a while when your living days lose their sparkle, you take a moment out and let its brilliance add a glow to your today.
And you wait for the next festival… which will happen when everyone is home again… whenever it may be.
This week I am sharing a few videos with you. Each one of them is full to the brim with ideas that shake you. You will be compelled to re-examine your choices, perceptions and values. Don’t be alarmed though. You will also find moments of satisfying reverberation and resonance.
Dish #1:
Love comes when s/he will and go when s/he must…
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdJ6aUB2K4g?rel=0%5D
Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.
~Bob Marley
Dish #2:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PENkzh0tWJs?rel=0%5D
It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.
~Jiddu Krishnamurti
Dish #3:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQucWXWXp3k?rel=0%5D
When you grow up as a girl, it is like there are faint chalk lines traced approximately three inches around your entire body at all times, drawn by society and often religion and family and particularly other women, who somehow feel invested in how you behave, as if your actions reflect directly on all womanhood.
~ M.E. Thomas
Dessert:
He allowed himself to be swayed by his conviction that human beings are not born once and for all on the day their mothers give birth to them, but that life obliges them over and over again to give birth to themselves.
~ Gabriel García Márquez
- Existential Crisis: Suresh Chandrasekaran is a well- known blogger and now a published author. In this guest post, he serves a sparkling mix of humor peppered with just the right dash of profundity. The result is a concoction that makes you giggle helplessly before making you ponder on what you are doing with your life. Do read it if you haven’t already.
- Step Out With A-Z: It is the season for blogger’s annual madness again. With the AtoZ Challenge round the corner, this post reveals my theme for the challenge.
It takes more than strength or courage to stand up for the values that reflect the core of your being. It takes conviction that you are right. The easiest person to betray is yourself; the easiest promises to welsh on are the promises you make to yourself. If you keep creating an atmosphere of betrayal, insult and injury within yourself, how is self- esteem to thrive?
Your outer world IS a reflection of your inner world.
