Remember...

A phone call at the right time, that very minute/second, always takes you a long way...

A wrong word said at the wrong time and place...takes you a wrong mile and more away...

If coulds, would haves and the what ifs

Life is full of those.

There are so many things that do not get as planned. You are stuck counting what went wrong and then trying to come up with a recovery plan...

But after retrospect and later while, you cannot help but ignore the what ifs...the could haves and the would haves! What if, now that dream did come true...I would have been living in a fairy tale set amid snow-clad mountains? Oh, what if the world wasn't so mean, we all would have been blessed with so much happiness?

What if all I ever want to say remains a fumble and an expression here or there? It can lead to a disaster? An emotional catastrophe? But then I would have been an mime expert? Or I would have found someone who would have understood the language...?

Yes, the what ifs and the would haves...thank you, for making our lives so believable and yet not so.

Does this happen?

Imagine this.

You are standing at a bus stop with people who take a bus, may be same, may be different, everyday. This goes on for a couple of years. You get into small talks; share your dreams, destinations, desires. Then, someday they never come at the bus stop. They board the bus and are lost forever. Years later you hear that after boarding the bus that day - the last time you met - their lives got moving in different directions. They started venturing towards their dreams, destinies and desires. Most of them as you see or know seem to be in the path they thought they want to take and are doing things they want to do. Or may be doing things that you would not mind doing either.

After being in touch with different sets of people this way - via the bus stop - some day you stand back and realize...you are still at the bus stop!

Is this what people call growing old? Or is this what people call jealousy?

The feeling does not stem from the fact that you have not achieved things - monetarily or professionally. Many a times the feeling is also about reaching a particular stage on personal levels. You see the smiling pictures, you see the places visited, you see the fun and frolic, the picture that has been painted - and you feel that the grass is greener that side.

You might be wrong. You know, there are higher chances of mountains looking beautiful from a distance. But then, there is a part of you that sighs and wonders - will I ever get into the right bus? Will I ever reach the destination I want to reach? Oh yes, I know the destination --- I know my dreams ---- the problem is not about not knowing. The problem is about knowing too much. Knowing all the details you want.

Too much of being fussy might not help the cause. But then, will it be too late before I understand? And till then, I will continue looking over other people's fusiness and the real side of the stories, and continue waiting for my bus?

Winning hearts...

How easy it is? Or rather difficult?

Let's weave a story with words...would that suffice?

Would ending with "happily ever after" create a sense of curiousity and excitedness enough to let them sigh and drool. And let us win their heart...?

Let's weave a story for a child of every age. Let's concentrate on the gravity of each word said, and then,  sentences and paragraphs so strongly put together, would lead to nothing, but, win their hearts!

Let's create a graphical journey...because a picture says a thousand words. Show the setting sun, the splashes of waves, and the chirping birds. Let's put them in the foreground and let them imagine for themselves - how wonderful it might be...and win their hearts?

And if everything else fails...let's just put them together. In a cubicle full of coffee aroma. Let them realize the depth of understanding. If silence, awkward glances, and muted conversations would dwell something within them, we would know we have won their hearts...

A friend narrates her story or journey to finding the perfect groom. And she would vote 5 stars for this :)

Uncertainity...

Many things in life are unpredictable. Rather most things are.
Yet, we human, take this factor in our strides and continue moving on...and how?! Seen those huge schedulers and the calendar appointments through the year?
Yes, we plan. For the future. Daily planner / Weekly Planner/ Monthly planner and so on...
A mundane day in office, or so it seemed, turned out to be a nightmare for so many of my ex-colleagues/friends.
Getting laid off is not easy. It hurts. (Ouch). And it leaves you so unprepared for the future.
It is like "a surprise test" that we had in schools and colleges...or may be worse?
It has been only a few months since I took up this new job, and my previous colleagues are being asked to leave since the company is "down sizing"
One call from the HR; one visit to the boardroom, and it is the "end"
They do not count the number of hours you have put in - the years you have toiled - nothing matters.
Is it not completely unethical for companies to fire people like this?
Yes, they have provided a three month severance package, but what about the mental chaos?
Some say this is an opportunity for them to move forward...but really, why don't you show me the picture that I am going to move forward -- rather than being pushed forward!?
I am blessed / lucky to have not been in the company at this moment, but my heart goes out for those who were...
They all had dreams/ financial responsibilite/ new births in the family/ marriages around the corner...now what happens to all those?
Yes, they will move on...and begin a new phase of life...but it hurts a lot to being pushed in the valley without a warning.
They all must have planned for Saturday and Sunday...without realizing  that this Friday would never be forgotten! :(

Life - Quo vadis?

When the sky is overcast and the mood somber.

Life is running past me. Rather, life is escaping. I might sit back and ponder my location on life's GPS. But time? Where is it?

There are several things that have changed over the past few months. Most of them are likable, some not so. There is a part of me that wishes to sit back and enjoy the unpredictable rain, and then there is other that just wishes to curse the downpour.

It is a mood of confusion. Stemming from the changes, from the good things and some bad. Bad may be a superlative; but what do you call something that thing that sits at the tip of your tongue each day waiting to be screamed, that sits on your shoulder whispering in your ears, and then that greets you with a devilish smile each time you stare....yeah, the bad thing. The confusing thing.

This state of mind -  is not a part of the routine. It, however, may, enter and be a part of the routine. Do you want it to be a  part of your routine? Does it matter what I want?

Oh, monsoon. What do you do to my mood!

Traveling tales...

What are we in this world?
A mere traveler.

A traveler that travels. Never stops. Never exhausts. No destination is the final one. He yearns for more. He never settles at one place. He will relish the journey and even the temporary destination. But he will keep moving on. And wherever he will lay his head, it would be home.

Us, humans, just like this traveler roams around. Run for things. Increase the pace of our lives as per the situation demands. Come rain or shine we do not stop. We fight with nature, we build shelter against natural disasters, we kindle hope among the entire clan. We move on. We go on. Most times we do not have a destination in mind, and if we do, there is still no stopping us even if we reach the desired place. We are bound to continue moving! This fight for the finish that we are leading is nothing but a mere journey, a small sojourn on this planet in this life of ours. A journey that never ends. A destination that is seldom reached.

And then we realize, how stupid of us to not sit back and ponder over this. When did we lose ourselves so much in the pace and flight that we forgot to see the serene surroundings. The blue sky and the bluer sea. When was the last time we heard the bird chirping or made peace with the high waves of sea? Why did we not say the words that were meant to be said at the right time? When did we start caring so much for the society of the fellow traveler in the next tent base? When did we start fearing the future, when the truth is we do not even know what's gonna happen the next minute or day?

And then, there is this amount of time we spend on doing the minute things; the selection of the dress to wear or the food to eat; the button to press or the question to ask; the letter to write and the report to be made! A never ending charade. A spate of issues today, tomorrow, and forever.

Some laugh through all this; some cry. Some sail happily, some never try. Some spend so much time pondering that they never reached really anywhere. Some reached glorious destinations but had no tales to share. Some ignored the treacherous paths and took the simple-looking stairs. Some took the whites of the snowy mountains and some tanned under the Sun. A hand here or no legs there, all mere travelers with different stories to bare.

It is all nothing but the way you make the journey. Whether provided with a comfortable bed or not, whether you flew or took the tough road, it is all about how you kept your attitude throughout the journey. You may end up eating the juicy fruits on the way, you may even fight a bear or two, if you are lucky the sun or wind will not be harsh on you. But keep moving on. Do not hold grudges. Do not hold fear. Life is a never-ending journey - sail it with the best of the hope and faith that you have. And who knows, along the way, you might even find the right partner too!

A trip to the beautiful Kerala. Back with vengeance! 

Worth a thought...

At times a simple casual conversation leads to such deep meaningful thoughts n the works.

" all women are beautiful. It is only ugly to find the guy who finds you beautiful"

As A and I chatted over some chaat, several such life twisters were solved. Aah, the wonderful evenings...