Strike a Balance!

Couple of years ago I attended a workshop titled "Adventures in Attitude" conducted by Carlson Learning Group who are associated with TGIF ( Thank God Its Friday) ..while going through the workshop we came across an interesting topic..."Balance of Life".....which states that its very important to strike a balance in all the facets of life( work, health, personal, social, & recreation) or in other words live a balanced life......today I realize it even more that Balance and its Power is indeed a key element of a Happy Life....life minus balance is equivalent to inviting stress in our lives...quite frankly time is not the problem but the number of task that we take on....we need to learn to juggle between all the areas of life....basically arrange for a scaling back down the road. Even if we're in a very hard-hitting, high powered position, that doesn't mean we sacrifice our family. If we take self care measures and get creative about integrating between our work and family we can be successful and fulfill personal obligations...thereof imperative to re-assess our happiness and satisfaction with the level of housework, time spent together and what amount of time we each spend at work and home.

When I say creative I don't mean inventing something totally new, it is about making new synergistic connections. Give yourself permission to be playful and inquisitive, flexible and versatile and finding the right balance in our body, mind, life and work will help us refine our goals and hasten us towards them. It will lead on to a journey to improved health, spirit and well-being. Like Dalai Lama teaches, "A balanced and skillful approach to life taking care to avoid extremes, becomes a very important factor in conducting one's everyday existence. It is important in all aspects of life.".....therefore will assist us in bringing down the level of heightened state of mind. On the tightrope of life, only one thing allows us to move forward, and that one thing is balance. Without balance we fall into chaos, we fall behind, we miss out on what true choices we have in life. Like Brian Tracy quoted "The universe is completely balanced and in perfect order. You will always be compensated for everything that you do".

On that note let us all begin living our best lives-not some one-size- fits- all, contrived happiness!

Young & the Restless!

Death doesn't lie!

It was only yesterday that I was thinking as to what should be my next blog about..thought why not write about Life and how uncertain it is these days as you don't know what's going to happen tomorrow....and when we say this we imagine that hour as placed in an obscure and distant future...one reaction to this discomfort is to communicate to gain information and reduce uncertainty....

In an age of blockbuster disaster movies, sometimes real tragedy seems unreal....No one wants to die yet death is the destination we all share. No one has escaped it either...it slices through every lie, ridicules every belief, mocks every vanity and reduces ego to absurdity....

Sorry for being so dramatic ....but this article is a Tribute to a friend ( Supratik) who passed away on 23rd April,2008 in a tragic event... "Strange, isn't it ? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?" as quoted by Henry Travers

Spend Talent Lavishly!

" A Good lot of talent is lost in this world but for one a little encouragement" ...sounds familiar..isn't it? Yup you'll find this one liner in my Profile ( about me).....just a thought that there are numerous people out there who possess various kinds of hidden talent in them but for some reason or the other not able to exhibit them, therefore not cultivate the seed....reasons could be time, money, right opportunity, fear of what other's might say or comment and many more.....and it is these reasons and more which stops an individual to show one's own potential....the population is few who has the "courage to nurture their talent in solitude and follow to the dark place where it leads" but for many if one can motivate us to determine what we can do then that is enough for us to understand our ability and what we're capable of doing.....and the right attitude should determine how well we can do it....belief that they will accomplish them.....hence work your tail off to develop them into skills....more so inner drive and avid faith will help go so much further than vastly superior talented ones.. Like Eric Butterworth quoted "Why be an average person? All the great achievements of history have been made by strong individuals who refused to consult statistics or to listen to those who could prove convincingly that what they wanted to do , and in fact ultimately did do, was completely impossible"

"The task is to recognize that we are uniquely special, have something to give, some talent no one shares in quite the same way"....a theater that moves an audience,eventually blossoms and enjoy the benefit of it and acknowledge one for it....reminds me Stephen Covey's quote from The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness...."When you engage in a work that taps your talent and fuels your passion --that rises out of a great need in the world that you feel drawn by conscience to meet -- therein lies your voice, your calling, your soul's code"

Therefore "If you have a talent, use it in ever which way possible. Don't hoard it. Don't dole it out like a miser. Spend it lavishly, like a millionaire intent on going broke" by Brenda Francis.

Happy Earth Day!

Spectacular Image-detailed true color picture of the Earth.

Time-Brisk Wind!

Same time last year I was struggling with my big belly, swollen foot, heart burns, etc. ....Reason: in a family way with the second one!....very close to anticipating her birth as "a fresh twist to a knot".....Longing for the day when I could physically carry the baby in my arms...another adventure about to begin...more than that thinking when I could finally be over and done with and lose all those weight.....today I feel like I'm a free bird...lost all those weight, over and done with two kids, all I need to concentrate now on-is to raise them well, provide them the right values and education, shape them up as a better individual....

Thanks to the Government and their great system of giving one year maternity leave to all pregnant mom's. I have thoroughly enjoyed this one year ( still have 3 months to go back to work)...My real comfort of staying at home lies in-when I see my kids are taken care of- well fed, had their share of afternoon naps, took them out for activities, studies are taken care of ....overall the entire house is taken care of....and some time to myself...Again this is not a debate between working mothers and stay-at home mom's but a thought that this has been one of the greatest year so far....didn't leave a single stone unturned....each moment had its sickle-emulous.....like Ann Richards quoted "There is a lot more to life than just struggling to make money"

"Time flies on restless pinions"...didn't even come to know how one year of mat leave is almost coming to an end...passed in a blur...and "sometimes every second was significant etched in my mind".... Reminds me of a J.K Rowling quote which goes like this... "It's a strange thing, but when you are dreading something, and would give anything to slow down time, it has a disobliging habit of speeding up"......the little one is now almost nine months old...she's handful of sand now, the tighter you grasp the faster she runs through my fingers...and the elder one soon going to Grade One..Wow! ...and it is this time that will remind me of all the cherished moments, will remind me of how I have lived it .....this one year have helped me to understand better than before, how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way...."every minute spent is an hour earned"!

Summer's Pride!

Yard Sale
Farmer's Market
Quilted Heirlooms, Saint Jacobs Farmer's Market

For all those who wants an update as to how's Risha doing? She's doing GREAT! we definitely see some improvement in her hand movement and physiotherapy is still on plus exercises at home...

Finally spring has arrived with double digit temperatures, weather is gorgeous and in no time hot sizzling summer will arrive too. There's no ignoring summertime. Fun time is here again (coming soon actually!) as kids dash out in bikinis, holding bucket and spade in hands, lapping on loads of sunblock lotion and running off in flipflop in a carefree manner, love sun drenched days, garden fragrances thick in the air, the dandelions and buttercups gild all the lawn and starlit nights. After being trapped indoor for good 7 months, now its time to break free and bask in the warm sunshine! There's burst of activities lined up. And naturally there'll be barbecue invitations too. And when I say burst of activities, one of them that's lined up for me is "GARAGE SALE", also called "Rummage Sale", "Attic Sale"....I'm a complete "Garage Sale Savvy" come weekends and I love to explore from one street to the other looking for mostly decorative items, an excellent way of spring cleaning for many, to get rid of old stuff and start afresh, and for many like me these items becomes treasure....usually I'm an "Early Bird" in Garage Sale meaning arrive before the hours of sale to review the items....after all who wouldn't love the summer morning so bright and fresh, birds darting to breast the breeze and sweeps the cool clear sky!

The second and the last burst of activities that I'm crazy about is "Farmer's Market"-a benefit for the urban consumer who values quality, variety and freshness in food. I usually visit one that's close to my house but this time guaranteed I'm going to Saint Jacobs-heard Farmer's Market here is fabulous every season. Aisles and aisles of fresh produce from across Ontario and from local farm gardens. More than 600 vendors in a colorful rural settings. Plus crafts, home decor, clothes, tools and many more. The other incentive that draws me to visit this place is the "On-site petting barn" that I wanted to show my elder one for the longest time. I definitely want to discover this Saint Jacobs country, have a gentler time, explore one of Canada's largest year-round farmer's market.

Summer is definitely a strong and commanding season, where it leaves many traces of its presence. Enjoy the sunshine while it lasts!

Friends-Free enterprise!

What a wretched lot of old shrivelled creatures we were yesterday..uglier to others but lovelier to each other...and can afford to be stupid too....redoubled our joys, completely rejuvenated, a good BREAK...by that here I mean "friends" and friendship and how important it becomes to have a good bunch of them, engage in inconsequential chatter, to be able to just be yourself with them, be unreservedly frank, almost a real value to survival....Road to realization-that now a close knit family!....even though we've changed and finding our own place in the world but no matter what we still carry the feeling of oneness....

Four years ago the discovery started as to who all "would grow separately without growing apart", with time we found or rather discovered a reasonable circle of friends...."don't remember how we happened to meet each other, don't remember who got along with whom first , all I remember is all of us together...always" .....absolutely down-to-earth people, no hang ups in life, very informal, gives us a feeling of being our own...therefore no formalities whatsoever and that's what I appreciated!....being in this part of the world minus family is like a huge vacuum....hence we needed those special few who would be able to leave a footprints in our hearts....Its a fact that "Friends are God's way of apologizing to us for families"...and mind you they were all strangers in the first place....but now they do form an important part of our life....today I/we realize this even more....

We are all born alone, live alone, die alone yet we needed these strong and habitual inclination of friendship ( the most quoted subject in the history of mankind)....its a taste of truth which spares nothing...Hence "Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom" by Marcel Proust.

And as Barbara Ehrenreich's quotes " That's free enterprise , friends: freedom to gamble, freedom to lose. And the greatest thing -- the truly democratic thing about it -- is that don't even have to be a player to lose".....strikes a chord in me!

Unforgettable!

"Unforgettable, that's what you are".... Yup I'm talking about "first love which is something so special to all of us" .....unforgettable for some or rather most of us, as it leaves such a life-long impact on us..."One could fall in love many times during the course of a lifetime, but the first rush of love always holds a special place in our hearts. The novelty, like the first drops of dew on an untouched leaf, of the feeling makes it special and unforgettable". It touches our lives and enriches them forever, sometimes idealise them."First Love" is a heady mix of passion and attraction, feeling unknown, unhoped for, unexpected...a company that's electrified and enkindled....for many makes the world go round! Its a different feeling altogether when he called you beautiful instead of hot, called you back when you hung up on him, or did hold your hands in front of his friends and turned to them and said "that's her"!

The magic is such that it can never end...For some it may have been easy to begin but must have been hard to end....For many it may have been a brief moment of vanity or infatuation or remember it as innocent and fragile, when you look back in a situation...and for those whose "First Love" didn't last throughout all time, because there is a reason and there is a meaning, somewhere in the corner of their heart the string remained .....the values never diminishes and we are only left with memories that never fades but will treasure for the rest of our lives...

Either ways the first blush of love is always filled to overflowing but guess has its time, its own season, its own reason for coming and going!

Straight from the Heart!

With each visit in Sick Kids Foundation,looking at the bumble bees, these children and their smiling faces, happy and absorbed...it touches me... I actually prefer to call them "superheroes" who inspite of frightening surgeries and painful procedures continue to make the most of their childhood...gives me a psychological trauma....Gives me a feeling as if I'm carrying an atmosphere of quiet contemplation....I cannot physically experience these kids but can experience them in my mind....and these sites shackles me and I say to myself "no more walls"...This is an overly sensitive heart speaking!....

Looking at each one of them was equivalent to looking at pictures telling its own story, shaped by the mood or insights of the person....almost lost myself in the object of their wonder....my emotions here is very close to the surface....as rightly quoted by Sophocles that "Children are the anchors that hold a mother to life".....

True that "The joys of parents are secret, and so are their griefs and fears: they cannot utter the one, nor will they utter the other" as quoted by Francis Bacon Sr.

Sister-an Unbreakable Bond!

Still remember the day she was born…she was quiet big, already looked like a 6 month old baby…almost tucked her so close that there was no chance of escape....and when she used to sleep while my mom thought quickly she could finish all her household chores, there comes me to wake her up….even though she never understood and clueless of what I said, still attempted to teach her alphabets and numbers….on weekends would carry her in my arms and hang around at neighbors house or take her to play in the park understanding that mum could finish some of her errands....helping my mom to feed her was like a “tug of war”.....

When she started going to school the moment I would drop her in her classroom she would innocently look at me and keep looking as far as she could …..telling me “never leave me and abandon me”…..and the moment school was over she used to look for me in the school bus and would be so relieved to see me…..Like Pam Brown quoted “A young sister is someone to use as a guinea pig in trying sledges and experimental go carts. Someone to send on messages to Mum. But someone who needs you-who comes to you with bumped heads, grazed knees, tales of persecution. Someone who trust you to defend her. Someone who thinks you know the answers to almost everything” …..quiet true…and as she grew up….we fought like cats and dogs….we patched up too..said some of the meanest things to each other…did some of the silliest things together…and there’s so many stories to be recalled when we were together…….she didn’t come to see me off when I was leaving for another city for my high-school…reason: she couldn’t take the fact that I was leaving….I missed her everyday then ….Felt her volatile love for me when she was in “crocodile tears” when I got married and was leaving ….never knew it’s this little sis of mine who would function as “safety nets in a chaotic world”….defending me in all corners… time flies and she’s a big girl now….It doesn’t seem to matter now how much time has elapsed or how far we’ve traveled….all that matters now is that we are cast in relation our whole lives long….she knows my faults, virtues, catastrophes, triumphs, rivalries, desires and many more….with time the bonding of sisterhood have become even more powerful…..

Now that she plans to visit us almost after 4 ½ years…I cant wait to see her before she heads off for her big career plunge...already started making plans like she’s arriving tomorrow….The feeling is so intensified!

On that note here’s something for you that I may have not told you in years “It was nice growing up with someone like you-someone to lean on, someone to count on…someone to tell on!” Author Unknown