bph: 2025

27th

I guess it has become a ritual now to write on this day. Or rather think about this day bigtime. One is, this day is during the holiday season. And I am always a celebrator of days. I can celebrate every single day, each day for a reason or each day for no reason. There is no reason needed to celebrate right?

It is the mega 27 on the 27th. I have hardly written/spoken about this day as somewhere deep down, it used to evoke painful emotions. But 27 is a long long time. I lost my father 27 years ago on this day. I was in college and my brother was in the 10th grade. I had the pleasure to spend Christmas and the previous day of 27th with my father. Life definitely changes when someone enters or exits our life. I am not sure why I am writing about this, but writing has always helped me. And I realize now that I am talking about this day as if it is a day I love. I used to dread this day every single year. This year I am able to write about it as I am so grateful that my dad was a part of my life, though for a short duration. I so cherish the time I spent with him and everytime I think about him, his smiling face comes to my head with that playfulness all over.

Tomorrow is the puja ceremony we do (my brother does) every year. And this time I am missing it for the first time. I took time to make this decision as I am emotional about such things (rather everything). My brother said something "Spend time with the people alive rather than with the ones that are not", which helped in making the decision.

My brother is one person full of quotes for life I keep telling him that he can write a book about his one liners. Maybe I should start recording his quotes as he may not. He is one person who lives the talk, silently, without making any noise.

I want to end the post by his recent quote -

If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans

So true right, we plan so much, we think so much, we do so much - along with all these remember to live fully and zestfully TODAY!

Bidding 2025 goodbye with a smile. So many learnings, so many tears, so many laughs, so many smiles, so many beautiful moments - loved 2025!

Love waking up early on a holiday and seeing the sunrise

Everyday

Love my morning coffees during holidays as I get to sip outside

Crazy me

Champagne problems

I heard this term in one of the movies I watched recently!

What are Champagne problems - means that my problems are not that bad, most people would feel lucky to have my worries. I loved this as it is sooooo true! Of course there are certain problems that no one in the world should have. But on a daily basis, when we look at ourselves, most of the problems we think we have are champagne problems! Give it a thought. We worry and complain so much about various things. If we can realize the triviality of our problems we will brush them aside and start being grateful for what we have.

I came back from work with a headache for 3 days this week. To top it all off, I had a 2 hour class after work. I came home and took a tablet and rested before heading out for the class. Even though I was tired, I felt so good that I attended the class. Sometimes the saying about seeing the silver lining at the end of every cloud feels so true even though our minds refuse to see the lining. It is a very tiny example, but the fact that I could go to the class in spite of not feeling great proves that it was a champagne problem.

Another poster from the same movie - I accept the adventure of being me - keeps reminding me to see life as an adventure no matter what the situation is.

Every moment is an adventure

Be a child

I wrote "Be a child always" on the board today, as today is Children's Day. What does it mean to be a child? When I told my older one to be one, he said he will be just for today and not always. My little one is and I guess will always be a child. Am wondering why I am saying that?

Does being a child mean -

being innocent ?

being carefree?

seeing every moment with fresh eyes

treating every moment as new?

being pure love?

getting excited about every little thing?

being silly?

not caring about what others think?

speaking their mind?

hehe there is definitely no defined list. It is just a "feel good" state I guess.

Happy Children's Day everyone!

Keeping the spark alive within us

Walking with a spring in our feet

Living every moment

Getting up after every fall

Just being

- these are a few things we can try and do more 😊

and

just act silly, not taking life so seriously!

Finding joy in everything

A dance for Children's Day

Life

Happy Deepawali everyone 😊

I know that I end up writing something or the other on most festivals or just even holidays. I may be crazy, but I just love celebrating every opportunity I get. The word celebration has many meanings - it need not necessarily mean doing something elaborate (though it does), we can celebrate in subtle ways, by just smiling, by just being happy, by just being with loved ones, by being alone with oneself as well.

So, last many weeks have been a lot of things for me, hectic work, meetings, Dasara festivities, meeting friends/families, household chores and then came a conference at work which was an amazing mixture of fun along with work. And now we are having - Deepawali - which signifies various things -

- the festival of lights

- moving from untruth to truth

- moving from darkness to light

- victory of good over evil

- moving from ignorance to knowledge

- new beginnings

- Rama returning to Ayodhya after his exile

- Krishna slaying the demon Narakasura

- King Bali returning to earth once a year on Bali Padyami as he gave his head as the third step to Vishnu in Vamana avatar.

(there are many more stories)

I have been humming a song that we are learning at school which is so beautiful and an apt reminder for all of us every moment of our lives. The song is called Phool ko aankha ma and the first 3 lines mean -

in the eyes of a flower, the world appears as a flower

in the eyes of a thorn, the world appears as a thorn

reflection is always as per the look/shape of the person/object

ok, the whole song is so meaningful, here it is (roughly translated):

let my heart be pure

let my words be full of wisdom

let my feet never kill an insect

if I feel I am beautiful, I see the world as beautiful

let me be able to see the brightness of the moon in the dark night

let me be able to hear the music even in the driest of leaves

if my heart is clear, I see a clear world blossoming

Music somehow brings everything together and everything starts to make sense when we listen to music right? 😇

I am also watching TV after a long time in between. I mainly love comedy and I am a huge fan of the series 'Modern Family'. I saw the last episode of the last season yesterday and the last few dialogues have stayed with me -

"You need to decide how your next chapter of your life needs to be"

"Life is full of change, some big, some small,

you can either fight it or make the best of it"

I feel that the above dialogues summarizes everything beautifully. So I will stop here and do the rest of the talk through my pictures 😁