The Circle of Life

Adam and Eve were the first man and woman according to the creation myths, and that was the seed of the broad population we have today.

Nature has designed a baby to be born from the union of two adults, thus making sure he is surrounded by family.

Alas! Not all are fortunate to be brought up in a cozy scenario. Circumstances are one such issue that comes forward.

Although the man is surrounded by his fellow men yet he feels alone and depressed.

He could attribute to the surroundings, the circumstances that he is breathing in...the survival of the fittest mantra when the competition reaches out to the neck, that makes an individual feel suffocated, that could either choke himself out, or he has the survival instincts and grabs an oxygen mask to be able to fight it out!

We all have been in that situation.
What breed are you?

“One love, one heart, one destiny.” 
― Bob Marley

The present world is full of suffering and injustice, and every soul goes through hardships, thus making them shine like a diamond in the end.

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.” 
― Plato



When each of us reflects on our lives spent so far, our eyes will get moist over some individuals who held our hands when our legs were shaky to walk even a single step; our tongues were stirring out of nervousness, our hands were trembling and sweaty due to anxiety and fear. There were some people and sometimes too many individuals who came in our lives who gave us the confidence to walk that extra step, to understand what was on our mind, to hold our hands steady, and provide us with the boost to come out of that situation, and today as we stand surrounded by the lush green of success or happiness we can feel the effect of compassion. The empathy of another human to understand us especially when we were in a plight, and he extended a lending hand. This hand not only comprised of physical support, but it also dressed up our spirits emotionally and subjectively.



Today, as I stand at the junction of my life where I have breathed in 40+ years of my life, I stand in gratitude for all my teachers, friends, family, neighbors, strangers who helped in the oddest of way, by either lending me a helping hand, or speaking a kind word or two, or just stretching those muscles around their lips by giving out a gentle smile. This gave me the jump start and helped ignite the engine within to keep moving in the direction of my goal. 

Thus, making me believe in this great attribute as it created ripples in my life. I intend to pass the baton of compassion, empathy, tenderness, and kindness around so that I can complete the circle of life, with the satisfaction to touch "n" number of lives.

Compassion is essential, and it is all about giving what you have received so far. It is also a reminder to stay grounded since we all will wear the shoes of sorrow in our lifetime.

The source for morality is within us. We can either just follow our peers who are annoyed with the system of life or we could choose to make our own!


Mantra for today: Showing tolerance, and compassion towards the suffering helps to tap your inner self, which in return is a boon to your existence.



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#LinkYourCompassion along with #LinkYourLife and #ShareInspireConquer. 

This summer.....

When we ushered 2016, I was as usual overwhelmed and could not imagine any seasons yet until the month of May arrived and school's signaled for a brief shutdown so that their teachers could get some rejuvenating time while we keep our kids at home and 'bond' with them.


Summer has arrived, I shouted in glee and anticipation.
Glee cause as the teachers said, 'time for bonding with your children' and anticipation since have to think of ideas to do that!

Ideas to keep a teen happy, content, active.
Thoughts anyone?

I was going berserk over it. So anxious was I that did not think twice of any germs lurching around me, and behold! The bug bit me, and I was bed-ridden for a few days.
To my utter surprise, my teen behaved and helped me through it. He served me mac n cheese, PB n J  sandwiches with lots of herbal tea at my beck n call.

When I recovered, we visited his grandparents aka my parents' thousands of miles away. It's always riveting to listen to his thoughts about the lifestyle of India and the people in it. Thought provoking too since it brings a different dimension especially since I was brought up with those latter ideals.

Came back home, and as I was browsing through various links to register him for some classes that will keep him occupied and entertained enough to keep him away from video games and tech gadgets, I was amazed by his selections.

My son is growing up, and I admire his choices.

I admit there were instances I lost my cool over issues that were just not reasonable, but then that's what a mom is about...
"Immense love that is unconditional but then her temper is another matter entirely!"


However, I am learning to give him space while choosing which battles to fight.

Baby-steps!!

While he was away getting acquainted with new sports and new faces;  I collaborated with a friend who is an art instructor and we got busy with an ArtWrite Camp. Amazing how creativity knows no bounds when art and writing combine. Kids registered churned out bright ideas, and we would all leave on a pleasant note while promising to unite week after week to continue to build on those ideas.

This summer is turning out quite a surprise for me especially since I had no expectations. I was prepared to sweat hard to make it work for my family and myself, but surprisingly it's turning out breathable and yet enjoyable!

Mantra for today: Expectations always lead to disappointment.


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Join in the fun at FTSF. Prompt is : This summer

Wordless Wednesday #128

Got a chance to visit the Veteran's hospital and got goosebumps when I saw these small placards next to various rose bushes.

"In Memory of xxx."

The 'xxx' fought for our country then thus allowing humankind to breathe in the oxygen of freedom and even now continues to emit fragrance to his countrymen.

Amazing how one man can give so much!

Mantra for today: Man's mental capacity beats the limitations of his skeletal structure!


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The Droppings

"Gosh! she did it again" I snapped as I picked up her poop from the backyard.
"I have told Janet a thousand times about her feces in my yard, but alas! no action" I continued to complain as I was cleaning up. 

**

Days go by and no sign of elimination on my property. At first, I was pleased, but there were moments I missed seeing the feline animal and her purr with her soft gaze that said a lot about her emotions after her 'act' in my yard. 

I inquired and was devastated to know about her ill health. 

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 In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story about a cat.  Join in the fun at CarrotRanch

A Game of Blindfold

"Swirl her around!" came a command while someone helped me make an 180 degree turn and let go of my hand.

I was helpless and tried to reach out for her hand, but all I could hear was giggles and helter-skelter steps that I could not trace since was blindfolded.


At first, I cursed myself for coming forward to play this game, then breathe deep and tried to follow the sounds in my surroundings.

Alas! My friends were smart and kept quiet.

'aah! you gals are being cheeky!' I commented loudly

A few giggles, which was followed by a quick and stern 'shhh'
All went quiet.

The room was darn still except for the clock ticking. I had to touch a human body within ten minutes or else I will be the laughing stock of my group.

I was nervous as I gulped a few times out of anxiety and that could be heard by my ears.
Finally, I stood still, and gently closed my eyes. I could envision my friends' characteristics and could see where all they would be sneaking in that ten by ten feet room.

Anna would be stuck with her smartphone in a corner of the room
Sara loved to snuggle on a couch with a warm body
Jessica would be the body since she loved company
Sharon would be the one monitoring, and gesturing the girls to take action.

Voila! A couch is easy to trace and as I started walking fluttering my hands in all the directions with the intention to find that stationary object. I could hear giggles while Sharon continuing with her 'shh's.'

Bodies moved but gladly the personalities of some adhered. Thus, after finding the upholstered furniture, the surroundings got warmer and warmer until my hands that were waving rapidly touched someone!

I shrieked in glee and quickly removed my blindfold.

Was amazed to find Sharon in my latch. She was so involved in getting others away from my clasp that she forgot about herself!

Oh! How considerate!

However, I was glad to have my vision back while I thanked my subconscious mind to take control of the situation when I was helpless, and help me out on how to deal this particular situation.

Mantra for today: It's all in your Mind. Just gotta pause and reflect on it. 


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This has been a Finish the Sentence Friday post. This week’s sentence is “When I close my eyes, I see…” AWESOME PROMPT right? Your hosts:
As always, me from Finding Ninee
and this week’s sentence thinker-upper, Kerry Kijewski of Her Headache.

Spotlight of False Ceilings by Amit Sharma

 

A FEW PRAISES Amit has expounded on every single character making them three-dimensional and identifiable. -Maniparna Sengupta Majumder  The book is a light transfamily saga and will be fond for all readers who are interested in a debut author. The narration is simple and will engage the readers till the end. -John Pinto Apart from the characters, the almirah plays an important role in the book. That almirah has seen and also became a reason for the deaths of the family members. What is in it? What secret it beholds? False Ceilings has all the answers.​ -Meera ​

WHAT IS THE BOOK ALL ABOUT ...

Born in the lush mountains of Dalhousie in 1930, Shakuntala is a pampered child of a wealthy builder. On her wedding night she is gifted a secret to use wisely when the time comes.
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From the green valleys of Dalhousie to a village in Punjab reeling under the communal violence of 1947; from the Delhi of 1950s with its intoxicating smell of freedom to the Delhi of 1970s soaked in the hippie culture; from the Delhi of 1984 smelling of burnt tyres to the Delhi of 90s raising its Frankenstein of urbanization, the cancerous secret breathes with her, infects her. It is accidentally passed down, hidden under insecurities and jealousies, locked in its meaninglessness and leaving a trail of ruin.

When her great- grandson accidentally discovers the secret in 2065, he is perplexed by the malice that flowed in his family's blood. Was it just the secret or his family would have destroyed itself even in its absence? Why was their love never greater than their unsaid expectations from each other?

GRAB THE BOOK FROM 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amit Sharma's first fiction book titled False Ceilings has been published by Lifi Publications. The book launch happened on 12 Jan 2016 in the World Book Fair in Delhi.

Amit has been working in a Software Firm since the last ten years. He lives with his family in NCR. His wife is a teacher and they are blessed with a daughter who is in her terrible twos.
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Amit always keeps a book and a portable reading light in his bag (much to the amusement of his fellow travelers). His other hobbies include watching world cinema, travelling, digging into various cuisines, cooking, listening to music, painting, blogging, making his daughter laugh and helping his wife with her unnecessary and prolonged shopping.

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STALK HIM @

No Accidents!

"Tisha, I Dare you!" Mom glared into her toddler's eyes while rapidly washing her hands.

The toddler at first lowered her gaze and tried to distract herself with the toy nearby. But that urge was too strong. She twisted her mouth indicating she needed to let go. 

Mom could feel her strong desire. She kept talking comforting words. 

Finally, she leads her towards the toilet seat, after a quick pull of her training pants and placement on the seat, the relief on letting go brought a smile on Tisha's lips while Mom was elated over no accidents!


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 In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that changes with a smile.
Join in the fun at CarrotRanch