A letter to a friend

Dear friend,

I met you as a stranger and treated you like a friend. You, for all this, gave me a beautiful gift in return. A stab in the back. You left me in the darkness when I expected you to lead the way.

Maybe you had your own reasons for doing what you did. I don’t know. I had somehow expected you to be different, but you turned out to be just like the other ordinary mortals of the world. That hurt, because I had trusted you. Maybe I expected too much?

Ironically, you turned out to be exactly one of those people whom you claimed to hate. But this is not to crib or point out your flaws. This is to thank you. Thanks for doing what you did. It made an invaluable contribution in my life. Yes, it shook my faith in humanity for a while, but it increased my inner strength and will a thousand times. My faith in myself and in Him is greater than ever before. And, this could not have been possible without your help.

Dear friend, you brought me face to face with reality. I would probably not have realized the perils lurking there in the world for me if you hadn’t pointed them out to me with your actions. You made me open my eyes wide. Now my path is clearer, thanks to you.

Thank you for bringing to home the fact that I yet have a lot to learn in life.

Thank you for the good times that I shared with you.

May people like you keep hurting the ones who trust them. For, it strengthens them in a way probably very few other things can do.

I do not wish to settle scores with you, for I know there is someone up high above who does that. That is not my job. He, the master accountant, has the debits and credits of everyone neatly registered in his books. He follows you, wherever you go. He makes note of all the minute things you do. And when he feels the time is right, He repays you for your doings, in his own special way. And I trust that hand more than anything.

I don’t know if it is your loss or mine that we are no longer friends, but I know for sure that you have lost the high respect that I had for you as a person. I believe losing respect in someone’s eyes is one of the worst things that can happen to anyone. But I am not so sure if you can feel that now.

Goodbye. Nice having known you. Thanks for everything.

A true quote

People laugh because I am different....

And I laugh because they are all the same.

Glad to be back!!!!!

After a brief hiatus from the blog world, I am back again!!!!! This time with some Hindi poetry by yours truly....




Haath hamare utthe dua mein,


Kisine hum se poocha,


Khuda se kya apne liye khushi maangi?

Humne kaha, haan,


Humne unke hothon ki hansi maangi...


Translation:


My hands went up in prayer,
And someone asked me,
"Did you ask the lord for your happiness?"
I said, "Yes, I asked him
That a smile always rest on my loved one's lips."





Ae khuda, humein lambi umr ki kaamna nahi,

Bas itni tamanna hai,

Ki kuch lamhe aise hon


Jinme zindagi samayi ho.....



Translation:

O Lord, I do not desire for a long life,
But I have one small wish,
Just give me a few moments
Which are full of life.....

Another excerpt from Coelho

I am back with Coelho again! Can't seem to help it! :-) This is one of his best articles in the book "Like the flowing river". Many must have already read it before, but it is something that I would like to preserve and read again and again. Hence this post. Here goes:

The Story of the Pencil

A boy was watching his grandmother write a letter.
At one point, he asked:
‘Are you writing a story about what we’ve done? Is
it a story about me?’

His grandmother stopped writing her letter and said
to her grandson:
‘I am writing about you, actually, but more important
than the words is the pencil I’m using. I hope you
will be like this pencil when you grow up.’

Intrigued, the boy looked at the pencil. It didn’t
seem very special.

‘But it’s just like any other pencil I’ve ever seen!’

‘That depends on how you look at things. It has five
qualities which, if you manage to hang on to them, will
make you a person who is always at peace with the
world.

‘First quality: you are capable of great things, but
you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your
steps. We call that hand God, and He always guides us
according to His will.

‘Second quality: now and then, I have to stop writing
and use a sharpener. That makes the pencil suffer a
little, but afterwards, he’s much sharper. So you, too,
must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because
they will make you a better person.

‘Third quality: the pencil always allows us to use an
eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting
something we did is not necessarily a bad thing; it
helps to keep us on the road to justice.

‘Fourth quality: what really matters in a pencil is not
its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So always
pay attention to what is happening inside you.

‘Finally, the pencil’s fifth quality: it always leaves a
mark. In just the same way, you should know that
everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be
conscious of that in your every action.’

An excerpt from Coelho

This is an excerpt from Coelho's famous book 'Like the flowing river' that I think I would like to remember for ever. So I am typing it out. It is from the article 'The Art Of Trying'. I know my blog is looking like a Coelho book of late, but I can't help it. His writing is captivating and thought-provoking, at the same time being simple and understandable. I can truly relate to his philosophy. I read this piece and I could only say 'Wow'! Here goes:

When we decide to act, some excesses may occur. An old culinary adage says : "You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs." It is also natural that unexpected conflicts should arise, and it is natural that wounds may be inflicted during those conflicts. The wounds pass, and only the scars remain.

This is a blessing. These scars stay with us throughout our life and are very helpful. If, at some point - simply because it would make our life easier, or for whatever other reason - the desire to return to the past becomes very great, we need only look at those scars. They are the marks left by our handcuffs, and will remind us of the horrors of prison, and we will keep walking straight ahead.

So, relax. Let the universe move around you and discover the joy of surprising yourself. "God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise," says St. Paul.

A warrior of light often finds that certain moments repeat themselves. He is often faced by the same problems and situations and, seeing these difficult situations return, he grows depressed, thinking that he is incapable of making progress in life.

"I've been through all this before," he says to his heart.

"Yes, you've been through all this before," replies his heart. "But you have never been beyond it."

Then the warrior realises that these repeated experiences have but one aim : to teach him what he has not yet learned. He always finds a different solution for each repeated battle, and he does not consider his failures to be mistakes but, rather, as steps along the path to a meeting with himself.

Realisations

My arms feel heavy,
My legs feel leaden,
My eyes feel weary,
My heart feels wooden,
There is an emptiness
Where there should be happiness,
I feel unfulfilled
In the midst of plenty;

I look around me
And find
I have been carrying
The carcass of my dreams
For too long,
I have not mourned
The death of my hopes
For too long,
I have been existing
Without living
For too long,
I have not allowed my eyes
To cleanse my heart
For too long....

Connecting with myself

My mind full of questions,
My world full of chaos,
Whom do I turn to?
What do I ask?

Then I recall
‘All lies within me',
And I turn to myself
To guide me on the right path.

I drop away from my surroundings
Am surrounded by peace,
I listen to what my soul has to say
And connect with a power higher than me.

I am lost to the world,
Nothing, nobody now exists,
I can hear
Only my inner voice.

Some quiet time passes by
I mull over what I want,
What troubles me?
What will make me happy?

Slowly, one by one,
All answers come to me,
My mind is now less clouded,
The path I need to walk much clearer…

Beautiful thoughts

Some beautiful quotes collected from different places:

#1 If you love somebody, let them go. If they return, they were always yours. If they don't, they never were.

#2 You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly.

#3 Love is when you don't want to go to sleep, because reality is better than a dream.

#4 Sometimes we put walls around our heart, not just to be safe from getting hurt, but to find out who cares enough to break them down. It is called love.

#5 Wanna know what i want most in life? i want someone who can

-leave me,
-live without me,
-be strong enough without me

but chooses not to..

#6 Don't go for looks; they can deceive.
Don't go for wealth; even that fades away.
Go for someone who makes you smile,
because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright.
Find the one that makes your heart smile.

#7 People come into your life for a reason, a
season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will
know what to do for that person.

When someone is in your life for a
REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have
come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with
guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.
They may seem like a GOD send and they are. They are there for the
reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrong doing on your
part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do
something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die.
Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our
desire fulfilled, their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a
SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you
something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable
amount of joy. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime
lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid
emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and
put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and
areas of your life.

#8 When one door of happiness closes, another opens;
but often times we look so long at the
closed door that we don't see the one,
which has been opened for us.

#9 May you have...Enough happiness to make you sweet
Enough trials to make you strong
Enough sorrow to keep you human
Enough hope to make you happy
And enough money to keep you comfortable.

#10 The best kind of friend is the one you could sit on a porch, swing with,
never saying a word and then walk away feeling like that was the best
conversation you've had.

#11 Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right
one so that when we finally meet the right person, we should know how to be
grateful for that gift.

#12 The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything, they
just make the most of everything that comes along the way.

#13 A sad thing about life is that when you meet someone who means a lot to
you only to find out in the end that it was never bound to be and you just
have to let go.

#14 It hurts to love someone, and not to be loved in return but what is most
painful is to love someone and never finds the courage to let the person
know how you feel.

#15 Never say goodbye when you still want to try;
Never give up when you still feel you can take it;
Never say you don't love that person anymore when you can't let go.

#16 There are things you love to hear, but you would never hear it from the
person whom you would like to hear it from, but don't be deaf to hear it
from the person who says it with his heart.

#17 Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they'll love you
back. Don't expect love in return, just wait for it to grow in their hearts
but if it doesn't, be content it grew in yours.

#18 Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.

#19 Dream what you want to dream;
go where you want to go;
be what you want to be,
because you have only one life
and one chance to do all the things
you want to do.

#20 The brightest future will always
be based on a forgotten past;
you can't go forward in life until
you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

#21 It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's
also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.

#22 Always put yourself in other's shoes. If you feel that it hurts you, it
probably does hurt the person too.

#23 Happiness lies for those who cry, those who hurt, those who have
searched and those who have tried. For only they can appreciate the
importance of people who have touched their lives.

#24 When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.
Live your life to the fullest so that when you die, you're smiling and
everyone around you is crying . . .

#25 Love comes to those who still hope even though they've been
disappointed, to those who still believe even though they've been betrayed,
need to love those who still love, even though they've been hurt before.

#26 Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.

#27 Love is when the other person's happiness is more important than your own.

#28 Life doesn't require that we be the best, only that we try our best.

#29 The only true gift is a portion of yourself.

#30 Life Is Not The Breaths You Take. It is The Moments Which Take Your Breathe Away.

#31 The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves
and not to twist them with our own image, otherwise we love only the
reflection of ourselves we find in them.

#32 In life, there are only lessons, no failures……

#33 It is your attitude more than your aptitude that determines your altitude.

#34 Lord, don't move that mountain,
But give me the strength to climb
Lord don't take away the stumbling blocks
But lead me all around...

#35 Loving is not just looking at each other, it's looking together in the same direction.

#36 When you want to see how rich you are, don't count your assets, just drop a tear and look around at the number of hands that are outstretched to catch it..

And, lastly, something I got as an SMS and touched me a lot:

"We live in a funny world because pizza reaches home faster than the ambulance..."

A dish of bhelpuri and philosophy

Bhelpuri – a wonderful chat item that is a combination of sweet, sour and spicy tastes. Each of these unique flavors blend together to create a great dish.

Imagine that the bhelpuri has not been mixed properly. A piece of hot green chutney hits your tastebuds and you scream. The next bite has a bit more of sweet chutney and you relish it all the more after that having had that attack on your tastebuds.

Now imagine that more than the necessary amount of sweet chutney has been added. You would probably wrinkle your face in disgust on tasting it. You need a little bit of sour and spicy to create just that perfect flavour.

Isn’t our life just like that? A mix of sweet, sour and spicy moments? Too much sweet makes life dull. A few sour or spicy moments from time to time would create a more balanced life and would help us relish the sweet moments even more. We need to savour life as a whole instead of reflecting only on sweet times or sour ones…

Innocence

I was a little girl once

Who believed in fairies

And guardian angels and Santa Claus,

I was a little girl once

Who believed the world was all

Chocolates and cakes and candy floss,

I was a little girl once

Who believed that everything

Could be set right with a hug and a kiss,

I was a little girl once

Who believed that pain

Was scraping your knee when playing,

I was a little girl once

Who believed that sadness could be cured

With a new doll or an icecream,

I was a little girl once

Who believed that nightmares vanish

With the light of day,

I was a little girl once

Who believed that every one

Who came to play was a best friend,

I was a little girl once

And I wish I could go back

To being that little girl once again....

The journey of life

I am embarking
On a journey,
Life it is called.

I know the route is long and tough,
But there are sweet-smelling flowers too
On the way.

I take with me some companions,
Faith and Hope and Courage,
To help me tread my path.

There are milestones on the way
That I have to cross,
Knowledge, Success, Fame and the like.

I'll need to keep up
With my fellow travelers,
Who tread the same path as I.

'Tis a long path that I intend to trudge,
With hills and rivers and seas en route,
But I cannot stop
Until I reach my final destination.

Growing up

The things I used to wonder about
Are things of yesterday,
Today I am on another quest,
Seeking answers to other questions,
Maybe that is what is growing up.

Time will tell what is in store for me,
I know not now,
I have learnt to make lemonade
From the lemons life throws at me,
Maybe that is what is growing up.

Going on and on,
Refusing to give up,
Moving on ahead of grief and pain,
Learning to see the bigger picture,
Maybe that is what is growing up.

Learning to stop
Saying 'Life is not fair',
Caring to see deep enough
To find the fairness beneath,
Maybe that is what is growing up.

Realising that life
Is sometimes
Less than perfect,
Learning to live with the imperfections,
Maybe that is what is growing up.

My first post

Hey, my very first post. So excited about the whole thing. Was thinking of creating my blog for a long long time, but never really got around to it. Finally did it today!

Lemme start my blog with something I wrote a few weeks back. It is called 'Smelling the roses'. Here goes:

7.00 A.M. Morning alarm goes off.......
7.10 A.M. You get out of bed grumbling........
7.30 A.M. A quick glance at the headlines with your morning cuppa........
7.45 A.M. Go for a bath........
8.00 A.M. Decide your schedule for the day.........
8.30 A.M. Start for office........
8.30 A.M. Reach home from office.......have dinner, watch T.V., go to sleep......

Sounds familiar? This is the normal daily routine for most office goers of today. Whatever be your role in the organisation, you have to slog it out. You have to give your best in order to survive. Times are tough.

You leave for work when the dawn has just broken and reach home hours after the sun has set. Chances are you are becoming a workaholic, just like thousands of other career-minded people. "There is no time to stand and stare." So when do you smell the roses?

Ensure that you take the time off from your busy schedule for a friendly chat with that long-lost college pal. Take the time to reply to all those e-mails you received from well-meaning friends and relatives. Take the time to have a word with your parents. Take the time to hug your spouse and whisper a sweet something in his/her ear. Take the time to lend an ear to your child's growing-up woes. Take the time to affectionately pat the back of your neighbour's kid and say 'Hi!' to your neighbour. Take the time off for your favourite hobby. Take the time to listen to the music of the birds chirping in the morning. Take the time to gaze at the stars. Take the time to feel the sun on your face. Take the time to feel the cool breeze on your body. Take the time to count your blessings. Take the time to pray to God and to thank Him for the little pleasures in life.

Stop to smell the roses every now and then and you will find that the grind of life has suddenly become more bearable.