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We usually crowd our minds with senseless ‘what ifs…’ Coz we’re conditioned to be ‘realists’ which is really just a code for ‘pessimists’ coz they don’t want you to get your hopes up too high, be prepared for the worst, blah blah. Seriously, what was your last ‘what if..’ thought? The worst one I’ve had “what if this is as good as it gets…” eeejuuuh! this one really gets me!
We all know that we have limited time and yet we choose to waste it.. imagining the worst, which, may I remind you, hasn’t happened and may not happen at all! Coz the truth is, if there’s a possibility of things going wrong, then there’s as much a chance that things will go right, right?!
Besides, how many people do you know who want to be around ‘realists’?
So populate your mind with these:-
What If….
…you’re just one tiny step away from achieving your biggest goal yet!
…the love of your life is already in your life!
…your greatest talent hasn’t been discovered yet!
…today is the day your life changed for the better!
Well, may be things are going to get bad, may be worse, but what if you’re going to make it anyway and surprise yourself and everyone else, in a shockingly short period of time…. you just don’t know it yet! 😉
We are surrounded by around 7 billion people..hmm.
we live on one of 8 planets, (plus 5 dwarf planets) in the solar system, which is located in the Milky Way galaxy. And this galaxy happens to contain about 200 billion stars!
There are probably more than 170 billion (1.7 × 1011) galaxies in the observable universe…in which, I am an inconsequential speck. Wow! I have no words to describe how diminutively puny I feel we are as human beings.
And yet, every time you say you wanna be with me, I feel like I am larger than all of this cosmological magic put together!  🙂
We all have good days and bad days. But some days are just mean! The kinda days you wanna hold by the shoulders and shake violently and scream, “why…why?” dramatically, like in old bollywood flicks. Today seems to be one of those days for me, and it brings to mind all those times when we feel, “don’t you just hate it when…
…you’re having an awesome hair day (how RARE is that for some of us!!)…your hair looks like Paul Mitchell styled it himself in front of your two by two dresser, BUT you have no plans for the evening, and worse, you’re sick!
…you need coffee to stay alive, not just awake AND you just found out that it’s gonna be a long and hectic day, no escape!
…the so-called quick-dry nailpaint on your toes gets nicked while wearing jeans after TWENTY minutes of applying it!
…you discover scratches on your car that look like freddy krueger came alive but no way on earth can you find out who did ’em coz it happened when you were away and your car was PARKED
…the fonts and layouts of a presentation you put days into making ‘amazing’ go awry coz the software on the laptop you are expected to use is outdated! Stupid technology!
…after months of struggling to motivate yourself to workout, you finally start..but the very next day you get your periods, way before their actual date!
aaarrrrrggggh! I just hate such days. Period.
Just 5 random things I experienced, (re)discovered, learnt…this week:-
Kids and sarcasm don’t blend!
It makes me so very happy everytime I am touched by the divinity of my 2 and half year old niece. She has no idea what ‘sarcasm’ is! Try being sarcastic with a kid and you’ll get slapped with oodles of innocence and unconditional love. It doesn’t cease to amaze me how kids are untouched by the corruption of the adult mind..the need to complicate things! Isn’t is awesome? Why..why can’t we keep it?!
Your truth is only yours
Most of our ‘issues’ stem from misunderstandings..differences in definitions and perceptions.It’s what we think the other person is doing that becomes reality for us, not necessarily what they actually intended. One’s point is only what it’s understood to be. It doesn’t have to be the truth, it just has to be yours and that’s enough. Sometimes.. that’s not very nice. Sigh.
Carol me anytime!
Christmas Carols in January? Why not? 😉 The season may have passed, but the spirit of joy stays. Feeling low or not? Just sing along (howl, in my case) with as many christmas carols as you have time for, and feel the magic of walking in a winter wonderland. Works every single time! Coz magic needs no season, and happiness…no reason.
Women can compete at anything.that’s it.
Dresses, shoes, buying vegetables! yup! Here’s the scene:- Down at the supermarket, aisle no.5, 2 ladies armed with shopping baskets, their hands sifting through a huge pile of red juicy tomatoes, and then…their pace picks up and they got more aggressive when they realize that they are both going after the ‘best’ in the lot! teeheehee. Their eye-hand coordination was amazing..really! Their hands checked and bagged the perfect ones as their eyes scanned for the next target, at lightning-fast speed. And when one of them was done, she had this smug look on her face. She even threw me a “now you can take what’s left” kinda glance as I stood there, empty basket in hand, waiting for them to finish the ‘race’. Fun. Lol.
Do the obvious dodo!
Why do we humans act so stupid sometimes? We refuse to see the obvious and then get into trouble or complain that things aren’t good enough! Like..if you serve correctly and with a smile, you will get a better tip, it’s obvious! If you jump a red light, you will have to pay a fine, d-uh! If you leave everything for the last minute, you will get delayed, won’t you? Yet, most of us still don’t do these so-called logical things. Why do we overlook even when we know it’ll cost us? Apathy, tsk tsk.
I believe that our wounds carry in them, the power to heal. All we have to do is open up.
As a counselor, I help my clients work through a variety of issues. But one thing is common. They all need to be healed. And the process of healing is a difficult one. You can’t heal anything by hiding. And this applies to all kinds of wounds..physical and emotional.
For something to heal, you have to clean it first, and this is probably the most painful part, where they have to go into your wound to disinfect it. But once that’s done, it’s all TLC. One of my clients is a 12 year old girl Tikki* who’s dealing with the death of her only sister, who was also her best friend. Death of  a loved one, sudden or not, is a traumatic experience. It alters our core, it makes us humble, and it makes us realize that we don’t have forever. But how do you fill the “void”?
Each of us has his own way, but the void needs to be acknowledged first. Venting is crucial. Bottling up emotions can be toxic. Emotions need to flow, and purging can take some time. Watching this 12 year old angel pick herself up has been an awe inspiring experience for me. It wasn’t easy, it never is. But it’s important, and she did it. She allowed herself to heal.
Healing takes courage, faith, patience..and above all, willingness. And since we have to begin some day, why not begin today?
*Thank you Tikki (nickname) for granting me permission to share your story with everyone.
I think my left brain is taking over!*  I seem to be developing a fondness for lists of late. Although making a list doesn’t guarantee getting the job done, it seems to trick my mind into believing that the work has at least begun! From regular simple to-do, gift, grocery, pros-n-cons lists to more complicated tables of two or more lists, I’ve got it all. So here’s another list, this one is about ‘the reasons for making lists’ 😉 wow, I think my left cerebral hemisphere just had a tiny orgasm!
1) Being a more “feeling” kinda person and inclined towards a haphazard way of functioning, I’ve realized that making lists has helped me structure my chaos. I’ m still a mess, but an organized mess 😀
2) Outsourcing memory! no need to put pressure on my walnut sized brain to remember anything anymore!
3)Â Looking at the list puts additional pressure on me to do what the list says instead of whiling away my time chasing butterflies ( oh, I’ve actually done that too..anything to escape!)
4) Lastly, and thankfully, I’ve actually managed to get things done, think clearer, and even sleep better knowing that my ‘guardian’ lists are watching over me.
ah! the gift of being organized…I know I won’t be ‘listless’ anymore 😉
*Although it doesn’t have “scientific validity” some researchers claim that despite being a part of a much larger cognitive system that produces unity of thought and action, the two hemispheres of the brain carry out specific functions differently. The dominance of the left hemisphere reflects in an analytical and logical way of functioning, whereas the so-called right brained people are more free-flowing and creative.
Rachel's day out 