Seeking joy in little things

   

     As part of normal human nature, we are always attracted towards ‘larger than life things’. Admit it, you all must have expressed the desire to own a big mansion, when you pass one or longed for a luxury car, when its passes your simple and humble vehicle. I am sure you all must have hoped for a big vacation overseas or longed to visit exotic restaurants all over the town. There is nothing wrong in such kind of dreams. After all, dreams and desires fuel our efforts to work hard. It sets a goal in front of our eyes, as we toil to fulfill every single wish in the list.

But, if we always focus on such larger things, will we ever be happy?

What about the innumerable little things that keep happening to us every single day that offer joy in their own way?

If we are always engrossed in chasing bigger things, will we end up missing all the fun?

In an attempt to fulfill a dream in the future, will we waste all the precious time today?

Are we blinded by the shining mirage of tomorrow that we fail to appreciate the shining sun today?

  While there is nothing wrong in waiting for such grand plans and hoping for their fulfillment, we must not miss out on little things that are happening to us right at this moment. You may long to see yourself in a grand mansion with all the luxuries, but you certainly cannot ignore the warmth of your little house. It is convenient to postpone our happiness based on our plans, but it is extremely difficult to appreciate what we have today. In the rat race to make it big, we often forget about the little outcome of surprises. Life continues to throw several drops of achievements and happiness towards us, but if we waiting for a heavy shower of success, we may never be able to soak ourselves in its joy.

  Our nature to achieve and succeed may blind us from the joy in little things. I am not proposing satisfaction in little achievements or compromise of goals and dreams; I am only wondering about the happiness of present. You will shift to a bigger house down the line, but enjoy the walls and roof of your humble shelter for now. You will ride one of the best luxurious cars at a later date, till then don’t forget to appreciate your wheels today. We often fail to recognize the worth of our routine happenings, it is only after moments transform into memories, when we are able to connect with them closely.

      For a moment think about that simple bicycle that your parents bought for you. All that while, you were longing for an upgraded version like your friend, but today one single picture of you and your bicycle will bring back flood of happy memories. Eating meals at home meant boredom and monotonous food, while you longed to go out for exciting cuisine. But today as you look back, those moments with your family at the dining table were nothing less than pure joy.

    It is during such times when you realize that happiness is not packed in big boxes. It is not wrapped in branded clothes, accessories or assets. It is tied to those simple moments that meant nothing at all at one point of time; it is tied to routine meals and non-happening days; it is tied to closed ones and their talks; it is tied to hard earned materials and drops of sweat.

    Look around you with an open mind and you will realize life is hidden in simple things. It is hidden in the eyes of a little baby as he smiles for a happy future. Life is waiting for you to embrace such joy with open arms. You will definitely earn laurels in your career, till then enjoy the boring job with a smile. Appreciate the sunset, sunrise, rains and nature around your own home town, you do not need to travel miles away to sink in the beauty of nature. This attitude can keep one cheerful and happy, without running for the big picture. Do not halt in your journey forever, but make sure to enjoy the path on the way.

  To make the process easier, let us frame down some little things in our routine that give us joy. Do add your own contents in the comments.

1.       The comfortable bed in your room

2.       Fragrance of home-cooked meal

3.       Television set and remote in your living room

4.       Siblings or spouse and their routine habits

5.       Your neighbors and their colorful talks

6.       Your best friend with his/her routine complaints

7.       View of setting/rising sun from your window

8.       Trees around your house/building/street

9.       Your office desk and all its clutter

10.   Your favorite coffee or tea mug

11.   Your smart phone with its interesting apps

12.   Your favorite budget friendly restaurant in the neighborhood

13.   Your refrigerator with stock of essential supplies

14.   Your lucky dress, no matter how old it looks

15.   Lazy weekends spent on your comfortable couch

…..and a long list of other simple little things that make us happy to be alive. While you wait for the grand luxuries of tomorrow, make sure to enjoy the raw materials today. You will realize it, only when these happenings turn into memories. You may long to invite them back into your lives, but the distance may be too long. Till then enjoy the little things, embrace them closely and extract maximum joy, life is too short to wait, hope and wait again! 

Picking up threads, from where you left them…

     

To start with this blog, I will request you to put your imagination to work for the following situations:

Situation 1: ‘You meet your gang of school friends after a long time. As you spend quality time and talk about good, old days, you are instantly transported to your school times. Unknowingly as your conversation gains power, you forget about the present and get the feel of being back in school. Though each one of you has moved ahead on the journey with diverse careers and unique courses, things remain the same between your buddies, who know everything about your childish habits and naughty behavior.’

Situation 2: ‘Your sibling has moved abroad for higher education or career. You are miles away from each other, yet your conversations on phone or video chats revolve around petty fights and arguments of mishandling the room or sharing certain things or who is parents’ favorite. When you meet after a long time, things do not change a bit. No matter how far you go or how disconnected you seem to be, you are back to your normal form, as soon as you meet.

Situation 3: ‘You have moved away from your home city for work. You may not meet your parents for a long time, yet your mother asks her favorite set of questions about your food, health, routine etc. Even though you are an adult with decent levels of maturity, your mother will never cease her questions and worries. You return back home to be welcomed by a loving father with his inspirational talks or a loving mother with her complaints against your carelessness.

Situation 4: ‘You have shifted away from your old childhood building or neighborhood for better prospects far away. Yet one visit back to the place bring back wonderful memories instantly. Before you realize, you meet your old friends or neighbors and relive the good times for doses of laughter, while coloring your mischievous childhood stories.’

I hope you enjoyed this session of imagination as every situation was truly amazing to think about. 

Now, what did you find common among each of these episodes?

Though characters and plot were distinct during each time, what is the central theme governing every aspect?

   Call it love, bonding, affection or attachment, certain people form a permanent tie with you forever. Such is the binding power of this adhesive, you will never be able to remove it off, even if you wanted to. Relations like these remain untouched for years, yet look fresh and new, when you look at it after a long time. You may not be able to meet them for months and years, let alone days, yet you will find nothing has ever changed. The distance or separation turns into an insignificant factor, as you bring back the good, old times.

  For such relations, absence means nothing at all. Though you may not see each other often, you are able to continue the conversation, right from where you left. Several changes may enter into your journey, while you were away from your family or friends, but nothing of it matters, when you are back together. There is no awkwardness to be back to your normal childish form, when you meet your school friends after years and years into the future. Some ties are designed for being intact and comfortable, irrespective of the gap of distance. As hearts and minds remain connected, geographical distance or lack of time turn into insignificant factors.

     If a relation demands your time every single day of the year, it does not qualify to be strong. This does not mean, I am proposing distance between relations, just to check their strength. It simply means, situations and circumstances may change at any given point of time, demanding us to be flexible. During such uncertain times, we may be forced to move away. Though your reason may differ, the reality of being away from closed ones should not make you weak. Instead you will realize that these wonderful relations keep you going, even miles away.

    Your best buddies from school, college or neighborhood; your loving parents; your naughty yet caring siblings will all remain the same, waiting for you at the same spot with same smiles, as you return back. Physical distance, time zone difference, change in responsibilities or simply change in your lifestyle can do nothing to hamper with such relations. It is like picking threads from where you left, staying intact all this while. You will be surprised that things do not change at all, while you joke about pranks in school with your bunch of friends or your mother feeds you with love, even though you may have turned into a master chef yourself.

     Such is the beauty of certain relations that last forever. This does not mean we can take them for granted. We certainly need to strengthen them with love, care, affection and trust from time to time to enjoy their presence always. They will definitely stay for you as long as you respect their role. In an uncertain world and fragile life, where nothing seems to be under our control, such strong ties are all we have to walk along the journey of life.

Celebrate the presence of such close people in your life, who will wait for you at the same spot forever. Thank them for their patience and love them for their purity, as these threads will not break unless you pull it yourself!

P.S: A big hug to my parents for all their concern, even while being miles away.

 Lots of love to my sister, though I will continue to have loads of complaints against you forever.

Thank you all my school and college friends who bear my stupidity, yet never seem to complain!

Do you have FOMO?

   

    Now, before you quit this post for such an unusual title, let me jump straight to the point. For all you cool millennials born after the year 2000, this abbreviation will be a routine part of your dictionary. But for all those like me before the 2000s, this word may come across as a surprise. Whether you know it by the virtue of your coolness quotient or whether you have heard it for the first time, FOMO is the new-age fear of missing out. Fear of missing out from social media, happening events, cool celebrations or fancy occasions, FOMO is the new trouble gripping us like the flu. Thanks to fast speed internet, virtual connectivity, dozens of social media apps and an interest to be ‘online’, this FOMO shall not go away so easily.

   Imagine your day from start to end in today’s world. With close association of smart phones, it is difficult to stay away from the internet. As every single detail gains an entry into our Facebook walls, twitter pages or WhatsApp groups, it is impossible to stay aloof. Call it herd mentality, peer pressure, fear of rejection or restlessness of being left out, our social lives have truly changed in every way. 

   

   While I am no exception to the growing trend, the blogger in me was tempted to touch this unusual side of our life in a funny way. Gone are the days of mouth publicity, when news of any good deeds were spread through talks. Today, all we have is an account on social media to broadcast every single happening event of our lives. Good, bad, happy, sad everything has to be recorded over the media apps to stay connected in the real world.

   Bad internet connection is our worst fear today as staying away from constant updates can affect our mental health! Such is the growing influence of virtual presence that it is necessary to undergo detoxification from time to time. While relying over these apps and websites for ease of connectivity, we may have erased the thin line between necessity and compulsion. Posting about every outing, meal, celebration or routine day has turned into a mandatory affair in order to be accepted in the society. 

    For those staying miles away from home, this facility turned into a convenience to be in touch with family and friends always. Yet, it can never justify the need to post the pictures of meal before actually relishing the food or checking in details at a location before exploring it completely.

   It is always said that it is essential to live in the moment, enjoy the present, make memories and treasure it forever. But with today’s inclination towards posting and posing, I believe this essence has lost its charm somewhere. The need to be active into virtual world may take us away from the happiness and joy in simple things. Unless we savor the present and enjoy it without the pressure to post it all over, we may not live life the way it is meant to be. In the spirit of declaring our plans, holidays, major occasions and events – we tend to stress over presentation rather than the actual content.  

  Looking at pictures of our friends or reading their posts and updates may force us to believe that our life is nowhere close to theirs. With this, as competition, jealousy, anxiety and anger steps in, it can hurt us in several unknown ways. Social media is designed for our connectivity, rather than dividing us on the basis of our lifestyle. Just because your friends post fancy pictures at exotic locations does not translate into failure of your own course. As each one of us have a unique journey to accomplish, the pressure to be in the ‘happening circuit’ always can turn into a pain.

    Posting every single detail of our lives, just to be acceptable among our social circle is truly the biggest mistake of our digital minds today. You can definitely paint the canvas without placing a close camera on your lives. While my virtual brain tempts me to broadcast details quite often, my grounded husband ensures adequate distance from FOMO for the both of us. Another unusual thing that depicts our growing FOMO is expression of feelings over the internet.  

    Why does a wife need to express love for her husband through long posts and poems over their social page, when it can be conveyed right across the room?

   Why does a son or daughter express all the love and affection for their parents over the internet, when all it takes is a phone call or direct conversation to say it all?

   Why do we need to wish our best friends for their special occasions through the medium of posts alone, is it difficult to meet and greet?

    Now, I am sure you may not completely agree with my views, but these are just few questions that do deserve some attention. Some of you may argue that it is the new-age expression of love, but I believe it can be contained and restricted in our own way. When such thoughts are raised, their aim is not to discourage us from the usage of social media, it is only to make us aware about its true requirement. Love does not fade away if we fail to declare it all over the world. No matter how loved, wanted and happy the virtual world makes you feel, some relations, moments, events and happenings are meant to be protected from the online pressure.

   Fear of missing out may last for a few days, but the regret of not enjoying every moment to the fullest may last forever. Our presence over the internet, likes over the photos, comments over the posts and praises through messages will go away with passing time. But our memories, happiness and joy will definitely stay close always.

    This does not mean complete boycott of social media, it simply means understanding its usage wisely. It is definitely essential to try out every new trend in the society to live life to the fullest. I cannot deny the joy of seeing likes over my own pictures or comments on my posts, yet it is essential to stay away from the fear of missing out. As social media is an important means for writers like me, I can never turn my back to this interesting invention. But, I believe we can truly erase this FOMO before it hurts us. Impulsive need to show our presence over the internet or match the happening course of our friends can pose more harm than good.

     As long as we can realize this trouble and recognize the entry of FOMO into our system, we can unplug our lives at the right time. It is not about knowing what to post, it is about knowing when, how and why that can prevent us from any troubles.

    Hope, we all stay away from this artificial FOMO, because we have enough natural fears to take care of!

P.S: Article of such a topic deserves discussion and arguments. I would love to hear your feedback and thoughts over the same. Just because I posed this article, it does not mean my absence from the social media, I will continue to stay connected with you always (but without any FOMO!!!!)  

Song 6: Pyar ke Pal by KK

Hum, rahen ya na rahen kal
Kal yaad aayenge ke ye pal
Pal, ye hain pyar ke pal
Chal, aa mere sang chal
Chal, soche kya
Chhoti si, hai zindagi
Kal, mil jaaye to hogi khush-naseebi

Hum rahen ya na rahen yaad aayenge ye pal

Hum rahen ya na rahen kal
Kal, yaad aayenge ye pal
Pal, ye hain pyar ke pal
Chal, aa mere sang chal
Chal, soche kya
Chhoti si, hai zindagi
Kal, mil jaaye to hogi khush-naseebi

Hum rahen ya na rahen yaad aayenge ye pal

Shaam ka aanchal, odh ke aayee dekho woh raat suhani
Aa likh dein hum dono milke apni ye prem kahani
Hum rahen ya na rahen yaad aayenge ye pal

Aane waali subah jaane rang kya laaye deewanee,
Meri chaahat ko rakh lena jaise koi nishani
Hum rahen ya na rahen yaad aayenge ye pal

Hum rahen ya na rahen kal
Kal, yaad aayenge ye pal
Pal, ye hain pyar ke pal
Chal, aa mere sang chal
Chal, soche kya chhoti si hai zindagi
Kal mil jaaye to hogi khush-naseebi

Hum rahen ya na rahen yaad aayenge ye pal
Hum rahen ya na rahen yaad aayenge ye pal

  A song that definitely brings tears during farewell of any kind, these lyrics have been ruling our hearts since several years now. Speaking about nostalgia, memories, moments, love, friendship, happiness and life – the song ‘Pyar ke Pal’ by famous Bollywood singer KK is truly incredible in every way. 

  

   Though it dates back to almost 14 years in the past, it still manages to spread its charm especially during farewell days along bitter-sweet good-byes. As this wonderful number was released during our last year in school, it undoubtedly holds special memories for me and my school friends, accompanied by rolling tears and sea of fantastic memories. While framing the flow of songs for my musical express, I realized this was truly a perfect piece to end my series. Singing about memories and talking about moments, it focuses over the value of our past.

    The beauty of this simple number lies in its meaningful lyrics. Notes of guitar add magic to its rhythm that flows in a flawless manner. Each of the words talk about the beauty of memories and moments as they fill our lives with purpose and hope. No amount of wealth, assets, treasure or belongings can replace the joy of memorable moments spent with our loved ones. As life is too short to think or worry about the future, the song prompts one to remember such moments forever. Nostalgic memories have the power to radiate a sense of satisfaction, reminding us of the beautiful past.

    Besides celebrating memories and moments, this song talks about the uncertainties of tomorrow. While none of us are aware about the events of the future, all we can do is rejoice in the present and live it to the fullest. It prompts us about the need to collect valuable moments spent with loved ones. Celebrating our love, preserving it a safe manner, valuing the presence of closed ones and protecting this bond forever are some of the aspects to ride along the journey of life. As nothing is permanent and everything is uncertain, it is essential to color our lives with love, affection, attachment and bonds. They are the only assets with a lifelong value.

   Lyrics of this song have an exceptional capacity to force you down the memory lane. Listen to this song at any time of the day and you will find yourself in a pool full of beautiful memories. Be it school, college, childhood, marriage, adulthood or vacation, this song can definitely offer you unmatched levels of joy. Though memories or moments are usual occurrences in any individual’s life, these wonderful lyrics add rhythm, tune, melody and music to your train of thoughts.

      Coming to the customized section of my blog, I will frame down the reasons that make these ‘Pyar ke Pal’ so special in our lives!

©       Memories are permanent treasures that cannot be erased from our system. They stay intact all through our lifetime, reminding us of the glorious past.

©       They bring back happy times, taking us to the good, old happenings in our life.

©       Memories exhibit the support, love and affection of our loved ones, offering a sense of satisfaction that life is made of all the wonderful people we meet, greet, share and care.

©       Memories reflect our roller coaster ride, they depict the good and not-so-good experiences as we walk through the course of ups and downs.

©       Memories measure the life in us, they remind us that our journey was exciting so far, pumping enthusiasm for the further curriculum!

       Think about the reasons that make memories valuable and precious. Each of your ‘Pyar ke Pal’ will fill your lives with smiles and hearts with love.

With this, as my musical express comes to its final stop, I hope you enjoyed the lyrical journey of some of the amazing numbers in my account. Lyrics make the song and song makes our life as rhythm is all we need to keep going forever and ever....