16 things I would rather do than go shopping

Disclaimer: For the millions and billions who love shopping, this post may seem disturbing. Read at your own risk. The writer does not wish to offend shopaholics and shop-lovers. Her hatred for what they love is purely based on personal opinion.

  To begin with, the birth-story of this unusual post is quite interesting. As a matter of fact the background idea that led to this article deserves more screen space than the real listicle itself. Because what I will like to do than shop will just be a long list of random actions, but why did I come to this topic at the first place is more exciting. Why the urge to oppose shopping and why the urge to find some funny alternatives? For those who know me well, shopping is the least of my favorite activities. While this may sound too unusual -considering the joy offered by shopping, I am totally unsure why this weird expression in my genome?

   For me shopping was and will always be nothing less than a mandatory activity to ‘buy things’. I must pat my back for openly confessing the novel aspect of my personality. It is not easy to be truthful about such unusual thoughts because we are wired to love shopping. It is a stress buster activity for millions of people around the globe who find pleasure in the variety and quality. And there is nothing wrong if you belong to this expanding group because those are the expected and ‘so-called’ qualities of a ‘normal’ human. And though I have dared to be open about this, I only hope to be loved and accepted like the same way before. Please do not disown me, while I hate your favorite activity.

This attitude places me in a tiny club of minorities who detest shopping. I am not even sure if such a group exists because I am yet to find someone remotely close to my thoughts. And because I do not want to enter into gender-based stereotypical domain, I cannot comment on those who hate or love shopping.

  I am not sure whether I must blame the new-age concept of ‘minimalist living’ or express hatred towards ‘materialistic approach’ for this rather unique behavior. But I am convinced that my hostility towards shopping runs way before any such fancy things entered into the market. That does not mean I do not need to shop, but I am unable to find excitement, happiness or eagerness to do it. Be it shopping for clothes, bags, shoes, home goods or basic food, it turns into a rather heavy responsibility.

  The thought of hunting for items, trying them on and filling bags overwhelms the little dreamer in me who cannot find joy in any of those racks. And though this cost saving aspect of wife should please ‘the man’, he finds it rather scary. Talk about stereotypical nature and expected behavior because it is only natural to be alarmed. You know you hate shopping when you look at it as a punishment. Rather than roaming around in open air, the thought of spending hours in enclosed environment is nothing but punishment after all.

During one such detested experience, while dear husband was busy modelling shoes in his favorite shop for the ‘nth’ time in row, an interesting idea poked into my mind. And before I realized, I was scribbling notes on my phone. Though these scribblings were just broken thoughts at random, they were answers to the question “What I would rather do than shop?” To my surprise, the list grew longer and longer, while my fingers typed them out effortlessly. Those random ideas were just funny actions to engage my mind. But I truly enjoyed the imaginative pleasure that followed.

 Before I enlist them, it is essential to clear my stand. I do not have anything against those who love shopping or find pleasure in all its styles, including window and online. It is an important economic model that is essential at every levels. Also, I have nothing against the brands, shops, retailers, wholesalers and goods. Everything I have is against the better half who drags me into shops! But, I should be thankful to him for planting this interesting blog idea. Though I don’t enjoy shopping, I can continue increasing the length of this list. Every time I drag my feet through a mall or shop, I feel like an ‘Alice in wonderland’. I fail to understand why but walking in shops resembles a guilty feeling of breaking into someone’s backyard. A place I am not supposed to be, yet loiter around for no good reason.

  Coming back on track, while I continue to battle with these ill feelings for the act of shopping, let me share my scribbled list. It is just a funny one intended to amuse my irritated mind.

1.       Count the number of waves on a beach in an hour

2.       Note the changing shades of sky and sea waters from dawn to dusk, while sitting on the beach shore

3.       Hike mountains while counting the number of steps taken

4.       Capture selfie with trees, mountains, sea, sunset, sunrise

5.       Prepare a folder with photographs of diverse cloud patterns and find the appropriate scientific name for each

6.       Spend hours browsing a single shelf of books in library

7.       Sample one book from every non-fictional book shelf

8.       Track the route of flights I see in the sky through a live app

9.       Track the route of a bird till I lose her

10.   Walk around in the neighborhood and count number of trees

11.   Walk bare-feet inside a park lawn

12.   Stare into the sky, appearing to be deep in thoughts, while only thinking about what to eat

13.   Watch mindless comedy shows on phone while sitting on a park bench

14.   Read an entire boring car manual start to end on a beach

15.   Watch TV in the community gym room, while pretending to work out on the treadmill

16.   Read a horror book by the poolside

All of this just proves, I can do anything but shop. Count trees, read manuals, walk or just stare, I can do any of it than wander in malls with ‘n’ number of things that haunt me.

 What is your take on this unusual idea? Do you agree with me (which I highly doubt) or do you believe you can brainstorm my weird thoughts? Whatever be your stand, let the arguments begin…..

10 things I learned from my 20s

   To be honest, writing this post will be a bitter-sweet experience. Bitter for the fact of entering into the big 30 and sweet for the lovely sound of “happy birthday to me”. Though adulthood is nowhere close to fun-filled childhood with immense excitement for birthdays, it still offers the pleasure of a large and well deserved cake (like the one I just had!) 

 Standing at the exit door of 20s to enter into 30s is a bit overwhelming. Soon as 20s transform into something in the past, and 30s is the new present, the gravity of situation will poke for at least a year or two from now. But if that is the rule of life, why be sad with the increasing digits? Why not use it as an opportunity to write something and thank my 20s for all it gave me? (Yes, this is one of the many ways to pump excitement and reduce my sadness of that large 30).

  While I cannot carry the exciting title of 20s any further, I can always think about the lessons learned. Experiences turn into memories which eventually turn into lessons. Though 20s will be about the past, the realities learned will remain fresh into the future. 20s is one of the best phases of life for it forces one to transit from happy teen years to responsible adulthood. It offers excellent benefit of doubt. You are not extremely matured to know life in and out, but at the same time you are not kids anymore to stay away from the new-found independence. Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, it is good experimental phase to get your life together. It is like departing from a safety net; once you are out of the handsome 20s, the serious 30s wait to grip you (this is the example of how my mind is teasing me)

 But on a serious note, let me share the amazing lessons I learned in the eventful 20s. They may resonate with your experiences or may seem totally absurd to be true. Either ways, it will open your thought book to revise your lessons once again.

1.       Life is product of my own decisions and choices

We enjoy the fun game of blaming others including situations, people, circumstances and everything around us. Even I am guilty of doing so, several times in the past. But my 20s stressed over the fact that our life is reflection of what we think, do, desire and work towards. It is a product of our decisions. My choices and dreams is paving the road for me, hence there is nothing else to complain about.

2.       Life is not as difficult as marketed

If you ask me who marketed so, I do not have an answer. Because maybe it is something I interpreted from the thought process of adults. It is always believed adulthood is difficult, taxing, tiresome, worrying and serious. But I realized 20s was not so difficult after all. Sure, I am not qualified to comment on the hardships ahead, but I am convinced it is not difficult unless we want it to be. There is always a way out for everything and life is always wonderful because it depends on the glasses we put on.

3.       A little craziness does not hurt

What is with the preconceived notion of behaving seriously as adults? Agreed, it important to pose good examples for our kids of next generation, but a little craziness does not hurt. 20s made me realize I can bring out the child in me whenever needed. Age does not decide the shade of my nail paint or the amount I laugh. Also, it is okay to do things decided by my heart including funny adventures and childish activities.

4.       At the end, what matters is inner happiness

Do not tag me selfish as soon as you read this. But, it is true to the last letter. Inner happiness radiates joy externally that makes other happy too. We tend to neglect our happiness under the pretext of working for others or assuming it will affect our responsibilities. But what we fail to realize is taking care of others turns into a happy task when we love ourselves. Our happiness is the source of happiness for others hence it is undoubtedly the most important. Quality ‘me’ time is a must and so is loving ourselves. And if you still believe it to be selfish, in that case selfishness is fair too.

5.       Experience, explore and experiment

Growing up we relate adulthood to money, assets, power and position. It is good to harbor dreams and work hard in that direction. I will be unbelievably philosophic if I say money does not matter, because it truly does. It is the sole means and hence a necessity. But not at the cost of sacrificing the promising present and postponing it for future retirement. Different experiences should be gathered at different stages of our life. Hence 20s made it clear - gather experiences, experiment with novel things and explore everything with open arms. It pushed me out of a comfort zone to be receptive towards new things.

6.       If thoughts could move mountains, earth’s landscape would keep changing every day

“Overthinking is such as absolute waste of your present”- I have quoted my mind in a good way, trust me when I say this because it is not so kind whenever it speaks to me. Since my thoughts are not powerful enough to move mountains, my 20s warned me about the dangers of just plain thinking. What people think about me? What should I think about them? Why is this so? Why is this not so? Why it happens to us? What if people misunderstand me? Nothing of this matters. People will think what they want to. No amount of clarification will help or it is not even required. Hence I thank my 20s for putting a limit to my unnecessary thinking.

7.       The earth revolves around the sun, not around you

 Another sarcastic thought from my 20s. It makes me sad to hear, but there is no better way of saying it. We tend to give too much importance to ourselves or take our life too seriously. There is no rule book or stop watch for every development in our life. Time and circumstances are different for everyone, so listen to your own calling. It is ok to fail, cry, fall down, do something different, be unconventional, and be defeated, mocked and teased in life. We can always learn and make another attempt. There is scope for improvement but no scope for giving up. Do not give undue importance to failure or tears. Be sad for a while, accept it and get back sooner than later.

8.       Suppressed feelings will choke the system

       I always thought childhood is for expression, while adulthood is for suppression. I assumed it was incorrect to express feelings as an adult and one is supposed to hide it well to appear sane, sound, and matured. But, as the first bite to adulthood, 20s proved me wrong. No matter how well we try to present ourselves, it is only human to lose it once in a while. It is ok to cry, talk, express and convey our feelings in a healthy way, rather than suppressing it for some serious damage.

9.       Your ego is more dangerous than pollution, global warming, terrorism, and every threat combined together

This lesson may take lot of years to be implemented into my system, but 20s gave the first glimpse. Ego is dangerous and will only destroy a person before he/she realizes. Forget about position, age, expected behavior and past history- forget and forgive. Life’s credit limit is too small to keep a tab on every person/situation or incident.

10.   And at the end, age is just a number

This final lesson sums it all. Though I wouldn’t agree to it as a young teen or even in my early 20s, I realize it now why adults convinced this to themselves and others on every birthday. Now that I am in the same boat, I will do it too. Age is truly a number and it depends on how we look at it. We can either sit and complain that we are growing old or we can use every year as a new opportunity because it will occur only once in life. And I strongly choose to do the latter. So all the kids, teens and young 20s club members out there, you will have to bear with me, while I scream “Age is just a number”!

   I loved my 20s like every other person does and will truly miss it for being one of the best decades of my life. It taught, punished, hated, cared, shouted, kicked, embarrassed, embraced me but never stopped loving me.

   To the new beginning of 30s- hope you are as kind as the years gone by……

The 'listicle' series

  

    They say listicle is the new black. Or to put it the other way, listicles are in fashion now. A new trending concept where lists are framed over long articles, the primary aim is to express thoughts through usage of lists. List down variety of things depending on the topic and an interesting concept takes birth. Listicles are fun owing to the surprise of what follows next. It is easy to speak our mind through long chain of thoughts, but when it is time to list it down, the novelty begins. What and how to line them is unique in its own way. And for a talkative blogger like me, it instills an invisible pressure to pick few headings and channel my thoughts.

 After an exciting series of writing open letters, here I am with the next series in line. While the entire blogging world is buzzing with fun lists and every online magazine is busy listing some fun stuff out of the usual, I was tempted to follow suit. And though I agree, I am exceptionally bad at following fashion, I just hope this experiment works well for once.

  While that is something for you readers to decide, I promise to have loads of fun while at it. Pick some topic each time and list down contents with little explanation will be the new mantra going forward. Yes, explanation is a part of it because writing is all I have and no, please do not skip through it.  

  As always, these thoughts are pure fragments of my funny imagination. Do remember to sit with your usual pinch of salt because pun, sarcasm, humor and jokes (directed towards me, of course!) are highly intentional. And I intend to put my readers to work. Reading is not your only job, you are expected to frame down your version of the list too. Share it the way you want, but your inputs will be exciting additions to the discussion (Will a fat prize for the best feedback work as the intended bribe!?) But on a serious note, I love your feedback because that runs my blog (again not literally, financially or figuratively, but emotionally, if there is such a thing). Also, if there are some fun topics in your mind, shout it out. Will make an attempt to frame them as long as it does not embarrass me in public!

 Starting with the first listicle, the topic relates to everyone irrespective of age, gender, profession or lifestyle. Because sleeping is followed by waking up and waking up follows sleep, each one of us connect to it.

 LISTICLE 1: Five things that get me out of bed, each morning.

  Technically, it is just one thing. The stupid blaring alarm who does not seem to possess any form of self-respect. Though I hate it every single day and greet it with anger, frustration, and sorrow, it seems to enjoy its job. Alarm clocks are annoying messengers of the sun who are not bothered by the treatment directed towards them. You postpone it, hit it hard, throw it away or simply hide under the pillow, yet it continues its dutiful work each morning (just for dramatic effect - kindly ignore the fact that we actually set it up!)

 So, let’s not enter into this sensitive topic because it needs a separate post for itself. Concentrating on the topic in hand, these five things represent the happiness of a new day. They stand for joy that take me from the start to end of a new day, new hope, new excitement and yet another new story. I believe each day is a new story in itself and job of these five things is to keep me on track. By things, I do not mean literal five physical materials. They can be objects, experiences, or some fun ideas. The thought of these factors gets me out of bed, as they promise staying awake will be as beautiful as the deep sleep I just enjoyed.

   Each one of us needs some form of motivation to power our day. Finding our own source of inspiration is the real trick because it is free from any hidden expectations, compulsions or motives. It rises from the purity of inner happiness and internal joy, making it more amazing than the one derived from someone else.

In the ascending order of ‘when’ I greet them from morning to evening, here are my five things:

1.       Coffee – A controversial topic not open to any form of discussion, coffee is the first thing that pushes me to start my day. With my little espresso machine greeting me with its promising sound and smell of fresh coffee that strikes right into my brain, this sole cup does the trick. I dread days without this machine or worst without any coffee left on the planet!

2.       Sight of the sky – Call me a day-dreamer, wanderer or lost soul on earth, I enjoy the sight of blue sky out of the window. Except for rainy days that make me grumpy just like the dull sky above, I look forward to admiring the sight of changing blue shades all day long.

3.       Book – Reading transports me someplace else. As rightly said, reading can take you places, the thought of reading yet another good book can keep me sane, while I struggle with the usual routine.

4.       Sunset- Sunsets are associated with sad feelings of darkness or restlessness of moving towards the end of a day, but I actually enjoy this beautiful sight. Looking at the wonderful stars and colorful shades of sunset make it extremely peaceful for the restless mind.

5.       Dinner- This will be quite surprising for all those who know me well. Considering my strict formal ties with food, greeting it each day just for survival, dinners actually brighten my day or rather end it well. Planning what to make, irritating husband for options, hunting for recipes, and finally making something out of my own choice is fun in its own way. Except for boring dinners that mean ‘tried-and-tested’ recipes or non-exciting meals, the idea of experimenting with fun stuff is interesting.

  

 What is your take on things that keep you motivated? How do you ensure the difficult process of waking up transforms into an exciting experience, while you wait to greet your five favorite things?

Let the thinking begin...

Open letter - 10 (Myself)

    

   As the addressee of this letter is quite unusual, I am starting with a quick note to the readers- Yes, it is addressed to myself in the second person and no, it is not weird or crazy. My intention of writing to myself was to address everything I feel, think, analyze, judge about me as a person yet refuse to acknowledge it since it is not something we do often. As humans, we are programmed to hold opinions about others, but fail to confront ourselves or talk to our self in the second person (or maybe, it is something others do and I don’t, hence I was excited with the idea as soon as it sprouted). 

   In short, this open letter is designed to talk to the individual named ‘myself’, referring it with the word ‘you’. Cutting the confusion- in simple words, I am writing to myself. I am holding ‘myself’ as a different person – appreciating her for the good things, suggesting improvements, analyzing her weirdness and finally celebrating her presence in this exciting maze of life.

  Though it is addressed to myself, I believe some of the thoughts may resonate with your feelings too. Somewhere or sometimes we all tend to think the same about ourselves, while enjoying the opportunity of being human. Shout out a ‘yes’ if you agree or give a thumbs down if you don’t, but do take it with a pinch of salt. Sarcasm and humor are purely intentional, hence leave the judgement glasses aside!

  Now, to the loveliest person who means the world…… (Narcissism is intentional too, after all it is an excellent side effect of writing to myself!)

    

                                                                            

Dear Myself,

   This is probably the first time I am writing to you. Though there is so much I would like to tell you, I did not feel the need to pen it down. But that is when it turned into ‘taking you for granted’, hence I picked the opportunity to write a long letter to the self who means so much. While I will focus on talking to you in general, pardon me if it turns into a self-help lecture. You are the core of my life, hence loving you is the first step towards loving others. Unless I am comfortable, loving, caring and responsible towards you, those feelings cannot reflect on the universe. They say loving yourself can turn selfish, but that is the most commonly held misconception. In fact, it is the best way to share happiness to those around. Only when I started appreciating your presence, I realized life is so much better while sharing it with others too.

  You are nothing less than a surprise package to me. At times, you seem predictable with expected behavior and seem to walk on the road most taken that definitely leads to the destination. But most of the times, you enjoy going off track and trying something different. Your need to find a purpose, desire to make yourself happy and belief in yourself inspires me. It serves as the single most essential purpose of living that ensures unlimited happiness and joy to everyone around. You do not settle down to what others think is perfect. You know it well, perfect and ideal are nothing but fictional concepts. Hence the desire to do what your heart says drives you to happiness. You have shown its power. Success, settled life, expected milestones are necessary, but above all, your emphasis on a pure heart and happy mind tends to open my eyes.

   Why do you keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again? Agreed, you fall into the temptation of being yourself all the time, but it is not wise to repeat your errors. Stay away from things that don’t appeal to you. Refrain from getting angry when you realize it’s harmful and swallow that ego. You know it causes more harm than good, but something about not wanting to helpful yourself! At the end, practice what you preach, there is no better way to live life than by staying true to your words.

  I enjoy when you appreciate and accept everything. Good days are not the right days to measure your attitude. Successful and sunny days bring out the best in people, quite naturally. But what is necessary is the ability to smile when disappointed. Of course, I don’t expect a bigger smile on those days, but at least the capacity to accept the bad too.

 I like it when you make mistakes and learn from them. That is the best foolproof method to ensure guaranteed stability. I also admire your desire to experiment, fail, make an attempt once again and then achieve something at the end. Take it as a cautionary warning from your closest well-wisher- do not fall into the trap of pleasing people. You were never designed to act as a puppet. Everyone has a different opinion on how you should live your life, hence it is practically impossible to appeal to even 10%, let alone all of them. You know this well, yet fail to understand or simply choose to ignore.

  Do not forget where you come from. Your past experiences are lessons for the future. Take advice from everyone, listen to their experiences, seek guidance but make your own choice. You are the best judge to your situation hence you may not be entirely wrong. And what is with blaming everything around you. It is easy to transfer your faults- everything and everyone can be held responsible for your life. But is it right? Not at all. It is your story and journey, all the other members are simply passengers, willing to enjoy the trip with you. As a driver behind the steering wheel, take charge or rather hold it well before it is too late.

  And stop being in your head all the time. Do not take yourself so seriously to a point where you assume the world revolves around you. People do not have time to care about your looks, personality, clothes and assets. As long as you are presentable (which I sincerely hope you are, considering the well-known lack of your fashion sense!), it is okay to just be yourself. There are more pressing issues in the world than the unknown local brand of your bag or style of your clothes. Also, do not think so much- research has shown your excessive overthinking is absolutely baseless, pointless, and useless- need I say more?

 But above everything, you are awesome. Agreed, you are confused, scared, funny, irritating, naughty and fun-loving, yet amazing in your own way. Stay so forever because life is an opportunity, and not everyone gets a second chance...(you know it better) 

 And finally, if I haven't told you already or was too shy to actually say it - I LOVE YOU! Writing it down was not so difficult, after all. 

Yours lovingly,

A lifelong partner to your stupidity

P. S: This is my last letter in the open letter series. I enjoyed writing these open letters as a fun way to speak what’s in my mind. Hope you enjoyed walking inside the maze of my thoughts and did not get lost in it like I always tend to. Till I return again with the next off-beat idea- happy reading, happy living and the most important of all- happy ‘being yourself’!

Open letter- 9 (Books)

Dear Books,

   I am a bit shy to pen down this letter because I am sure it will turn into an open love letter. No matter how well I hide my feelings to sound matured and sane in the post, it will turn into a sweet expression of affectionate love by the end. For the source behind my inspiration, affection, and sanity, you have changed my world in an amazing way. And I am sure those who love you unconditionally will nod their heads in resonance when I say it is impossible to stay away from you. Unknowingly the need to possess you and read page after page turns into an addiction, while you open a wonderful world to life.

 Linking your name to addiction may sound incorrect but that is exactly how we feel about your presence in our lives. Let me quote my own real example from last week. After exhausting my stock of library books, I was restless till the time I could pick some new ones. And all the while, I possessed this unsettling feeling of missing something really important in my usual routine. That is how you make yourself so significant that your absence is difficult to deal with. But, this love is not shared by all the members of my clan. There are significant number of lovers and haters in the club; there are few who choose to stay away from you as much as possible. Something about you making them sleep! No wonder you are a good foolproof solution for insomnia. You are like a ‘tried and tested’ prescription for people who cannot sleep. Spend some time reading your text and experience guaranteed sleep.

 On a serious note, my lovely relationship with you is actually new-found and quite recent. I am sure my younger self in the past would not be able to say such good things about you. Since you troubled our childhood with boring matter and compulsory lessons, it was not a very smooth journey back then. The more I was forced to be with you year after year with examinations and evaluations at the end, the more I hated your presence. You were like that nosy nerd who seemed to know everything and who showed unnecessary smartness in front of our teachers and parents. No wonder my friends and I made all possible attempts to avoid you into our group.

   The number of times our elders told us to spend some time with you was just too much to handle. While I would love your colorful cousins full of fun stories and cartoons, I detested your boring counterparts overflowing with knowledge to the brim. This is exactly why we looked forward to hide you from our lives on the first day of vacation. In fact we even celebrated a little ritual on the last day of our examination where all of your gang was shut behind a locked cabinet to be ignored as much as possible. This hatred was only for the serious curriculum members of your clan. I still loved your fun based novels and informative non-fiction who promised not to judge me at the end with an examination!

   But all of this changed magically when the specifications of our relationship changed. As soon as you promised to stop bothering me with marks, degrees and tests, something magical happened. I felt in love with your matter when the marks did not matter! And then our bond strengthened. Now reading all your friends, cousins, family members and neighbors is my motto because I realized you people are fun too. Apart from the high level topics that tangent off from my understanding, there are actually many others that are totally interesting.

  There is some possessive feeling about you that is common within our club of book-lovers. Though we enjoy reading borrowed books from the library, it aches our heart if someone misuses you. Everything from folding your ears to flipping you upside down hurts our sentiments as if someone is manhandling our own friend. Hence on behalf of our team of ‘book-o-philes’ (Yes, this club does exist), we promise to punish the offenders immediately. You are best friend to so many of my introvert folks. In fact ‘bury yourself into books’ to avoid awkward interactions is the war-cry of the said book-o-philes.

 You are the brain child of talented authors and writers who work hard to reach their readers. And once you are out, it reflects their dedication, talent, and determination. You deserve all the respect in the world because words are powerful. And you are like the humble house storing all this power.

  Even someone as powerful as you could not be spared from the growing flame of technology. While technology managed to grip our grandparents and parents under its claws, I realized it did not spare you too. Though the sight of our grandparents swiping their screens or our parents smiling behind video calls is too cute and wonderful, it is not the same in your case. Call me old fashioned or an old grumpy girl (yes, I meant girl and no, it is not a typo) I don’t like to read your electronic version. I am still in love with your physical copy, making it easier to touch your pages and feel your words. I feel old and out-of-fashion when I say this because even my cooler dad prefers his cooler tablet to read the younger members of your team. I dread the day when electronic species of your genre will wipe away all the physical books and dominate the earth!

  I have a feeling this may turn into reality soon. And even though I hate to admit, it is true e-versions are better, convenient, simple to carry, and save paper too, yet they seem a bit cold at heart. But as they say change is the only constant, please do warn me before this happens, will save one physical masterpiece to show the grandkids!

 This brings me to the end of my open confession of love and affection. Do continue to bless our lives with texts, paragraphs, pages and binding. Till I read you again as soon as I am done with this writing; inspire our minds and brains- we need you forever.

Yours lovingly,

A true book-o-phile

Open letter- 8 (Moon)

Dear Moon,

  To be honest, I did not plan to write to you. I did not seem to have enough words for a calm, cool, beautiful and matured image like yours. They say ‘Drama creates talks’, hence it was not easy to get any juicy matters for your no-nonsensical aura. You possess the calmest look with a beautiful essence, leaving me dumbstruck for lack of any good words. But ever since you captured my attention two days back on the eve of full moon, I was tempted to say something. And when you posed for my camera, I realized it was the undoubted signal from universe. To a lovely natural satellite who shines bright and strong, there are so many aspects of your personality that attract me.

  At the start, you are ‘the single most romantic hero’ in the galaxy. I am curious to know why and how you earned this title, but there is something romantic about your presence. You seem to bring out the best kind of dreamy words from writers, poets and lyricists, while they symbolize your cute looks and lovely essence. And when these wonderful lyrics are wrapped into melodious tunes, the effect is beyond understanding. You manage to inspire and motivate us to fall in love with the breathtaking elements of nature. Not everyone needs to be strict and stern like your scorching cousin ‘Sun’. I hope he doesn’t read this letter to add to the existing stock of intense heat.

  But, if we leave the humor aside, you are like the mellowed down version of your stronger cousin. While he is strong, powerful, hot, angry and fierce, you are just the opposite. Appearing during the cold nights, you are so calm, silent, cool and happy. When the darkness of night seems to dull our spirits, your cool look makes us happy, hopeful and loving. We look forward to yet another day of struggle after a quiet night of sleep. I admire the perfect co-ordination between sun and you. While one brother forces people to wake up and get to work as long as he is around, the other one puts everyone to sleep. Must say, you and your brother handle two shifts perfectly. This coordinated play has turned into a perfect clock system for us. Both of you come and go, while we stick to our routine down here.

  I remember trying hard to learn about your cycle theoretically and observing you every single day to make it practical. With a short cycle, you enjoy turning brighter and dimmer with a strict schedule. How do you manage to stick to your fixed agenda every single day of the year without any laziness is beyond my understanding? Aren’t you bored of the same behavior every now and then without any variation the way you feel like? Well, I may never get any answer to this, but the least I can do it follow it as much as possible. If I go to think about it in my own practical life, it points to ‘obeying time’. Every other factor will come and go, but the value of time can never change. If we obey time, everything else will be taken care of.

  I have heard you cause high tides and low tides in the ocean. Also, your pull is strong enough to create huge waves in the sea. How do you manage to do it from up above is another factor beyond my understanding? But, as a tiny particle on this planet all I can say is your coordination with different elements of nature makes it interesting and worth learning. I love your different shapes in the sky. Though there are many technical terms for each shape, I enjoy layman cute terms such as ring and bulb!

   Though you may not like to hear this, I enjoy your absence too. No moon days are often linked to darker superstitions and unlucky times, but your absence offers a clear black background to observe sparkling stars. It is absolutely acceptable that you take such timely off since it gives a platform to tiny stars too. They can enjoy their short term of fame and attention, before you return back once again.

   Your full-time job days are amazing too. You seem to switch on a bright bulb in the darker skies. Looking at your moonlight during cooler nights is nothing less than pure magic. It has the power to transport us to happier times and nostalgic memories. No wonder you inspire us to sing songs as we look at your calm face. Though you are silent always, we tend to draw a lot of inspiration from your silence too. We do not need any two-way conversation with you. We can simply look at you and continue our one-sided talks, while assuming your love, smiles and blessings come our way.

  Do you have some secret language of communication with little kids? Why do all these cute innocent minds treat you as their lovely uncle and wave back to you, every now and then? I am sure you speak to their innocent and clear hearts that can’t stop smiling and enjoying your presence. Thousands of miles away from his home country, when my nephew recognized you in a new atmosphere, it made him feel much safer and familiar. It was as if his best uncle traveled to be with him. And it’s not just plain recognition, it was his bright-lit smile and excitement that felt out of the world.

 You have a fun side to your character too. Why do you love to play hide and seek with clouds only on those specific days when you know everyone is waiting for you? You make yourself loved and longed for while enjoying the undivided attention. As we hope to catch your glimpse after a long day of fasting, you seem to enjoy all our prayers and requests, royally! But, nonetheless it teaches a lesson in disguise- be unique and indispensable such that people long for your attention and presence.

  I must stop writing now to end this long letter. I never realized I had so much to talk to you and your friends, before starting this series. For a socially awkward character like me, this is more than I can handle or digest. Or maybe this is the only means of communication that can keep me going.

 Till we meet again - while you switch on your bulb, switch if off, shrink to a ring or show 50-75% of your beautiful looks.

Yours lovingly,

A cute niece back then, an un-cute admirer now!

Open letter- 7 (Bird family)

Dear Bird family,

‘Nothing stops you,

Nothing pulls you back,

When you decide to leave the land,

 it is time to touch the sky!'

  I am amazed by how these words are flowing in a poetic manner because I am never able to write one if even I wished too. May be this is due to your influence and thoughts in mind. As symbols of free will and independence, you represent the power of being yourself. While flying in the limitless sky, you are not bounded by the shackles of physical boundaries. Nothing stands between you and your desire to touch the sky, discarding any borders as insignificant lines on earth. 

  It is exciting to look at your style of life- one moment you are grounded on branches of trees and other moment you are gliding or flying in the sky. How does it feel to balance such contrasting responsibilities? Is it fun to be able to just leave the land when bored of its limitations to explore the limitless sky, only to return back when the stomach demands food?

  Till I started penning these open letters, I never realized there is so much to convey to each one of you in nature. And once I started with it, there was no turning back. As our friends on this planet, you truly make our life complete and full of happiness. Though I agree our obsession with development and efforts to conquer everything on earth drives us towards inhuman approaches, we are making amendments, while hoping it is not too late.

   You represent the beauty of exploring everything life has to offer. While flying is just one usual action among your other tasks in life, we cannot help but admire it as an exceptional feature of power. And since we cannot do it ourselves, we love to stare at your flight and wish we could do the same. 

 As a child when I saw you leaving the earth to disappear into the sky, I was jealous, surprised, amazed and happy all at once. I cannot remember the number of times I must have requested God to let me fly once, especially from a boring class or away from tons of homework. If I could escape from it on my free will, life would have be so wonderful! Though we have made brilliant efforts of copying your style and flying inside an aircraft for several miles around the globe, it is not the same as flying individually like you do.

  You have so many diverse members in your family. From tiny cute ones to powerful big ones, your family is huge and interesting to know about. 

  While each one of us wish for this ability to fly, we have even expressed the desire through songs, paintings and books. Your feature of flying above the world has filled us with inspiration to pen/paint/sing those desires in wonderful art forms. It is true we cannot fly, but the least we can do is engage ourselves in those amazing thoughts through the power of our creative imagination. After all imagination takes us places, then why not fly with it if we can?

   How does it feel to observe us from up above? I am always curious to know, do you laugh at our stupidity of overcrowding the land or admire our development to transform the earth? It will be beneficial to acknowledge your opinions to gain a wider perspective. Reports about death of birds caught inside wind mill or within the string of kites should make us understand, but we choose to escalate the problem before paying any heed. This dominance of our character should end before we are left alone on a barren land. We are making efforts to prevent these disasters as much as possible, but I always believe repairing something after the damage is done is pointless when we could have clearly avoided it in the first place. It does not mean our efforts are incorrect, it only points to the need to find harmless alternatives. 

 Let me take the letter to a lighter note before you fly away in boredom. Your wings inspire us to explore our own talents hidden within. When a strong desire to touch the sky overpowers any trace amounts of self-doubt, anxiety, lack of confidence and failure, everything appears possible. You give us company on land with your voices and actions. And I am sure you understand baby talks because small children are so excited to see you, while conversing with you in some unknown language. No wonder they create pet names for you, while clapping and rejoicing in your presence. Though almost everybody loved the game of ‘Angry Birds’, I did not like it as much. Somehow the thought of picturing you as angry and agitated did not go well with my system.

  Among all your members, sparrow was and will always be my favorite. She is too cute to ignore or dislike. I am sorry picking up a favorite sounds rude and unfair, but she is my first friend since childhood. 

  Often, while caught in the madness and fast pace of our daily routine, we end up ignoring or not acknowledging your presence. But, the moment you choose to abandon some place for a while, we miss you a lot. You may not believe it but we do notice your absence instantly. Also, we enjoy spotting various kind of birds different from the ones we see in our neighborhood, while traveling someplace else. After all, ‘bird-watching’ is a popular adventure too. Your name is also mentioned quite often when someone asks us to take a ‘bird’s eye view’. If refers to taking a whole view rather than conserving our opinions over a limited notion.  

  Fly high, inspire us, love us and give us company, we love your presence in order to stay motivated and confident.

Till we meet again - while you fly and I try to fly!

Yours lovingly,

A tiny particle on earth

Open letter- 6 (Rainbow)

Dear Rainbow,

   I always think there is some special connection between the two of us owing to our recent amazing encounters. The photographs captured on my phone justify this fact because you simply look more and more beautiful in each one of them. One perfect moment between the sun and the rain and you greet us with your mesmerizing beauty. You do the perfect job of guest appearance, lasting for a short while, yet delivering all the possible magic within it. No one can depict the significance of the right moment as you do since all it takes is just one perfect opportunity to paint a beautiful picture.

  Though I always spend those crucial minutes admiring your colors, I realized it is about time to appreciate your presence. It made me guilty of just staring at your looks without offering any words in return, hence here I am writing and writing till my mind stops. To talk about our first introduction, it started in my science classes where we were taught about your occurrence. While the phenomenon of sun and rain producing this wonderful array of colors in the sky seemed confusing and difficult to understand, it all turned fruitful when I actually saw you in reality. Nothing can replace the joy of seeing a colorful band in the sky, appearing as a perfect painting made with perfect strokes in proportion.

  If there is one occurrence in the nature that signifies the importance of ‘timing’, it has to be you. While we can look at mountains, oceans, sun or clouds any time of the day, it is not true in your case. Unless we drop everything and rush to capture you at the perfect moment, we cannot enjoy the sight. I must say you have made yourself so valuable. “Come to see me whenever I appear, or else forget about it” is the best way to explain your attitude. And that does sound a bit narcissist, yet we love you! Though we may fail miserably if we try to implement the same attitude in our own life (I can actually hear more ‘forget it’ thrown at me), it speaks something about the ‘value of time’.

   If we learn to value every moment as an independent factor, we will learn to extract more from life. Like timely combination of rain drops and sun is something as beautiful as you, timely existence with timely work pattern may be something as wonderful as a happy life. I enjoy extracting life lessons from natural elements because those teachings are so true, pure and selfless. Without any vested interests, nature teaches us so many things that can only make sense, if we are willing to learn. Back to you, if anytime I find myself wandering into pointless future, I remind myself to be back in the moment that matters.

  I am amazed by your simplicity. How can something as basic as seven bands create the wonderful outcome of a rainbow? It shows beauty does not demand lot of complicated elements. All it takes is simple co-ordination and unity. Individually none of the colors may appear as wonderful as they do when all come together. Another lesson in disguise. Though your appearances are rare and short, you do teach a lot within that time. ‘Maximum output from minimum input’- I am sorry if you did not mean to teach that last bit but we are capable of deciphering anything to suit our purpose! Make impactful appearances that add value is the underlying statement in disguise.

Some people don’t really bother a lot about your occurrence. Ignoring it as a natural act, they tend to let it go. Or they must have seen you quite many times before. And then there are few others like me who jump at every chance to capture you as much as possible. No matter how many times I see you, every single appearance feels unique. I am not sure if you actually dust your bands with some inspirational powder because I always return motivated and inspired after our rendezvous.

   Whenever your name is mentioned, the first word that pops in my mind is ‘VIBGYOR’. That is how we were taught to remember your sequence correctly. This lesson from childhood has made a permanent space in our hearts. And a confident boast to our brain cells that we still know it correctly. It joins the league of childhood lessons such as sequence of planets in the solar system that form a permanent memory in our system and remind us of our happier school days.

  It is wonderful to witness your coordinated performance between two diverse natural aspects –sun and rain. Rarely does rain offer respite from the scorching sun and sun provides a ray of hope during cloudy days. Hence the perfect combination of rain drops and sun is truly unique.

 This brings me to the end of writing few words of appreciation. Hope you continue to decorate our sky with a colorful show, and do call me the next time you visit. There are many dreamy eyes and eager minds who wait for your guest appearance.

 Till we meet again - stay smiling, cheerful and colorful (as if you have any other choice!).

Yours lovingly,

A lifetime member of your fan club  

Open letter -5 (Sun)

Dear Sun,

  Before starting this letter, I must admit I am quite scared to write to you. Just in case if I end up writing something that offends you or does not go well with your thought process, you may easily punish me with more heat in my direction. And looking at the chaos you create during summer months, I cannot take a chance. Every now and then, we hear extreme weather reports throwing light over your intense heat and powerful anger. Why don’t you take a chill pill by not being so tense all the time? Or is it impossible to cool down considering the burden of responsibility on your shoulders?

  Whatever may be the reason, I must agree you are extremely important in our lives. Everything revolves around you, making you the rightful head of the planetary system. No wonder you make all the planets dance around, giving them light and heat as they pass by. Our relationship with you falls under the category of ‘love-hate’. Something we share with our siblings and spouse. We need you a lot and it is impossible to imagine a day without you, but at the same time, we hate you so many times during irritating moments of the fierce noon. Your presence adds energy and enthusiasm because obviously sunny days are much better than gloomy, cloudy ones.

  I must confess, growing up I always disliked your discipline. What is with your love for punctuality? Everywhere we went- be it school or home, our elders cited you as the ultimate example of discipline. “Be like the sun who rises and sets every day without any excuses for vacation or holiday.”, “Just as the sun arrives at the same time every day to perform his actions, you must too”.  That is all we have heard when our elders praised you for your sincerity. I secretly disliked your routine, wondering why couldn’t you just sleep and not irritate us on your own day at least. After all, one ‘Sunday’ was designed for your own enjoyment, yet you would report back on duty! It is so unfair to wake up as soon as you arrive, not allowing us to handle our own schedule. But to think about it maturely, it’s good we follow you otherwise all our days would end up being like weekends, where we don’t really care about your arrival time.

  On a serious front, it is simply impossible to imagine a world without you. I remember framing essays in school, where we assumed you wouldn’t rise for a day. Though it sounded awesome and interesting at first, it was soon replaced by the dangers of your absence. You control our life on earth. You are the primary source of our existence, hence it would be an understatement to even talk about your significance. “You are hence we are”. I cannot think of any other way to say it.

   It must be taxing to work all day. And though we assume you are sleeping peacefully at night just like us, you travel someplace else performing your night shift or day shift (It is so confusing!) Throwing light all over the earth at different times is such a demanding task which you seem to enjoy. But, this letter is not to discuss about your work, so let’s talk about how much we love you!

   We truly miss you during monsoon and winters. A day does not seem fulfilling unless we see you. Though we may work hard and carry out our daily routine as usual, it does not feel the same in your absence. On the other hand, even if we just waste a good day in your presence, it seems oddly fulfilling! Not working at all, while you shine over our heads all the time is a wonderful holiday. Long cold days or pouring rainy days are good for a short while, but we start missing you almost immediately.

  Be it little kids or senior citizens, I am sure everyone prefers sunny days over dull ones. I like your style of not allowing anyone to look at you directly all day. Except sunrise and sunsets, you don’t entertain admirers who would otherwise love to observe you. You save your performance for a short while, offering quick guest appearances for few minutes. Though I love sunrises, I admire your sunsets more. Something to do with having more time to halt and appreciate your looks. What do you expect us to do after a good night sleep? Hurrying around with our early routine leaves us little time to admire your rising scenes (I just hope all the elders especially my parents skip through these lines, I cannot afford repeat telecast of childhood discipline lessons!)

   We cannot imagine how hot your surface must be. Isn’t it difficult to manage such high heat? But all I feel is you seem to be enjoying it. Please don’t get warmer than what you are. With a true desire of saving the environment and doing our bit for the nature, we have started harnessing your energy to fuel our homes, offices and other facilities. Your energy will turn into the next best source for electricity, but unless the costs come down, it seems like a long dream further long away.

   Why do you discriminate among different regions of the earth? Why do some of us get more heat or why do some experience more darkness for few days of the year? Though I am aware there is lot of logic, geography, science and physics involved in it, it seems quite unfair overall. You appear as the strict head of the family. And you share strong relations with all the other members of your clan. 

  From creating vapors for clouds to hiding behind mountains and oceans for picturesque rising and setting, from alternating shifts with your only other colleague moon to resting inside the big living home of the sky, you have so many friends around. And you have made your presence extremely important for plants. Though they do all the hard work of preparing food, you just add little essential spice in their photosynthesis (Now I know the source of my husband’s ideas)

   Whenever I see that you and raindrops have arrived together, I eagerly wait for a wonderful rainbow. The magic of seven colors forming a hair band for the sky is just beyond words.

  When you play hide and seek with the moon to create epic eclipses, it is another interesting episode. Keeping the physics, safety, sentiments and popular age-old beliefs aside, the phenomenon is exciting in its own way.

   There is so much to write to you, but I must stop somewhere. Before you get annoyed and throw more heat in anger, let me end the letter soon.

 Till we meet again where you wake me up as usual, stay cool and happy if possible.

Yours lovingly,

A complicated lover/hater/admirer/scared human/lover again!