Trust?

Have you ever played with a toddler? A baby who can smile and laugh and gurgle?

The cries are only to convey discomfort- being wet or dirty or hungry. Everything else is a whole lot of fun! Life is an adventure.

When we toss the baby in the air, the smiles and the laughter is infectious. The parent AND the child are in the moment. They are here. Now. They are happy. And there is no fear.

The child has complete faith that he will be caught- each time. No other outcome is possible.

Then the child grows a little...
Begins to crawl...
Attempts to stand- and falls. The first experience of failure. But the faith is still supreme.
The child knows this is the way to stand and walk and run and jump. It is the natural course of things.

The possibility of failure is a possibility ONLY after the child has grown up and the comparisons start. When one's not being able to do something is compared with someone else's being able to do it. And Faith begins to die a slow death.

The way to move forward in life is to know the natural history of things in your life. And trust that the Natural course will eventually happen. It will be a matter of time. Or commitment. But not ability or lack of it.

If you can conceive of it, you can do it. It is only a matter of time. That is the faith that moves mountains. And the child like intensity that makes you go on despite anything...

Sea waves

Watch the waves crashing on the shore. They carry the sands from the bottom of some faraway bed somewhere deep in the ocean. They also wash away the surface sands with all else there is on the shore. With equal ease.

The waves hit the rocks . And in a splash, turn back to merge with the deep sea again. They keep at this seemingly infinite activity. They go on endlessly, till eternity.

Evidently, the waves are able to do nothing to the rocks. However, the waves are as persistent a force of nature as are the rocks a resilient feature. And, in this interaction, there is only mingling. No victory and no defeat. What is washed away from one rock goes on to build another one somewhere really far away.

Sometimes, all it takes is to keep splashing on the rocks in your life.

To keep persisting till the resistance and the resilience gives way to something gentler. You may feel that effort is futile, the rocks are unchanging. But each wave that even touches a rock, leaves an indelible mark. The process goes on. Almost invisible.

And all of a sudden, one fine sunny morning, when the tide is down, the rock stands bare... each little crack and pit and crater telling the story of each wave that has touched its heart. You will not need ears to hear this story, nor eyes to see it unfold. All you will need is a heart- a heart that can connect with the heart of the rock!

When you find yourself being able to connect, you will experience love, truth and divinity.

Here.

Now.

Forever.

And you will experience Unity - the central theme of the universe itself!

the best gift I have ever received

the best gift I have ever received, originally uploaded by naturewalker.

This was the sleepy head gift my daughter and son gave me for Mother's day, this year! 12 midnight, My daughter woke up Her father. Sanjay was so sleepy that he could not keep his eyes open.

He went into the bathroom!

We had a hearty laugh that Papa is so sleepy that he has gone to the bathroom!! And, then Saniya came into the room, and wished me Happy Mother's day. It was midnight. The next day had started.

A few moments ago she was fiddling with something in her own room- and switching off lights if I came anywhere near. I did not want to spoil her surprise so I did not venture into her zone.

The thrill, the planning and the creativity of my daughter often leaves me quite in awe!

And... then... in walked Sanjay! All gift wrapped, with pink ribbons!

With a label on his t-shirt that read Happy Mother's day.

I was so overjoyed! This is the BESSSSTEEESSST GIFT anyone has ever given me! And Sanjay was looking ssshhho shweeeeett!!! Sleepy and smiling to keep up with Saniya's plan. The front of the T-shirt proclaimed Happy Mother's Day and the back of the T-shirt had a card pasted on it.

Saniya whirled him around! The card read- Dear Mom...

From THREE IDIOTS! ( My Idiots are so cutely idiotic!)

Open with a BIG smile... ( I did not have to be told. I was smiling ear to ear- I was so happy with my unusual gift!)

LOL- (And just in case I thought that meant LOTS OF LOVE- They clarified- Laugh Out Loud)

The inside of the card...

Happy Mother's day,
Mom,
I did not have the time to make a very good card. But I hope you like this...though it is not that good... Ofcourse, I loved it!
But I wanted to say- I am all ears!!!
You are the Bestest Mom anyone can have. Thankyou! You are the best family anyone can have.
You are still my best friend ever, THANK YOU BABY!!!
from your daughter
Saniya

This was Sanjay's plan... finely executed by the children.

And because Moksh thought that he had not been included in the whole exercise, he went to the other room, quickly drew a BIG heart, cut it and pasted it on the front of his T-shirt and with a mango in his hand came to hug me- Happy Mother's day, Mom! You love me. And You love mangoes!!

And the smile was plastered in my face for the next three hours! I could not sleep even after everyone had slept off. It is so nice to have such a nice family!

Thank you God, for everything...

Touchwood.

I love them all...

How clean is your carpet?!

There are two ways to deal with what you DO NOT want to deal with...

You either resolve it or you avoid it. You either face it or you run away from it.

It may be a decision you are avoiding. Or a conflict you are not resolving. Or questions you do not want to answer to yourself. Or confessions you refuse to make to yourself and to those who matter.

Sometimes it may mean not saying what you absolutely must to a loved one. At other times it may even mean swallowing a bitter pill and not letting on that you are hurt.

At other times, you may well know and fully realise that you have hurt a loved one and you keep delaying the due apology knowing this could set things right and yet letting ego sweep the proverbial issue under the carpet!

You do it once. You do it again. And again. Then it becomes a habit. Then, you begin to do it as a reflex action. No more thinking and consciousness is involved in it. Such a wasteful and a mindless way to live!

Meanwhile, the carpet that was once a beautiful smooth and lush piece of fabric starts to lose its sheen. More the issues under it, more it becomes uneven and difficult to step on. Even more difficult to walk on. And barefoot? The issues begin to hurt.

The carpet becomes lumpy from all the issues that have been swept under. Some may be sharp and pointed, others soft and still others hard as nails. They all lie there making the carpet ugly and uneven.

The carpet of your life cannot be avoided. You must step on. You must walk on it. And with all the irregular folds and creases and the lumps, your feet hurt. Your foot is very likely to catch and you will fall. Often on your face. This hurts a lot more than the ego that prevented you to deal with the issues when they arose.

Relationships are delicate business.
Carpets need constant care.
Issues, too need attention.
Being mindful and attentive goes farther than avoiding and sweeping...

Let us then resolve to treat each other with respect that all of us deserve.
Let us then resolve to solve rather than to avoid.
Let us also allow egos to be only a tool of self preservation not a means to self destruct.

Let us keep the carpet neat and lump free...