Happiness

Pitter patter rain drops
On my window pane,
Red, white swirls
Of candy cane,
Chocolate covered raisins,
Dainty finger rings,
Smell of wet earth,
Memories that are worth!
Watching cattle happily grazing
Above the hill,
On a lush expanse.
A peppy number
To sing and dance
Smiles around,
Thoughts profound!
Sparkly polish on my nails,
Choo, choo train
Travelling on  rails!
Company of dear ones,
F R I E N D S reruns,
Book to take me
In the middle of no where,
Painting, creating, killing time
Trying hard to feign a rhyme!
Words bring joy
Like nothing else,
Reading, writing, speaking as well!
Whipping up yum,
Meeting new folks,
A chilled can of Coke,
Dresses with a yoke!
Shiny little trinkets,
Though I am dated -
Kind deeds, loving buddies.
Of all the things that make me glad -
One thing reigns high above!
Nothing tangible,
But only felt -
Deep in the heart,
My cares just melt!
On your tender lips a blooming smile -
That's what makes my life worthwhile!

Withdrawals etcetera

If it is amusing that I got used to blogging on a daily basis, thanks to A-Z challenge and the little one Arpna, it is utterly amusing to experience the withdrawals like I'd been on some substance abuse ;-) So, just in desperation to keep at it as long as I have the will and the desire, I tread back into my cocoon, weaving more threads of verbal repose.
Sometimes, I sit and wonder what the purpose of life is, when we all perish one day - we take birth, grow, literally and figuratively, we accumulate wealth and knowledge, toil amid all challenges and negative emotions, and one day, we leave our body - just an other belonging, like our home, or family and our stuff - Our body! The way we address it just, ever so subtly, reinstates the fact that we are not our body. Okay, may be this would get too wet blankety, my ponder - but on a positive note - amid all this mad rush of living, I think God created us to enjoy the rest of his creations - thrive in the beauty of his nature, nurture our souls in the many positive aspects of life like loving, giving and sharing - and to realize how lucky we are to be humans that can think, act and create just like Mini mes of our Heavenly Father.

On a slightly different note, I want to confess that little things comprise of my big things. I am probably the one who is easily pleased - throw a smile my way, or just a simple gesture - I feel eternally grateful, radiantly alive and deeply moved. Also, things that show love, that are done with care and affection - be it little paper flowers, or Wonder of the world monuments all display the divine quality of love like nothing else. We shall all pass - but the truly blessed are the ones that leave behind legacies that live, and love that blossoms in the garden of many a heart! :-)

Day 26 - Z for Zee, Z for Zed!

Zoom - the challenge went past. It is a bitter sweet feeling to write the last entry of the series. I wanted to come up with the usual assortment of Z words. Aarti asked me last night as to what word we have to blog on today. Usually, I ask her to list the words she knows on each alphabet. She promptly listed a couple of words she knew - Zebra and then Zoop, which she obviously made up. And after a while she said - "You should blog about Zucchini" :-D


So, Z entry it is today. A few years ago, I was visiting a temple in the east coast. While removing my shoes, I over heard two little boys discussing the discomfort of being raised by first generation immigrants. "You know what the worst thing is?" one of them questioned the other - "When they say Zed for Zee" They both made a disgusting face while letting out a mockery of laughter! Zed is how I read it in my first eye exam in the united states - but before I stray too much into how it needs to be pronounced, I'll talk about a few Zs that fascinate me.


Zebra is a master piece of God I think - for the way He arranged the black and white and for the lovely asymmetrical stripes they sport. I was so fascinated by the pattern, that I had to have a zebra patterned leather tote bag trimmed in red the moment I spotted it in the locked showcases of Macy*s.


Zoya is a brand of nail polish (if you aren't aware of it already) that has a zillion polishes in every hue and every finish all named after women/ girls. I love that the company boasts of its all natural formulation and am endlessly charmed by their ability to churn out lovely colors.


Z is for Zenith - the point I feel I am at today, after the successful completion of the A-Z blog. This really broke my block into fine powder. Though, I cannot really say they are of a great quality, I am proud of the fact that this challenge kept me on the go, diverting my energies and attention to something creative, though mediocre. 


Finally, Z is for Zen - what is the image that conjures up to your mind when you think of Zen? To me, it always is a visual with glowing candle light amid earth toned surroundings, a soothing fountain and some bamboo motif all tied together with a meditative texture and quality.The word ‘Zen’ is the Japanese attempt at pronouncing the Chinese word ‘Chan’, which in turn is the Chinese attempt at pronouncing the Sanskrit word ‘Dhyana’, which translates as ‘meditation’. Zen teaches us the simplicity of focusing in the moment - since past is bygone and future is a mystery - the present, the very moment we live in, is the one that belongs to us.  Zen imparts that very fine art of living, in the moment, in day tight compartments - belonging where we are, enjoying the time we are in without too much focus on what had been or what would be - Imagine, the tranquility that would dawn upon each of us when we master the art of living in the moment, relishing it and absorbing it like a blessing, a gift bestowed upon us from the high heavens.


In conclusion, this has been the most eventful happening of my year so far - the A to Z challenge, like I said before - it opened up my world, my thoughts and my ideas to avenues that I hadn't know to be existing. 


Now, the real challenge is to keep up with the challenge of blogging when there is no challenge to obligate you. But may be, just may be - the conscious effort to live in the moment might command the source of inspiration, eternally! :-)


Much thanks to Arpna Singh - the motivation and encouragement behind this lovely journey of alphabets.