learnings

  It has been one long festive weekend in my country. We celebrated the Regional New year, Easter and observed Maundy Thursday, Good Friday. All this, while the Muslim brethren were observing Ramadan.  As I mused on this I felt that the Universe has been so thoughtful.  After two years of being cloistered at home, now all were out fasting, feasting and praying. Crowds thronged the religious places of worship. Each in his own space praying collectively. Good times are here to come.  Interestingly the theme of the New Year and easter is harvest and resurrection. Nature and religions on the same theme- reap and sow, sow and reap.  Every morning we have the choice to begin anew.  Such festivals are beautiful reminders to begin anew lest we have forgotten.  To thank for the bounty we have lest we have forgotten.  To live in the moment lest we have forgotten!    

  I recently read about various types of rest one has to take ( a TEDx   article ).  Rest should not be confused with sleep. Rest is important for our restoration.  Among the various types of rest mentioned is Social rest. This means we have to take effort to surround ourselves with positive and supportive people. I say effort because we get drawn or entrapped within toxicity. Take a look at your own inner circle- spouses, parents, children, friends and neighbours. How many are truly supportive and empathetic? If not they drain us and leave us exhausted. Their toxicity takes up so much brain space and sap our productivity.  From time to time we need to reflect and utilize every chance to be with those who leave us rejuvenated, contented and happy. Carpe diem! This is why I am so grateful to have good friends. A luncheon with our collegemate who came down from Dubai turned out to be the much needed Social rest. That feeling of still being in college, ripping...

  The other day my friend brought to my attention this abbreviation- JOMO. I was clueless. When I learned of it I was thrilled- a new abbreviation added. As I mulled over the meaning I was overjoyed. It sank beautifully into the depth of my soul.  JOMO-joy of missing out- It aligns with what I believe in strongly. JOMO is the antidote to FOMO      ( fear of missing out).  JOMO is to be in the present, to be content in the moment. It is a fabulous form of self care.  At present as I take stock of my JOMO- I just enjoy being at home. I do not miss going out/ partying etc. I am very grateful at this moment. I have stopped comparing ( a huge difference it has made). A recent case of forgetfulness has made me take stock of matters at hand. I need to de clutter my mind. I need to slow down and focus at one task. I need to be more organised.  JOMO- I am loving it. 

          There is a mango tree in my backyard. Summer dawns with tender mangoes popping out. With a whiff of the wind some of these mangoes fall off. Everyone feels sad on seeing them fall.  I never fail to pick them up. I sort out the better looking ones and bring them home excitedly. I began slicing the tender mangoes. Some have already turned yellow- matured before growing up. These are crushed with salt and chilli powder. They taste yummy with rice and curd.  The green ones were deceptive. Most, when sliced, had begun rotting from within. I marveled at Nature. The tree does not hold back the defective mangoes.   Even though we are blessed with intelligence and reasoning power, we hold on to defective patterns and habits.... here was a lesson staring up at me..

  Mistake 1- I went to the theatre wasting money. Mistake 2- late night show Mistake 3- I went with higher expectations than the reviews I read- after all the baahubali man cant go that wrong! Oh yes he did . I thought Telugu movies have gone past the stage where 'fired' bullets are stopped and caught by hand.  Rajamouli seems to have been caught up in his dream of just presenting visuals  without bothering about a plot or editing.  Now please- all of you dear audience do not ever root for an Oscar and be disappointed.  Like me, several have gone with curiosity (thanks to the teasers) to watch and the result- raked in enough money for the /director/actors/producers which is also much needed; utter disappointment to movie buffs like me. Good actors ( I  actually liked junior NTR; Ram Charan reminded me of a beefed up Nivin Pauly😅 ) and excellent dance choreography and two songs (sung by the little girl and Komaru bheem)- are the only highlights. The actors ...

A recent experience with a student had me musing about a familiar quote- when the student is ready, the teacher appears. The teacher can be in the form of a human or nature or a higher power. I go in with complete dedication and sincerity to teach. My heart still droops at when I find the student unable to 'receive'. I remind myself that the student is not yet ready;  I shall strive on.

  A recent good decision on an investment that had a sad/bad outcome made me worried for a while. I read (listened ) to this book and my eyes opened.  My favourite takeaways (among many): 1. Good decisions can lead to bad outcomes in financial investment and vice versa. We cannot discount luck and risk. This helped in being kinder to myself. 2. Getting money and keeping money are different skills. 3. Flexibility and control over one's time is precious. 4. Difference between rich and wealthy (outstanding difference!) - when we have high income we are rich. Wealth is invisible- it is that whihc is sitting in the bank/savings that can be used in future. It is the money not spent. Being rich has short term benefits while being wealthy has long term benefits. 

  Recently when I gave in to venting out I had an afterthought. Was I doing right by venting out? right to the other person- dumping one's baggage onto another?  Often we take people for granted. I have heard friends mentioning how drained they become while listening to someone venting out. Their mind space is now filled with our garbage. Listening requires mindful effort. I shall be more mindful now on. I wish for the pattern to become weak and dissolve. I shall seek other outlets or maybe therapy for myself if need be.

 I had been to a different city on a training program to impart to second year college students. The morning sessions were attended by students who were from relatively underprivileged backgrounds while the afternoon sessions had students from the self financing batch.  In the first batch, they were largely eager. Their ambitions were limited just as their exposure. When most students saw their future as a bank clerk/officer, govt steno/typist, village officer- of course there is absolutely nothing wrong in these- it was fascinating to understand that they did not know beyond. When I spoke of more opportunities, I could sense their excitement and a bit of diffidence. Would they get such opportunities, can they dream.. It was also interesting to note that more than one wanted to enter politics; about a quarter wanted govt jobs at the moderate administration level while two or three wanted to be entrepreneurs.  The afternoon batch spoke of stock trade/ cryptocurrency; talke...