learnings

 I just read an article about a prediction that personal devices will know more about your emotional state than your own family members. I wonder if it would be able to differentiate between distress and eustress. Would it be information overload? Would it serve a positive outcome? Would it advise us to see a therapist or counsellor?  On the other side it would be helping us to manage our emotions better. Exciting times indeed

Towards the end of year it is always a slice of amazement on how quickly the year has gone by. The New year 2021 is already just around the corner.  I hear myself saying that being homebound suits me. I am loving it. The lockdown days were more an adventure- crisis management- stocking things; using stuff in a minimalist manner with the thought- what if we run out and we aren't able to get it. Even now I step out to the usual grocery places only when needed. I was excited that I did not have to dust the furniture ad shelves as there was hardly any dust gathering due to the lack of vehicle movement. How clean and green my neighbourhood was! I decluttered as if there is no tomorrow. Phew I didn't realise I had hoarded so much ( and this after having a ritual of springleaning twice or thrice a year)  I learned to 'let go'- materials, mementos, gifts and nostalgia. I have taken up reading more- books, actual books and not just kindle. I enjoyed dabbling on various online pl...

  I stepped into a private bank. It was their lunch time but I was allowed to enter.   I see a bunch of officials sharing lunch. They were laughing and talking aloud. I waited a couple of minutes. The security notified the group. One youngster walked up to the counter. His shirt was so wrinkled. He had a bearded and quite an unkempt appearance. Not surprisingly he was not sure of the Deposit interest rates. He struggled to locate the forms. Meanwhile the group continued to have lunch in full view and gossip loudly. I now know who has in laws issue; who is planning the addition of family; parenting plans etc. I took the forms and exited knowing very well I would not seek its services.

  It  is always exciting to be aware of people who recharge us. All of us are surrounded by all kinds.  A friend and I had a long, deep conversation on our respective behaviour through the last few years. It was an interesting conversation peppered with our individual experiences. Most importantly our take aways were: we had not judged  Seeking approval from ourselves is important we are making efforts to evolve debated and discussed between Advaita and Visishita Advaita philosophy  ( without emotions ruling us) the poignant beauty of the 'here and now' as discussed in the Bhagavad Gita.....  We seem to be human 'doing' rather than human 'being' .  Our conversation flowed like a meandering river that left us so charged.  Have you had such an experience recently?  

This evening I received the grim news. A young girl I knew had taken her life. I am still numb with grief and questions.  She said she had never been in love.  She said she had never experienced the thrill of romance. Yet she did not wait to experience life. Why my girl why? 

 I am entering into my second month of deleting apps from my phone. I am surprisingly not missing them or feeling left out.Interestingly when I visit the social media apps on the laptop I spend less than five minutes! Somehow the layout / ease of use of the app on the laptop also does not appeal.  A couple of days ago when my iphone got updated it began giving messages about the number of times I pick up the phone and also for what purpose. Wow. technology and the company is actually helping me to understand my habit better. I realised I have to cut down on the number of unnecessary times I have begun picking up the phone! I was merely looking at the phone ,swiping from whatsapp to google news unnecessarily. It had become a habit after deleting social media apps. I had substituted a behaviour. So now my phone has warned me about it. I am amazed.  Today I kept a book next to me. Each time I picked up the phone to swipe, I would pause, place it back and pick up the book. I ...

 Oct 1 onwards I have had no social media apps on my phone. For the first three days it was a constant reminder. By the second week of Oct I had got used to not having the apps on my phone. Now it is almost a month. It has not been as difficult as I thought it would be. Neither did it actually take the '3 weeks' time advocated by self development gurus. (I am also guilty).