Saturday, February 20, 2010

The Most Wonderful Things in Life

So another Valentine has gone by and i am still all alone after 25 years of existence. Some might say that it's all downhill from here, but i say that it's the heart that should stay young and the body will keep up somehow. So hoping for a better future i'm gonna stop thinking about this and reflect on what really makes us happy in this world today. Of all the melodrama and tension in our lives, we do have our moments of happiness. Point is whether we recognize them and give them their due or do we ignore/neglect them altogether. So in this exercise today, i'm going to chronicle what makes me happy (yes i'm not grumpy all the time) and please feel free to add things that i might have missed.
#1: God: I may not be a religious guy but i do think i'm spiritual. I know my faith is strong and i know that god is there for me and the others. All you have to do is stand up and ask for him. My belief is what probably keeps me sane at times. I don't believe in demarcation along religious lines as i feel that there is only one god and rest all that we humans worship are just incarnations of the supreme lord. So spiritual yes... religious no.
#2: Family: Yes i feel happy being around my mom and dad. Though i don't spend a lot of time with them but still they remind me of what i used to be and how much i have changed over the years while they have labored on year after year with the same set of feelings towards me. That in itself feels so good to have with me but still makes me sad that i have let them down by placing other things as more imp in my life than them.
#3: Football: Maybe i'm still not at that level where each Liverpool victory calls for a treat and each defeat calls for mourning but i still love it when they win and it just makes the day a bit sweeter. Plus giving kaif a piece of my mind on the rivalry just adds that spice to the recipe.
#4: Music: It brings together souls or so i have heard. But i do believe that music is an awesome stress buster. There was a time when the first thing i did after logging on to my system was open a music player. But these days i have lost track of it somehow. I don't have it with me when i travel and at times i don't listen to it on my comp even. Maybe my list has just gone old and there aren't a lot of good and new songs out there. But still i would say that music helps me vent out my frustrations in a big way. So again its something that brings a smile to my lips.
#5: Friends: Last but the most important thing in my life. I have valued friendship far more than any of the 4 above mentioned points. I have sacrificed my rest time, my responsibilities, my job almost everything for friendship. I have suffered the scorn of many for my devotion and been hurt too at times by my friends. Nevertheless, i now who i can count on to be there with me in any form possible when i need them and thankfully god has blessed me with the right kind of people to be there for me. When all my chips are down and i don't have anything going for me, i know there will be a voice of support and encouragement which would try its best to cheer me up without even saying so. That's why i continue to support my other friends in their troubles. I have few who are there for me so i want to be one of the few who is there always.
Yes my list comprises of very obvious points and nothing spectacular but that's what my life is - good but nothing spectacular. So bear with me and don't chastise me for being emotional/critical (at times). Hope you enjoyed this another rendition of self discovery. Till next time....HAVE A NICE DAY
P.S. - Please feel free to add what you think makes you happy in life apart from what's already here.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Love is in the Air

The warmth and the heavenly feeling called Love. Yes i am back with another article on a topic that many would say i have really killed out here. But i would beg to differ with them. I have only tried to explain what has been going on with my life in all my past articles. But rest assured this article is not on me. This is about love. A song from the movie Saudagar went like, "ILU..ILU..ye ILU ILU kya hai ye ILU ILU." For the uninitiated, that of course means "I Love You." Well the second week of Feb has always been associated with love and all the emotional and senti feelings that go along with it. It is that time of the year that makes the roses and gifts costly and provides a timely boost to the economy in terms of the gifts being purchased.
Many people look forward to this week all through the year. Either to express their love or to let the person know that how much they care or at times just to say that they are there for them. Of course the tip is towards love. Now i'm not going to venture into why people fall in love and why they do all this as this is something no body can control. What i want to talk about is whether it's all worth it. I mean people go through the ritual/arduous task of selecting gifts and then doing something special for their loved ones for what. Does this week really carry that much importance? If yes, then why? Why is this week so special? Does love demand a special day for you to express it? Does love ask a special method for it to be expressed?
I don't think so. Agreed, you may term me a lazy pig not wanting to do anything for a change. But i still stand by my point that you shouldn't need a specific day to express your love. Every day with your loved one should be special for you and if it is not then you are just not that into the relationship. Love is not about big gifts and big expressions (well it is but not entirely). Love primarily is about the small stuff. The warm snug, the  holding of hands while crossing the road, the shoulder to rest the head, the caring for a pin prick etc. These are the small things that make a relationship strong and you don't need a special week to do all this stuff. Yes gifts are important but you don't have to wait for a week to give them.
And this is not just about Valentine's day, it goes for all the special days that are celebrated. Be it Mother's day, Father's day, Friendship day etc. I don't need some card company to tell me the day to express my love to my loved ones. For me every minute spent with them is special. I think that's what everyone should realize too. Try and make these moments count and you don't have to wait for a special day to say that you care. In fact if I may say so, the card and gift industry might be missing out on a bigger piece of pie here. After all if you declare every day of the year as special then there might just be an increase in the sales owing to the feeling of love being ubiquitous. Yes it might seem strange but best ideas initially seem strange :). So you ask then how do i express my love everyday...three letters...ILU................