Gone too soon 2017!

Another year up for wraps ...

and as always . so many moments to cherish , be grateful for and life lessons learnt .

And a soulful road trip to Madurai and rameswaram with the family  to wrap up the year.

May i never forget to appreciate the beauty of the road in my quest to reach . Never forget to cherish each moment for the gift it bears!

Adieu 2017

Super moon !

Whats not to moon over you !

Ah! magic of the moon! The mystery , mystique and the mesmerism....

Vennilave.. vennilave .. vinnai thandi varuvaya ? vilayada jodi thevai...( Minsara kananu, 1997)

( O you beautiful moon , will you cross the sky and descend .. for am in need of a play mate ?)

Faraway.. meant  only to gaze from far , never close at hand .. stuff yearning is made for ! You
make my  soul sing of love and longing !
You wane and you  wax, plunging the world in darkness at times and  filling every nook and cranny with that alluring light at others ...nothing is permanent .. the waning or the waxing .....just like every thing in our lives .. transient ....

But the promise of the full moon is forever and so is the romance !

Doppelganger is here!

What do you do when your doppelganger comes calling ?!

S coming , for me , always translates to " time of my life".. We converse deeply, roam endllessly, eat soulfully and shop pretty much till we drop. We also do stuff we wait for the right person to do it with .!

This time we ended up celebrating two birthdays, doing a beautiful road trip, ticking off new retail experiences , all the local delicacies and  giving the mandatory boost to local economy by shopping and some more !

Come back soon S, my partner in crime!The harmless one called living it up!

D's dance

Another beautiful day in my life of a mom !

When D after years of patient learning of bharatnatyam under a meticulous and thorough teacher came out at the Melpathur Auditorium in Guruvayur with her offering performance .

I sat rooted , stunned at her craft , dexterity and grace.

Go forth , my tinkerbell !
May there be more expressions of your self , more oppurtunities to find your best and more occassions to live your grace !

The Narrative

A called me and  said , be ready by 7 30 on sunday morning .. we are going to be off on a trip !
Oh how i love surprises and trips!

Come Sunday on dot at 7 30, off we go driving into a raining morning ! A long trip through thunder, lightning , swirling rain and caught up stories  to a coffee shop in town  thats playing host to a travelling workshop !

I figure we are there to attend a workshop on personal story telling titled " Whats' your story ?. And am i hooked !

The workshop was about  unearthing how our  stories , we tell ourselves and the world around us , is shaping us and in turn writing our story ! Through carefully chosen , guided activities facilitator ID masterfully  careened the motley group to get in touch with their stories ! and did the stories flow ?!

A group of strangers unravelled their narrative- their carfully kept , secreted scripts , getting in touch with their home truths . The revelation made  them effortless , unabashed narrators of their stories .

ID , Guess what you are doing ?! helping folks to get in touch with their IDs- Identities !
Cheers to that !!

Thank you A , As always you score for being the most thoughtful person i know  !

Time to cherish

A time to cherish.. to celebrate a nourishing association ..to strengthen bonds ... thats what i did with a soulmate !

John Keats wrote  " I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the hearts' affections and the truth of the imagination "

My friend , you have given me both beyond measure .
Affection and Inspiration for my imagination  ....

A  loving partner in my creative journey , cherish your presence in my life

I read somewhere that soulmates are strangers you recognise ! and i did !

Go on bestie , You are safe in my heart!

Season for Rain..

Its' got to be the most magical time of the year!
A time i really look forward to ..
when rains hold sway..

They arrive early june and settle into their benevolence in July and August when the land I live awaits their banished king of yore .Washing each leaf to a sparkle to welcome him.

Its a pluviophile's joy to see the spectacle unfold daily, with the clouds darkening in anticipation of the eruption !
Rains do make everything beautiful !

Across the Board !

With bated breath P and I await , the declaration of the Class X Board results ...
She had worked with her usual focussed non-chalance . Being all that i am , so wanted her first brush with a big exam to be a successful outing !

And we yelled .. as the results got published online. she had aced it with 5 straight A1s and a 10 CGPA !.

Go forth , my baby
.. you have many skies to traverse , exciting paths to walk and deep depths to fathom !

Bestie dates

Come summer and its bestie time ! P and kids kept their  date with us and Kerala.

And off we went to wild wayanad. As we unwound by the placidly beautiful karappuzha swapping stories, playing boardgames, eating, outing and goofing , cherished the gift that P is in my life !

Growing and glowing comes easy with you , P !

New year in tradition ..

Time to ring in the new year traditionally...
In my world it falls on the first day  of the malayalam month of medam ( around April 14). Vishu in sanskrit means equal and it  signifies equal number of hours in a day and night or an equinox . This spring equinox is the harbinger of the sowing season .The highlight of the new year festivities is the "Kani Kaanal " or looking at the Kani.Kani means" that which is seen first "and what better way to start a new year by seeing a vishu kani speacially set up with all things auspicious . grains, fruits ,vegetables, gold. Care is taking to choose those vegetables and fruits that are yellow/green hued!

The golden flowers of the kani konna also find a place of prominence in the vishu kani.

The matriarch of the home sets up the kani, on new years' eve late in the night and is up before all to light the lamp at the altar on which the kani is set up , welcoming the new year and ensuring all in the home wake up to this sight ..

Here's to new beginnings !

Spring is here ...

As the year spins by , its March so soon !

Exam fever in the air , what with P appearing for the Class X boards.  
I soaked in  the beauty of a dewy morning  at a friends' lush garden on a sublime spring day !

Therapeutic! 

Moments that help you realize the meaning of  serendipity .. happenstance ..when you trip into an oasis of peace amid chaos 

As Shelley said “If winter comes, can spring be far behind?” 

Smelling spring in the air , i could not agree with him more !

I also smelt hope along with Spring as Charlotte Bronte ( In Jane Eyre) eloquently remarked 

“Spring drew on...and a greenness grew over those brown beds, which, freshening daily, suggested the thought that Hope traversed them at night, and left each morning brighter traces of her steps.” 

Pursuit of Happiness

Is it something to be pursued - happiness ?
Or something to be found  in every moment !

A psychologist may define happiness " as a  state of well-being that encompasses living a good life—that is, with a sense of meaning and deep satisfaction"

what about times you are searching for meaning , when satisfaction eludes ?  and can happiness be appreciated without its twin sadness ?

 At  a personally unhappy time , pondering over god knows what , i step into the balcony to find little D blowing bubbles !

I was suddenly enveloped by a deep sense of peace to see her so engaged in that moment .. without thinking. I guess , thinking does take it away !

Engaging with each moment being fully present to it .. does the magic, i think !

Happiness could be a happy by product of this !

And She turns 11 !

And she turns 11....
My Younger one..

Industrious, diligent , beautiful ...
and discovering Magic !

Thank you S, for  turning Ds' 11th birthday a magical one with a Harry Potter cake complete  with wands, glasses ,snitches et al!

As Hagrid says , its not every day a young woman turns 11 ... ...Go on  D .. create your own magic !