Dreaming Under The Starlit Sky!

“Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true.” 

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

It has been a long day. I had a tough time explaining the cab driver the route to my office.

My morning coffee wasn't strong enough. My evening coffee wasn't even warm.

My feet ache. The high heels have paid their due. The radio played the music I hate. And my phone stopped working for an hour. 

It is a Monday. It has to be dreadful living up to its name, I reckon.

Just when I assumed that, things changed. 

I was stuck in traffic listening to a song by Maroon 5. As I was slightly obsessing over Adam Levine's voice, I look outside the window to see a world brimming with different people.

Bantering couples, children going home from tuition, teenagers on their way home from college, a bunch of friends laughing wildly over coffee, women looking at showrooms in awe, a child dressed in bright yellow with an ice-cream in her hand and glee on her face.

What would their stories be, I wondered.

I go a little further to see a different set of people. The working class--men driving through a terrible traffic jam, women waiting to board a cab, people walking to their closest destination with a laptop bag, and some with a bag full of groceries.

But you know what was the common thing? It was the fatigue that was written all over their faces. 

What do we work for?

Is it for the corner office? It is for the even cushy corner office? Is it for that much coveted lifestyle that our friends take pride in? Is it for fulfilling the dreams of our parents? Is it for paying our bills? Is it for the ailing children at home? Is it for creating a name in the society? I don't know. There could be a lot of things.

No matter what we do and what we say, I believe that we all work towards that one dream that has been giving us nightmares since childhood. A dream that has been simply pushing us to make our lives beautiful. I mean, it is just a small dream that keeps us awake in the night. Of course, it is a tiny dream that influences everything we say, and every step we take.

And sometimes, it is just a vague dream that makes us let go of our relationships, tampering them, and ends up being a sour moment between our parents as well; a trivial dream that never leaves our mind though we hide it under the fibers of our brain hoping it would wean away. Someday.

But guess what? That dream is here to stay!

And if you have no clue on what your dream is, keep exploring and experimenting with a lot of things. You will get there. 

Because we all deserve that lovely story that we can tell our grandchildren under a starlit sky.

Words And Reflections!

“She had the world’s worst poker face: her feelings floated across them like reflections on a still pond.”

― Jojo Moyes

She finally sat down to write with a pen and a notepad, overlooking the fairy lights up high in her room. The faint rustling of the trees in her courtyard distracted her time and again. She let her thoughts go astray for a moment, and gathered herself again.

Too many adjectives describing him? Edit relentlessly, said one of her post-it-notes. 

Look for imperfections, said another.

As she was scratching her head looking for imperfections, there was yet another distraction. She dashed into her balcony to see the raindrops adorning the streets, young couples running towards trees for shelter, dogs and cats cuddling under carts and cars, and children with bright red umbrellas running in circles with paper boats in their hands. 

Surreal. She muttered. But not again.

She sat down to write again, not letting anything deter her focus. She did not want to be flippant this time.

He was noble, he had his off moments; he was absurd, but being imperfect wasn't one of his liabilities. Like a haiku poem, he was mysteriously beautiful. Of course, he was oblivious to it.

She tried to recreate his voice but she could not. She tried hard to recollect his figure but it was distorted in time. She closed her eyes and tried to picture his smile, but she could barely picture it.

She tried to remember all the conversations they had and this time, she could remember all of it. Words meant everything to her. She had a flair at remembering every word ever said to her. And she did.

She crumpled the paper and opened a fresh one.

"The sea fell in love with the sand," she wrote in big, bold letters.

A Letter To My 30-Year-Old Self.

Hello senior,

Your worst fear has come true.

You have turned 30. Oh no, no, no!

But on the brighter side, you are still young because you will turn 40 in 10 years and that would freak you out so much that I cannot even fathom to put it in words.

You will find this letter on your blog, in your journal, in your archives, drafts, and everywhere–do not fret, I will make sure you find it even if you decide to abandon the internet. (Highly unlikely!)

OKAY, so I am sure you got yourself a gorgeous dress, and a pair of Louboutins for your birthday, and I am totally sure a bunch of friends are coming over tonight. Well, let us hope you cook great food for them and spend a night under the starlit sky with Eddie Vedder's music playing in the background. 

You must be utterly pleased with your life at this moment. I would not say you are experiencing euphoria, but you are almost there. You must have definitely learned the trade of living an eternally peaceful life by choosing the right people over the wrong ones. Age is just a number, but wisdom is eternal. (I am talking like a saint now. Sweet!)

I am glad that you have a library in your home and you tend to use it as your workplace quite often. Hang in there, I envy you already. I totally understand, you have been writing better things and meeting some sensational people. Do not let success get to your head. There will always be someone smarter and prettier than you. Stay grounded.

You have turned into an even grumpier person with mood swings worse than ever and you are considering to join a rehabilitation center. JUST DO NOT.

Get a tub of ice-cream like your younger self. Geez, you were so much fun at 23!

You still watch romantic comedies and gush over them like a quintessential teenager. I am glad you haven’t lost the spark of a child in yourself.

In pursuit of reaching all your milestones, I hope you haven’t stopped appreciating the beauty of love and life. Let the mad rush be! You have always been a firm believer of the fact that wonderful things come in tiny packages. Take a break and look around yourself--beauty lies right there.

So, what have you gotten yourself from Paris?

Wait, what? You haven’t been to Paris yet? What about that perfect plan that your younger self has sketched out eons ago? It failed?

Well, you do not deserve a birthday right now. Go into your room, sit in a corner, eat oreos or whatever, and just weep. Idiot!

***
You have dived deeper into your career but you still manage to take time out for your family and friends. Pat yourself, you are on the right track. No matter in which part of the world you are, you act like a responsible woman. Unconventional, headstrong, and kind.

You must be having a pet-an adorable golden retriever. What’s not to love? You go home to it everyday.

Did you get that walk in closet that you designed? Oh, you did? How wonderful! You wanted it so badly, remember? Wow! And now, you own a beautiful home too. No, not house. A home.

You have invested your finances the right away. Oh wait, you have been doing that ever since you were 22, didn't you?

Oh shut up, I am not referring to your investment in shoes, I am talking about actual investments. You know, the gold and silver, or real estate, or just whatever is in trend then. I am clueless about these things.

Anyway.

I hope you have some credible amount of published work tagged with your name now. Without any labels and connotations, of course! 

You are where you intended to be. Touchwood!

I do not mean to mock you, but considering your track record, I cannot really figure out if you found the love of your life. If you have, hold on to it, be an equal in the relationship. You have found that one person you would want to call during melancholy and merriment. You deserve all of it, and more.

If you haven’t found the one, it is alright. You shall sail through this phase too. Gracefully! (With some wine, hopefully.)

In the process of getting older, you have gotten your heart broken several times, and you've had friends standing by your side like a solid rock. What would you do without them? You might be their fairy angel, but they are your sun and the moon. In bits and pieces.

You have found your soulmate in the form of love and friendship. Memories, photographs, and social media stand as a testament to all of it. Above everything, your very existence stands as a testament to it.

You have failed and stumbled upon hurdles, but you have emerged stronger with pain and failure. You were born to see the butterflies and stars, and not to settle down for anything that does not challenge you.

You have learned to gather yourself in distress; you have learned to unwind yourself from a busy schedule often and above everything, you have learned to embrace your flaws and vulnerabilities.

Count your blessings, you are the sunshine of your life.

As you finish reading this letter, you will find your lips twitch into a smile. This world is a beautiful place, you muse to yourself.

Happy Birthday!

Love,

23-year-old dorky self

Share Your Life With Someone Who Is Worth Your Sundays!

“Sitting with her on Sunday evening — a wet Sunday evening — the very time of all others when if a friend is at hand the heart must be opened, and every thing told…” 

― Jane Austen, Mansfield Park

What can be more beautiful than a Sunday morning? 

As the aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafts through my house, I listen to my parents softly chatting about Indian politics and Literature, I know my Sunday has begun already, in the same old fashion, that has been prevalent for the past 22 years. I walk into the balcony, and enjoy the soothing music in the background. The unexpected rain makes your sunday even better. 

A Sunday is like a breath of fresh air.  You know it.

In the past 22 years, I recollect very few instances where I was rather forced to spend my Sundays without my family. To me, my sundays are strictly restricted to my family. This is a really funny unwritten law that my father passed on to me and my sister, and we love following it. Happily! I tend to spend my sundays reading, writing, watching Telugu classics, and sometimes, discussing about Indian mythology and Literature with my mother. We have been taught that a sunday is a pure indulgence. It is supposed to be spent doing things you love the most-talking to your family, dining with your family, and reading comics. I remember receiving a Tinkle or Tintin comic every sunday as a child.

Sometimes, all you need is a laid-back Sunday. You know it.

It is a rather established fact that every family spends sundays in a certain fashion. You know, some families spend their sundays watching movies, plays, and some spend with their extended family, some clean their house together, and of course, there are many more that are on the list. 

In this hectic lifestyle, a sunday is an only day where a family does all the things. Together. I mean it. Literally. It is one of the few days, where I see my sister and my parents doing a lot of things together. It is happiness and we all know it.

Now, most of us must be wondering why one should share their life with someone with whom they want to spend their sundays. Because sundays are a boon. They define you, they define the goofy things you do and a lot more. A sunday is like an ice-cream that is savoured every moment, and the person you share your life with should be the one who can be your partner in crime, on a lazy sunday. You, in every way, should be able to imagine yourself with your partner, sitting on a couch, reading a book, or watching a movie on a sunday, 5-10 years down the line. That is a sheer bliss, right?

And you know you should spend your life with that person because you are ready to sacrifice that one exotic day of your week on that person. It is so simple, right? Like the person fits in there, like an addition to your family, to your life, to your sunday. 

When you find that one person who makes your blissful sunday even better, just the way a cup of strong coffee makes a rainy day better, your life automatically turns beautiful in more than just one way.

You know it.

So, why don't you go make your sundays better?