What's So Good!?

What is something you are really good at doing?

I do not feel very comfortable writing on this prompt. But I guess this is the reaction of most people when they have to highlight their positive points. There are those confident souls who would not hesitate to answer this and would sum up their pros beautifully and articulately.

Me? I am thinking if there is anything that I am good at doing. I am a good reader, that I can say with pride. I have been a reader since I was eight years old, I think. This is something that I have done consistently over the years. No matter how many tasks I have to do in a day, I always ensure to keep some time for reading.

People have been kind enough to say that they like my write-ups. Personally I feel there is a large scope for improvement. I have been writing since a decade now. I feel that I have come a long way from my first ever write-up. Although there are many miles ahead, I am grateful for where I am today when it comes to my writing.

Sadly I can think of only these two things that I feel I am good at. May be when I return to this prompt after some years, I will have many more things to write about! 

A Nostalgic Trip Down Memory Lane!

Imagine you have a time-machine. Which era or time-period you will travel to, and what will you do there?

Only one answer comes to my mind for this prompt. I would like to go back to the 90s, because for me, that was the best decade of my life.

As a millennial, I got to spend my teens in the 90s and I am so grateful for that. I feel life was leisurely even though it didn't feel so at that time. There was this awesome sense of wonder which required very less to manifest. 

Although there are many things that I love about the 90s, some stand out prominently.

I loved the community spirit that existed at that time. My childhood home was in an apartment where there were around 50 flats with 12 flats in one floor itself. The doors were never closed in any flat. Neighbours often checked in with each other. There were no secrets among families. Every neighbour was well acquainted with each other's entire family line and relatives. There was this feeling of having many people to look after you. 

The 90s were the time when I spent most of my days with my two childhood friends. We would either study together, or hang out in each other's homes or spend the evenings at the terrace. There was so much to talk about! We continued doing this till we graduated and got jobs. If I could travel back time, I would want to return to this time when there were friends in my life.

Most of all, I wish to return to the 90s because that was a time when life was full of possibilities and chances. There was a lot of positivity then. Today the days bring in chaos, worries and anxiety, something which was unfamiliar during my younger days. I would like to have the same level of confidence and optimism that I had then. 

Perhaps it is possible to live the same carefree life of the 90s. With this hope, I try to add as much activities of my yesteryears as I can. I read the newspapers even though there are several apps that can bring us the news in an instant. There is comfort in holding an actual newspaper in hand and read the articles. I play devotional songs in the morning. Although there is no tape-recorder in the house, I play the songs on TV to get a feel of those blissful mornings of my childhood when the dawn was ushered in with the divine Suprabhatam sung by MS Subbalakshmi. I watch some serials on TV just to get a feel of watching TV with the entire family like I used to do in my childhood. I try to spend some time outdoors by going on evening walks with a friend. It brings back memories of all the evenings spent with my childhood friends either at the entrance of the building where we used to live, or at the terrace, or out  on the streets where if one wanted to buy something, the entire gang accompanied her. I watch Rangoli serial on sundays. I watch one movie a week the same way when Doordarshan channel used to air a movie on Sundays. 

Maybe it is possible to travel back in time if we incorporate the same activities into our daily lives, the activities that once filled our hearts with joy and warmth. And that is exactly what I am trying to do. 

Hope this blog takes you to a good time of your life and makes you smile! Do let me know your views on this!

Past V/s Current Me

What are the five things that your past self would love about your current self?

I have always leaned more on my past, often reflecting upon the perfect moments of childhood and teenage when life was easier and there were no big responsibilities, except for studies. Until I came across this prompt, I never felt that the present Me would have something that the past Me would appreciate. 

It turns out there are some things about my current self that the past self would appreciate. 

For starters, I am finally writing. In my past it has only been a dream but today, I am writing much more than I have ever written in the past. I think the past Me would really be happy about this.

I am learning to cook! The past Me would be flabbergasted at my attempts today because kitchen was a place that filled me with dread. Having lived in a large family where there was always someone to manage the kitchen, I did not try my hand at cooking until after marriage. My recipes do not always turn out perfectly but I am sure the past Me would be shocked by my various trysts with cooking. I bake muffins, something which felt impossible during my growing years. That has got to say something about the changes I have gone through, right?

I feel that I am more confident now. I have formed a small yet precious circle of neighbors who have become friends over a period of time. The past Me only had a handful of childhood friends and never felt the need to form any more friendships. Today I try my best to be socially active and to form acquaintances and friendship. I think the past Me would be really glad. 

Because of the many books I read and the spiritual discourses I listen to now-a-days, I feel like I understand people a bit more clearly and I do not judge them. The past Me viewed people only in the shades of 'good' or 'bad', 'right' or 'wrong' and such extreme labels. But today I know that people are good but their situations and mindsets determine their behavior, and that it is totally unfair to judge a person for their outwardly reaction when I do not what goes on in their life or what they were thinking at that particular moment of time. 

The past Me had a lot of opinions and would often voice them. Today I have learnt that voicing your opinion in the social media serves no purpose other than antagonize the people who do not share your view. I think the past Me who used to often regret after sharing an opinion/view would heartily embrace this change of mindset. I do have opinions but instead of stating the same to people, I just write a blog in my own site so that it doesn't offend anyone. 

These are just some of the changes that I have gone through. There's a lot to learn! But then both time and life are great teachers, and I am a willing student, after all. 

Looking Back And Moving Forth!

Write three things, big or small, that you achieved yesterday.

While this prompt asks specifically about yesterday, I would like to look back further and reflect on what I would call as my achievements for the past year.

Writing-wise, it has been a satisfactory year. I kept writing short stories for a writing platform, blogs for my own site and articles for an online magazine. I could complete a novella and submit it for review. I got started on my short-story collection and while it is not going as I had intended it to, it is proceeding ahead every day with a new paragraph. Somedays that is all one can hope as a writer!

Reading-wise, it has been a wonderful year. I read some really wonderful books published by my friends. I read a lot of books on my Kindle. There is still a lot of reading to do. I am most thankful to 2024 for helping me pick up my reading habit.

I am also grateful for two new routines that I added to my days - going for evening walks and journaling in the evenings. Since as long as I can remember, evenings have always brought in gloom. Some people refer to this as sundowning. Walking around the colony with my friend refreshes my mind and has become a much-awaited ritual of the day. Journaling has helped to reduce my anxiety by a great measure. And while journals are supposed to be personal, I share these in the form of blogs with the hope that they will bring some solace to the people reading the same.

Another year has dawned and there are many milestones to achieve, first and foremost being health (both physical and mental). It's all about making each day count, you know. When you live your days well, you will find a good deal of stuff to look back upon during the year-end. So, instead of hoping that we have a great year ahead, I will just say that I hope we all live each day well and make our own 'great' days!

I would love to hear your musings on 2024, and your hopes for 2025. Do read this blog and share your views!