Saturday, September 24, 2011

The Secret of Healing………



Whenever we are hurt, depressed, or dejected we are told to heal. “Heal yourself” is the common parlance which one comes across often. For the past couple of years I’ve heard this phrase as frequently as ‘good morning’ or ‘how are you’. Initially, I used to get perplexed by the thoughtful suggestion of ‘healing myself’ given to me by friends. I used to wonder how I could heal without going to a psychiatrist. Was I being considered a probable case of mental ailment? No one would ever explain it to me how to go about it but they were sure to mention that I needed to heal myself. Whenever, I used to ask about how to do it the answer would again be “Just heal yourself”. It was indeed exasperating. I soon realized that this could be the case with so many other people like me. I thought it was time I did a small research of my own on this issue.

I referred to journals, internet, and books. The journals seemed too brief to give a satisfying answer to my quest. Most of them already presumed that the reader was aware of what ‘healing’ was. Internet was a distraction in itself and books were too demanding on my tight time schedule. In short, I was not prepared to take the help of either of these sources. Yet, I wanted to be ‘healed’. One of my friends suggested I played “Enigma” while driving to and fro from work. I started listening to it but it too turned out to be one of the melodious noises amidst the honking traffic. The music played and my mind kept thinking about how to heal myself. I decided to meet the psychiatrist. There were series of tests and consultations. On the last day of my consultation my psychiatrist said “You need to heal yourself.” I snapped back “…..then what was I doing all these days walking in and out of your office” He reiterated, “Heal yourself, if you want these sessions to show result.”

I drove home, went straight to my room, and looked straight into the mirror. I told myself “You better heal yourself now” but the image asked “How”…I said “Just heal.” I kept on repeating these words to myself consciously and subconsciously. Soon, I realized this was the only thing I was thinking. There was no room left for any other thought. I had soon forgotten about the antagonizing thoughts and feelings. My brain was fully occupied by the thought of “healing myself”. I asked myself “Hey is this healing”. I was on the verge of finding my own little truth on ‘‘healing myself”

I would like to share my ‘own little truth on healing’ here. I am not sure if it’s going to be of any help but it did help me come to terms with my anguishing circumstances.

1.       Energy always flows where attention goes. For instance, if we want to lose weight we channelize all our energy to work outs. Similarly, if we need to heal spiritually and emotionally we need to harness our energies to thoughts which promote the spiritual and emotional well-being.  Each one of us is bestowed with bodies which are custom made to our respective requirements so we call them ‘my body’. Our body always gives us signals and clues about the things which would heal it the best. We must learn to pick up those signals. For some people looking at the rising sun lifts their mood, others heal by listening to music, while some might just love walking barefoot on the dewy grass. These may appear insignificant but they do help in healing. We can call them as the tiny ‘building blocks’ of our emotional well-being. Believe me when I say that the energy invested in these building blocks is much better than the energy spent in driving to the psychiatrist’s office.

2.       Healing is ‘Forgiving and Forgetting’. We can never heal ourselves if we are constantly holding grudges against people, life, and situations. We tend to lose our calm on petty issues like being stuck in the traffic, being snapped at by a rude commuter, or by a small tiff at home. Before getting upset if we just pause and ask ourselves “Is it really worth being upset?” I’m sure the moment we ask ourselves this question we will soon be out of that room, situation, or mood. The likes, dislikes, grudges, and hatred form a vicious circle which soon eats into our emotional health. Healing is nothing but being able to ‘Forgive and Forget.’  

3.       Healing involves being ‘Grateful and Appreciative”. Happiness is always attributed to how successful a person is. Happiness has become synonymous with materialistic gains. If you are affluent you are happy. People have ceased to find or rather have forgotten to look for happiness in their day-to-day lives. A few kind words or just one thoughtful gesture in a day can do wonders to our emotional health.

4.       The key to healing is ‘self appreciation and self-love.’ If we fail to respect and love ourselves no one else would ever will. The first step to healing is falling in love with us. We must learn to appreciate, pamper, and reward ourselves. Our being alive should be a reason enough for celebration.

5.       Healing involves making a list of people and situations. Take a green marker. Mark in green the people and situations which make you feel happier, wanted, and loved. These are the positive people/situations in your life which would teach to be appreciative. They will always empower you with their goodness. Now, mark in red the people/situations that drain you completely. These are the gnawing factors of your life which need to be either completely erased or ignored in the chapter of your life. It is not feasible to get rid of the negative people always as they may be someone very close to us. The best way to heal under such circumstances is to be “GRATEFUL” to such negative people/situations. Yes, you’ve read it right! Be grateful to them because they taught you valuable lessons in life and made you ‘identify what you don’t want in your life’.

These are few things that I learnt about ‘healing’ via trial and error method. Life is nothing but hitting the right chord at the right moment. Virtues like forgiveness, gratitude, and appreciation should be generously incorporated in our lives. Healing happens when our energy is directed toward weaning our mindset from not-to-favorable situations and people at the right time. 




                                                                    

Friday, September 23, 2011

What would you choose? Being always right to make yourself happy or be wrong at times for the sake of someone else's happiness....


I’m sure most of us have found ourselves in situations which have put us into dilemma. Everyone wants to be right all the time and yet never be hurtful. This at times is not possible because being right involves a certain percentage of heartbreaks as well. We have come across people in our professional or personal lives who love to be ruthlessly right. For such people, it is only their point of view that matters. They refuse to acknowledge that others might be right as well. For them always being right is the key to their happiness. Any other proposition leaves them disoriented and unhappy.

We keep meeting men or women in our day-to-day lives who seem to be nice people. They have the most amazing personality, envious career graphs, and oodles of sophistication in them. But, if you have a closer look at their lives you would find that their personal and professional relationships are going haywire. Their employees or organizations always find some bone of contention. The crux of the problem is that these ‘nice ladies or gentlemen’ just cannot accept anyone else being right. If things go their way they are the most charming people but if you fail to adhere to their ‘sense of righteousness’ then you’re sure inviting trouble.

Now, let’s ask ourselves some questions.
Is it possible for us to allow someone else to be right sometimes even though it may make us unhappy?

Would we still prefer being right even though it’s costing us our relationships?

Do we always try to prove that the other person is wrong?

Are we able to appreciate people who do the jobs not according to our ways and yet be happy?

Do we always scream “This is our way, and we cannot even think of the other way?”


If answers to the above mentioned questions are “YES” then we definitely need help because we are inviting problems for life.  Life is not only about life and death, being successful or unsuccessful, or maintaining bank balances but it is also about how beautifully we maintain and grow in our relationships. If things don’t go our way we should learn to take them with a pinch of salt. Sometimes, handling disagreements also give us the same amount of pleasure if not more than always being ‘right’. Aggression and assertiveness are excellent attributes when used in moderation. Have you ever thought of having several vitamins at a time to make your body function perfectly instantly? No, that would spell disaster for your body. Similarly, an overdose of being always right can ruin relationships beyond repair.

We should all learn to sit back, chill, and enjoy being wrong at times. The happiness of seeing others doing their ‘bit of right’ can be as intoxicating if we just learn to get involved in their happiness.

The ball is in our court now. Do we want to remain happy alone or share our happiness with people who make our lives beautiful? Sometimes, being wrong for the right reasons keeps us happier than being right for all wrong reasons. Give it a thought my friends…
                                                                         

Sunday, September 18, 2011

The Homecoming......


As the days, months, years pass by;
I find a deeper understanding in me grow
To rely on almighty’s wisdom
And let myself flow
In the river of love and light that is so pure.

As I sit today contemplating,
On the time I spent to know
The Me in Him and the Him in Me;
I realize it was a fruitful journey
Where I was the sailor
And HE was my navigator.

I took the leap of faith
Fearing I might have a bad fall
But He took me in his arms
And said,
“Welcome home my child.”
And now I wonder how I could have spent
So many days, months, and years
Away from my celestial home.

Friday, September 9, 2011

The Thoughtful U-Turn....of my thoughts.....................


 I am again at a loss of words,
Looking blankly at my notebook,
Thinking hard
For the thoughts that made me talk!

As I close my eyes to think,
I see an image flashing,
A fleet of thoughts racing
Away, away, and away
From me!

I am exasperated;
I close my eyes harder,
And run faster,
To catch up with my fleeing thoughts.
But
Alas! My friends,
I still find them
Moving away, away, and away,
From me!

Once again,
I close my eyes.
This time, I talk to my thoughts
And say,
“Oh! My thoughts
Please don’t run away from me.
Come back to me,
As you’re the only one,
I’ve now left with me!

The thoughts replied,
“Girl, we’re not forsaking you
But we need our space too.
We are on a vacation
On a short spree of rejuvenation,
We made you talk a lot
And now,
For a change we will talk
And you’ll be in our thoughts.

The thoughts continued,
‘Close your eyes not tightly but lightly,
Now,
Move away, away, and away
From us
But
Hear us as we talk
And remember all along
That you are now our thought.

Relax,
Let your soul hear us
Let your mental eyes see us
As we make merry rejuvenating
In the cosmic ocean
Rise from the physical plane
And join us.

Initially,
I was scared and confused
But then
I could hear my thoughts again,
“Come on join us,
It’s time you trust us,
Abandon your fears,
And float in the cosmic ocean,
As this is the ultimate bliss.

The thoughts continued,
“Our job is to guide you
To wait on you
To escort you to the next level of your journey!
And now,
Dear, it’s your turn
To move away, away, and away
From us!
As from now on
We will talk and you will be our thought!







Thursday, September 8, 2011

The Irony of Common Dreams......


In the sunshine of my life
I found you at my side,
We shared many moments magical,
Ever happy, never cried.

Till came a time in our lives
When the Wind of Change blew fierce,
In the darkest winter blues you cast me off,
My heart abandoned, cruelly pierced.

We walked the road uphill,
Where we shared common dreams,
I left mine to make yours come true,
But you walked away without giving me a clue.

Soon you realized that your dreams belonged to you,
And you needed someone else to walk with you.
I was just a means to reach out to your dreams,
And now I am left alone wondering,
Were they at all our common dreams!

Saturday, September 3, 2011

The Fairyland.....



This is a story of a little girl
With a granny who sang her a song
Of fairies in white gowns
Flying down to take her
To the magical world
Of shining wands.
She fluttered open her tiny wings
To dance and sing
With her fairy queens.

Time passed;
The little girl,
Now a young woman,
All set to create her own fairy land.
She donned her white gown,
To walk down the aisle of life,
Only to be greeted by elves,
With a crooked hat and a crooked smile.

She ran back to her granny
Now very old;
Looked at her,
With a pair of weak, shimmering eyes.
The young woman wept and cried
And said, “Granny I lost my fairies
And the fairyland,
Please tell me the way back to my lost paradise”

Granny gave a wide toothless grin
Before she replied,
“Dear, the fairies left the world,
As the men’s hearts turned cruel.
Now,
It’s your turn to recreate the lost paradise.
So,
Spread out your wings
And let the fairy in you fly
To create a land of wonder
Where dreams, visions, and hope
Sound the thunder.
And the day you welcome the showers of bliss,
I’m sure
Your fairies would be back
To bless your fairyland.”

Thursday, September 1, 2011

The Unknown Voice......


The wind was playing with my hair
As I was staggering down the muddy lane,
Carelessly kicking the pebbles,
And watching the mud rise,
Suddenly, I heard a small voice asking me,
“Do you know me?
Have we met before?”

I stopped;
Silently,
The pebbles rolled to one corner;
The rising mud fleeted down,
To caress the lonely lane again.
But,
The wind still played with my hair,
And the small voice spoke again,
“Do we know each other?”

I was speechless as I looked around,
I could not see anyone far or near,
My breath was as silent as me,
But;
The wind still played with my hair,
And lo!
The small voice could be heard again.
It slowly whispered,
Hey, answer me!

I muttered, “Dear I don’t know you,
Nor can I see you,
But I can only hear you,
May I know who are you?”
There was stillness all around
But,
The wind still played with my hair
And the small voice could be heard again!

This time, the voice chuckled
I was dismayed.
It said, “I’ve known you all along
But you never tried to know me.”
I said,
“Dear that’s an unlikely proposition
As I’ve always cared for people I’ve known!”

The voice replied,
“You’re right sweetheart.
You’ve cared for people
You’ve cared for voices.
You’ve cared for everyone
But you’ve never cared for me!”

I replied,
“Ah! Common that can’t be true;
You say,
I’ve cared for everyone but you!”
The voice, was stern this time
And said, “Yes you heard it right
You cared for all but me!”

The voice continued,
“I was your all,
I was your dream
I was your being,
I was you and you were me,
Yes, I was your LIFE
But
You never cared for me!”

The wind still played with my hair,
As I continued walking down the muddy lane.
Now,
I kicked the pebbles harder;
Smiled at the rising mud,
And shouted loud and clear,
“Life, watch out for me!
Now it’s going to be
Just you and me!”


Tuesday, August 30, 2011

A Small Pack of Wishes....


Yeah…I’ve a small pack of wishes,
I’d like to share with one and all.
My wishes may look puny
But, they are enough
To make the flashes of my life
Worth watching!

I wish to have my share of rainbows
To always follow the clouds,
A few silver linings
Which reassure that every
Night is followed by a beautiful morn.

I wish for laughter to kiss my lips,
Even at times when my chips are down,
And when sadness intrudes,
I wish for innumerable smiles
To brighten up my days
And say
Yeah, we’re there for you.

I wish for beauty
That sooths the tired eyes
Warms the broken hearts
Lifts the spirits that sag,
Hugs the drooping shoulders;
And takes away the pain
From the lives
It touches.

I wish for undaunting faith,
To believe in myself;
To have courage to know,
And patience to accept the truth,
That life is much beyond
To what my eyes can meet.

And last but the not the least
I wish for the cup of love
To be always overflowing in my life
Along with the sparkles of everlasting friendships,
To see me through the sunset of my life!


Sunday, August 28, 2011

Yes, I've Learnt to Say NO




When the going is rough,
The situations are tough,
And reason says enough,

I say, NO
I’ll never give up!

When I see a child without a school bag
All wrapped up in a rag
And growing up with a tag
That education is meant for a privileged few
I say, NO
This can’t be true
The child has a right
Just as you and me
To have the best in life!

When I see a woman
Being deprived of her rights
Beaten black and blue
By the ridiculous norms
I say, NO
I’ll never be one of them
As I prefer having my share of fights
But will never give up in fright!

When I see people
Running after materialistic gains
Forgetting to enjoy life
While bartering their gains for pains
I say, NO
To this mad marathon
As life to me is too true
And beautiful
To be spent in counting pennies earned!

Yes, I’ve learnt to say NO
The harder way
But then
It’s one of the best things
I’ve learnt so far!













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