Life – Page 5 – Sugar And Spice… Among Other Things

Family and Society, Life, Personal Musings, Quotes, Reflections

On the Search

Posted on June 18, 2020June 18, 2020 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

Watching the raindrops hit against the window panes resulted in one of those work-from-home days being that one of deep introspection, beyond the daily routine of life. Reflecting on the happenings of the outside world, especially in the society around us; it feels like each of us is on a hunt for something.

Being human, we yearn for many things. From hoping to feel complete with a successful career, the “good life” as deemed by the society and the hope to be with those who make us smile. In the quest for all those and beyond, we forget a couple of things. Society is defined by us, who we accept as ours and those we choose to believe in. It is man, we humans, who make up society. So each of us have a place in it, for it is right so, when the true society is defined by all of us being a part of it. There will be many voices around us, but the choice is ours to make and listen to. The choosing and the listening depends on us; our inner beliefs and dreams.

Source:https://vk.com/slideshowarts

Caught up in the fabric of the modern society, what one never must forget is to always be human, always be kind. It doesn’t have to be anything big, but something as small as lending an ear, or giving each one of those we love adequate space to not be crushed but near enough to catch when one accidentally trips. Letting the gleam of the silk fabric surround us, doesn’t give one any comfort for the cold rainy nights. Each of us need the other. And so does those around us, need us.

Resonating through each day gifted by time and life, is the feeling of being happy and content. To feel so, doesn’t equate to pure perfection or sunny days around the year. One learns to pick up the shattered pieces of the clay pot and make it into a mosaic for the flower garden. For that is life, to be content and happy lies in being comfortable in our own skin. In all the never ending search for the something better, we are bound to mess up. When the going gets a lot more tough, it is time to reach out for support and reach within to redefine ourselves. Each search needs to be defined to an end, to the real purpose. As far as quests go, being truly happy and content take the lead any time, any day.

“This life is what you make it. No matter what, you’re going to mess up sometimes, it’s a universal truth. But the good part is you get to decide how you’re going to mess it up.
Girls will be your friends – they’ll act like it anyway. But just remember, some come, some go. The ones that stay with you through everything – they’re your true best friends. Don’t let go of them. Also remember, sisters make the best friends in the world.
As for lovers, well, they’ll come and go too. And baby, I hate to say it, most of them – actually pretty much all of them are going to break your heart, but you can’t give up because if you give up, you’ll never find your soulmate. You’ll never find that half who makes you whole and that goes for everything. Just because you fail once, doesn’t mean you’re gonna fail at everything. Keep trying, hold on, and always, always, always believe in yourself, because if you don’t, then who will, sweetie? So keep your head high, keep your chin up, and most importantly, keep smiling, because life’s a beautiful thing and there’s so much to smile about.”
― Marilyn Monroe

Source:https://vk.com/slideshowarts

Source:https://vk.com/slideshowartsSource:https://vk.com/slideshowarts

Source:https://vk.com/slideshowarts

Family and Society, Life, Personal Musings, poetry

Unparalleled

Posted on June 11, 2020June 11, 2020 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

For one to realize the frailty of life versus time given to one, scanning the first few pages of the newspaper is enough, or just listen to the morning news hour. For some who thought they had time, there wasn’t any. Whereas others have been blessed with a second chance, good or bad, only time knows the final outcome. Through all this one realizes how blessed one has been. In fact, these thought bring out the true meaning of what “we have never realized”.

Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments

One never realizes how blessed one has been with a job or any form of employment, till the day the wages stop coming and the money is out of the hand. One never knows the gift of a family, unless they come back to an empty set of rooms with no voices, but only those of the media. One never realizes how much they were blessed with their own path to walk and friends to visit, until they are forced to confine within. Instead of realizing the simple gifts of time and life as a whole, we crib that theatres are shut, malls are out and we are all stuck.

“Life’s not about expecting, hoping and wishing, it’s about doing, being and becoming.” Mike Dooley

True that life may put one in a bind at times; yet for every things there aren’t just one or two but many sides which can be explored. While we crib about what we may have missed out on, learn not to lose out on what we have right now.

Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments

If one had to truly measure up the gifts we have been blessed with, the list made would put out the “so called better things” out with a whiff. As time shows us how fickle she can be with life, let each day be a highlight of the gifts that she offers us, put to use and not left behind in the chase for the perceived better.

How Much Would This Cost?
Courtland W. Sayers

One midnight deep in starlight still
I dreamed that I received this bill:
…………..In account with life:
Five thousand breathless dawns all new;
Five thousand flowers fresh in dew;
Five thousand sunsets wrapped in gold;
One million snowflakes served ice cold,
Five quiet friends; one baby’s love;
One white-mad sea with clouds above;
One hundred music-haunted dreams
Of moon drenched roads and hurrying streams,
One June night in a fragrant wood;
One heart that loved and understood.
I wondered when I woke that day
‘How much this would cost if I had to pay?’

Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments

Family and Society, Life, poetry, Reflections

After the Stay

Posted on May 25, 2020May 26, 2020 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

Switching by-lanes while on the long awaited drive to the office, courtesy of the slow lock-down restrictions being eased; the traffic queues were no longer an impatient. To see various expressions through the eyes, behind the masks, movement across the roads as well as the small flow of people, the feeling of belonging to a social structure was there. One never realizes how relevant each minute of our life is, unless we have been deprived of the routine. While the lock-down had seen the start of new routines, techniques and ventures; it has also opened up a whole new meaning to being complete from within.

“What a wonderful thought it is that some of the best days of our lives haven’t even happened yet.” Anne Frank

Staying in a place, and trying to phase out the schedule between work and home was no mean feat. Bringing the benefit of being closer as a family, exploring new interests or simply picking where one had left off like a project started years ago, brought back the essence of family and helped to re tune ourselves. On the other hand, the camaraderie at the work place, the weekly meet-up between local friends and interacting with the local townsfolk were some events which weren’t the same, even when done through video-conferencing or through social media. Fact is, those were some of the things sorely missed.

Human Interactions. It is what makes each of our days special and complete. As we hear and watch the experiences of others, we learn not just a lot about them, but also open up a fresh insight into ourselves and things to ponder about. While the past few weeks have been a time of finding oneself, setting new challenges as well as getting back in touch with ourselves; donning the masks and learning to blend in with the situation and re-enter society within the limits of the new guidelines teaches us how fragile and precious each second of the day is.

Slowly reentering back into the routine, the changes brought on will stay; but they have also taught us a lot about being human. Which is why, to be gracious and being kind should be always a part of our innate nature. And as we try to do so, we heal within and start off each bend in the road, with courage and stength with the promise of an experience worth our while in the world that we live in.

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” Dan Millman

And People Stayed Home

And people stayed home
and read books and listened
and rested and exercised
and made art and played
and learned new ways of being
and stopped
and listened deeper
someone meditated
someone prayed
someone danced
someone met their shadow
and people began to think differently
and people healed
and in the absence of people who lived in ignorant ways,
dangerous, meaningless and heartless,
even the earth began to heal
and when the danger ended
and people found each other
grieved for the dead people
and they made new choices
and dreamed of new visions
and created new ways of life
and healed the earth completely
just as they were healed themselves.

Kathleen O’Meara (1839–1888)
(This poem was written by an Irish-French Catholic writer, Kathleen O’Meara (Dublin 1839 – Paris 1888), who also wrote under the pen name of Grace Ramsay, and is to be found in her novel Iza’s Story, set against the background of the Polish struggle against the occupation and partition of their country in various stages by Russia, Austria and Prussia from 1772 onwards. She compares the Polish-Russian situation to the Irish-British situation. For the present, this poem when set against the background of present makes way for a thought provoking read.)

Christian, Daily, Life, Personal Musings, Random Thoughts

Knowing that Secret

Posted on May 11, 2020May 11, 2020 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

Looking back on the past couple of weeks, there were pretty simple but quite startling revelations. One among them was the fact that one could find themselves with plenty of things to be thankful about. Finally the last couple of weeks saw the garden being worked on, children being read to bead by both parents, time for a family musical drama , the old knitting which never saw it’s story being knitted out was ready and a whole lot more. What more, there was quite a lot of things to do in the checklist being worked out and completed.

Through this all, while the urge to go out and be “in the social nows” was there in the initial few days, those feelings and perceived necessities had quickly winded down. Instead one was able to find plenty to do, along with their “work from home options” or otherwise.

Source:https://vk.com/public138314547

For those of us us, who had the worst chain of circumstances being experienced by them, they had learnt to adapt and chose what was left in their hands and make a better chance from what was left, and go with the flow. Most important of all, one learnt to appreciate with being given something to hold on to in each and every situation, even if that something was hope alone.

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” (Philippians 4:12)

For man, each day is a sojourn of something new. Being in the constant search, we sometimes forget to take a pause and breathe out in and see the world around us. Missing out on the reality of the now, in the hunt for the something better for tomorrow results in plenty of bitter lessons a little late to comprehend and understand. Ironically once we attain whatever that has caught our fancy earlier, it no longer holds the wonder of then now. In our own insatiable hunger for more, our assumption is that “now is never enough”.

Source:https://vk.com/public138314547

In certain arenas, one does need to hunt for a lot more. It could be to be better at their own professional field, their personal dreams and the like. Yet once we forget to stop every now and then, and smell the roses around us; all this pursuit may end in vain when explored form other different but quite interesting and important angles. By then, time has passed and hindsight can be a real pain. On our own, we do pursue desperately something or whatever we think will satisfy us; until then the next thing comes along and we run behind it, once we realize that the previous objective wasn’t that good. Some instances, that discontent is a another form of anxiety or a shield to hide us from the reality and face the situation.

Ironically it is once we learnt to experience what we had feared once the most, to appreciate what one has truly within their hand in the present. While it may be important in the better path for tomorrow, pursuit of the same shouldn’t make us shed off the mantle of being content and purposeful within the now. As the His Words and His Love have shown us, to be content in each and every situation is when we learn to embrace His Love, His Grace and His Mercy. For those alone will help us face every situation, be they wonderful or dire. For through Him, we get our strength for the worst of the days, whenever they come by. Knowing this secret alone, is what keeps the unrest at bay. By this, the inner contentment grows and the world of now shows a much clear path for a bright tomorrow.

“11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:11-13)

Source:https://vk.com/slideshowarts

Source:https://vk.com/pub_dma

Source:https://vk.com/pub_mdma

Daily, Life, Personal Musings, Photography Art, poetry, Reflections

To Fear, or Risk

Posted on May 6, 2020May 6, 2020 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

Watching the late noon sky darkening with an unprecedented vengeance, the sudden disappearance of the bright rays likened to the hidden uneasiness present around us, most of these days. Certain days, those dark depressing thoughts come unbidden tot he mind, turning out the inner exuberance, either in a subtle manner or with all lights blaring. Some days, one is able to stamp out those thoughts. Yet on other days, we fall prey to them. What one should know, the fight is always between the fear and the risk.

“There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” C.S. Lewis

Source:https://vk.com/pub_mdma

Whether it be the current scenario or not, there would have been many situations when we had to do away with the fear and take that chance. On few occasions it may have been the other way around; when we lost the chance thanks to the fear. The funny thing about fer, is that it always a part of life. The wise thing is not to do away with it, but to address it.

“I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars.” Og Mandino

When we learn to just put one step ahead of the present foot print, we move ahead. But stay still or look back, the prints ahead don’t happen. It is natural to develop the sense of trepidation and fer, if everything will be alright. Yet dwelling in it for too long, doesn’t really help. It is only we gather the courage to just put one step in front of the other, that fear takes a backseat. Then we move ahead.

Source:https://vk.com/pub_mdma

On looking back, one discovers that this was what “taking a risk all about”; the imperative to not let fear get the upper hand. Address our fears, but don’t let them hold us back. Time never stays still, neither should man with the huge potential and the gift of life that he has been fortunate to hold within each one of us, and be a part of.

Fear
Khalil Gibran

It is said that before entering the sea
a river trembles with fear.

She looks back at the path she has traveled,
from the peaks of the mountains,
the long winding road crossing forests and villages.

And in front of her,
she sees an ocean so vast,
that to enter
there seems nothing more than to disappear forever.

But there is no other way.
The river can not go back.

Nobody can go back.
To go back is impossible in existence.

The river needs to take the risk
of entering the ocean
because only then will fear disappear,
because that’s where the river will know
it’s not about disappearing into the ocean,
but of becoming the ocean.

Source:https://vk.com/pub_mdma

Life, Personal Musings, poetry, Reflections

Will to Go Ahead

Posted on May 1, 2020May 1, 2020 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

Thus, here comes today, the entry of another month. Reflecting back on the happenings of this month past; none would have expected this year would turn out so. As the pandemic still goes on across the world and lock-down still continues, the start of another month is filled with trepidation and fear. Though hope still lingers that things would wind down, deep within one expects such an event to be quite distant.

When such feelings come on ahead, it would be the best time to reflect on His Love and the annals of history as documented over the centuries. As history always teaches us, kingdoms rise and fall, civilization stays and moves on; changes do come and go. Whether one gets to see the end of it, we don’t know. Yet what one does know is that all these things too shall pass.

“Every new season of your life will be an opportunity for you to learn and grow. Don’t celebrate the good without celebrating the bad because they both work together to prepare you for the next season of your life.” Theresa Lewis

Source:https://vk.com/slideshowarts

As we comes across various issues and events in our lives, be it big or small, simple or huge in magnitude; as long as we grow the courage to tackle them, one shall overcome and live through them all. What one must always realize is that each day is a gift and a blessing of a kind.

One of the biggest gifts one has learnt through this pandemic, is that life is definitely unpredictable. Each of us may have felt that fact before this event of now; though this pandemic brings this feeling to the forefront as an alarm to awaken us each morning. Time is precious and so is each moment in life. None of these things are reversible.

“The best is yet to come.” Frank Sinatra

Learning to live each day, doing our bit is what one should try to do in their best capacity possible. Keeping both family and work, ourselves and our loved ones; giving each of them a share of our time, helps one to realize the beauty of each day. Once we learn to live with this understanding in mind; one will discern the fact that the hidden blessings of the present is what will give the glimmer of hope and light for the future.

Source:https://vk.com/slideshowarts

Source:https://vk.com/pub_mdma

Source:https://vk.com/slideshowarts

HEARTWORK

Each day is born with a sunrise
and ends in a sunset, the same way we
open our eyes to see the light,
and close them to hear the dark.
You have no control over
how your story begins or ends.
But by now, you should know that
all things have an ending.
Every spark returns to darkness.
Every sound returns to silence.
And every flower returns to sleep
with the earth.
The journey of the sun
and moon is predictable.
But yours,
is your ultimate
ART.
― Suzy Kassem

Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments

Life, Personal Musings, poetry, Quotes

Priceless in Time

Posted on April 30, 2020March 15, 2020 by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

Attending an official meeting as a replacement for my colleague lead me to board the local train for getting back to the office. For once, there wasn’t a hitch in the schedule. So here I was, waiting for the train and scanning through all the pending mails, messages and the like. With no one breathing down my neck and no crisis looming, there was time to reply back to messages, update with friends and to return that missed call from a distant cousin. All that happened in a matter of minutes. In the aftermath, it felt good; catching up to those around us, being in contact with the old group of friends and reminiscences of the good old days. All it may take could be five minutes.

“The best times we’ve had on earth are usually with those we love.” Van Harden

Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments

When one views a fresh day, it may seem that one has plenty of time. As a big bunch of hours, it’s towards the middle of the day when they get rapidly deleted that then time becomes a small amount. From that set then, five minutes may seem a lot. But in those five minutes, much can be achieved; for five minutes isn’t huge.

Five minutes to talk to siblings. Five minutes to play with the dog, just to throw the ball. Five minutes to hug your better half and wish him or her a good day. Five minutes to play blocks with the toddler. Five minutes to catch up with a colleague who was recently transferred from your section to another. These little five minutes, though may be spent of doing more important things like work, domestic chores, cooking and the like are those very five minutes that help to make precious memories, which are hidden in the recesses of spent minutes but serve to be priceless in due course.

“Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back.” Harvey MacKay

Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments

Though time may be precious and valuable; in itself it has no value. Cut off from the social and personal ties that keep us going, time may cause us to drag each day. Time needs to shared with all. For such time spent is more fruitful, than solely devoting it to one segment of our lives alone. At the end of our time, it is those cumulative five minutes of love and care that create treasured memories to help us face the trying times. True that one must hurry when one should, but to be too busy to note that one is being cut off from the best parts of life would be akin to cutting off own feet. To share time is an art that we all must indulge in, for all it takes is a simple matter of five minutes.

Time Is
by Henry van Dyke

Time is
Too Slow for those who Wait,
Too Swift for those who Fear,
Too Long for those who Grieve,
Too Short for those who Rejoice;
But for those who Love,
Time is not.