Category: Personal Musings

Posted in Life, Personal Musings, Quotes, Stories Around the World, Work

Alone or With A Leaf

Posted on by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” Albert Camus

The absence of my toddler at the table for his allotted cartoon time, had sent me to the garden. With the rains and the winds still lashing on though in a minimal way, I was mentally prepared to see him in mud. Surprisingly, I found him by the small pond (covered with a strapped wire mesh thankfully) with a little leaf complete with a long stalk in hand. On closer view, he was gently prodding two tortoises to reach their temporary home soon, before the night fall. While one with the help of the “leaf” had reached the pond soon; the other had almost managed on it’s own. With both of them safely in their home, the wide smile on the young face was worth the muddy shirt.

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.” Samuel Beckett

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All of us have our own moments, of being “the tortoise” or “the child”. Wherein, one may need the extra support to go ahead or one has been the provider of that extra support. On the other hand, there have been many who have been in the shoes of the tortoise without that help. Each step was taken with effort, not calculating or finding the prospects in the future; but going about the task and dealing with each aspect along the way.

“At the very moment when people underestimate you is when you can make a breakthrough.”? Germany Kent

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Once one has crossed the finish line, on looking back, the feeling of awe, relief, happiness, contentment and thanksgiving all come rolled in one. Later as one dissects the situation, the realization comes that all things are possible, no matter how big it may seem; as long as we keep the self belief and start tackling it, no matter how small the step may seem to be. No sculpture is made one blow alone, but by series of continued chipping to create the many planes, inclinations, curves and angles for the final effect. Our lives reflect a lot similar. Help or no help, once we start moving, one reaches the end point sooner than just twiddling the thumbs or flapping around. Beauty in life as such, is experienced only after a wee little effort on own part.

“You may be the only person left who believes in you, but it’s enough. It takes just one star to pierce a universe of darkness. Never give up.” Richelle E. Goodrich

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A Determined Spirit
Author Unknown

Once upon a time, a small bird named Tasoo lived in a vast jungle. One hot summer day, a terrible wildfire erupted and the flames devoured many trees and animals living in the jungle. Other birds flew high into the sky and far away to safety, but Tasoo couldn’t bear to leave her precious jungle home to burn. Day and night, she flew with all her might back and forth to the river, filling her tiny beak with water to drop on the raging fires. Tasoo’s rare heart of courage and unshakable determination moved the heavenly gods to shed tears, and a great rain poured down upon the jungle, extinguishing the flames. And so it is that even the smallest actions of a determined spirit can change the world.
(Popular parable of the Quechua (Incan) Indians of South America)

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Posted in Daily, Life, Personal Musings, poetry

Enrich the Journey

Posted on by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

“Dreams are the touchstones of our characters.” Henry David Thoreau

When the local community centre had opened the next six week course in Spanish cuisine and glass art, eyebrows were set high when a quartet of quinquagenarians had joined the latter course. The speculation had arose not because hey had joined the course, but because they all had their own successful professional lives in the field of bank, education, science and public works. Finding time for “glass art” in the midst of all their busy schedules was what set many talking about their own unfulfilled projects.

“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential.” Pope John XXII

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Growth is a personal effect. Be it in the chosen field, personal life or social life; each one of us need something to do, in order to develop, dream and achieve to make our lives feel fuller. Whether one be a chartered accountant indulging in salsa classes or a school teacher trying their hand at the canvas or a gym instructor learning a new cuisine, all of us have those cherished wild dreams, desires and targets that area apart of us. While one may go grow professionally, giving room for those extra interests helps us grow in our own potential.

“Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country.” Anais Nin

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Journey’s End

In western lands beneath the Sun
The flowers may rise in Spring,
The trees may bud, the waters run,
The merry finches sing.
Or there maybe ’tis cloudless night,
And swaying branches bear
The Elven-stars as jewels white
Amid their branching hair.

Though here at journey’s end I lie
In darkness buried deep,
Beyond all towers strong and high,
Beyond all mountains steep,
Above all shadows rides the Sun
And Stars for ever dwell:
I will not say the Day is done,
Nor bid the Stars farewell.

– J.R.R.Tolkien

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Posted in Family and Society, Life, Personal Musings, poetry, Reflections

More than Imprints

Posted on by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

These days, while driving for an out of the town workshop ( with attendance made compulsory from the head boss); the hassles faced in mapping out the course or drive isn’t as big as compared to any similar happening, lets say, around twenty years ago. With Google giving the directions, vehicles equipped with navigation, phones that function as maps and better roads; on the whole venturing into a new territory isn’t met with fear of getting lost anymore.

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Rewinding back to those years, one relied on the passerby who were generous with their navigation advice and sense of direction. Many a time, getting on the wrong road resulted in one stepping out at the local roadside shop, asking for specific directions, enjoying a good cup of coffee and then heading back on the road with fresh directions and in better spirits. Those better spirits are in part, from the print left behind by those around us. Though these days, Google helps us to navigate; there are still imprints left behind.

“I am grateful for every precious moment life offers me. It allows me to see the miracle in each experience.” Emmanuel Dagher

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From the numerous social interactions that we all experience, few stay on the mind stronger than before. May be it could be attached with pleasantness, a warm feeling and happiness or peace within; while other imprints may leave a bitter feel. Which ever way, we all leave our imprints in different ways. Just like the fellow passerby of yesteryear, when one chooses to leave behind heart-prints ( not just imprints) it makes life more beautiful. Over the years, as one realizes the more heart-prints one leaves behind, the treasure chest of memories, happiness and peace with contentment can be experienced in every waking hour.

“Every day in every way we are leaving our mark.” Rachael Bermingham

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Heartprints
Author Unknown

Whatever our hands touch –
We leave fingerprints!
On walls, on furniture
On doorknobs, dishes, books.
There’s no escape.
As we touch we leave our identity.

Wherever I go today
Help me leave heartprints!
Heartprints of compassion
Of understanding and love.

Heartprints of kindness
And genuine concern.
May my heart touch a lonely neighbor
Or a runaway daughter
Or an anxious mother
Or perhaps an aged grandfather.

Send me out today
To leave heartprints.
And if someone should say,
“I felt your touch,”
May they also sense the love
that is deep within my heart.

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Posted in Daily, Life, Personal Musings, poetry, Quotes

Colours Across the Path

Posted on by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” F. Scott Fitzgerald

Being in the tropics, the time of fall isn’t as colourful as the temperate areas. Though the winds and the rain against the mosaic of colours still mark the season of autumn. Collecting the leaves for my toddler’s scrapbook is never a job too tedious or tiring. Coming across each leaf with their own shape and colours, even though dead, each leaf has their own beauty and story to say.

“If only humans could die like the autumn leaves, with a splash of beauty and the promise of another season.” Shana Chartier

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Each leaf has a story of their origin through spring, summer and travel across the wind. Each leaf may have seen the good and the bad. Some leaves may have been the vibrant green placed amongst the fragrance of flowers, while others may have been subject to the town air, of dust and grime. Despite the changes, they follow their course and change their tunes as per the season. No leaf stays the same. Like us, each leaf is subject to change and tune their travel as per the requirement of the elements, never losing out on their initial spark. Little wonder then, that even towards the end of their journey and back to being a part of the earth; they colour the lives around them, bringing joy to the faces and lives around them.

“Leaves grow old gracefully, bring such joy in their last lingering days. How vibrant and bright is their final flurry of life.” Karen Gibbs

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An Autumn Leaf
Immanual Joseph

Yesterday, I was the mist of the waterfall
Tomorrow I will be a raindrop
Racing toward my destiny
But today I am the cloud
Floating amidst the mountain peaks
The hangman’s noose is empty
For I am life
I cannot be destroyed
The winds of adversity
Buffet and mould me
Yet I float free
I am freedom
The bird that flits happily
Among olive trees
I am the wind of the evergreen glades
I am boundless
Without secrets, without fear
I am love
The red ferns on mossy grass
I am Now
This hour, eternity
I know no beginning or end
I cannot be destroyed.

“The last dead leaves of fall crackled underfoot, winter-crisp.” Neil Gaiman

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Posted in Daily, Life, Personal Musings, poetry, Reflections

As they Bloom

Posted on by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

“There are so many ways to be brave in this world. Sometimes bravery involves laying down your life for something bigger than yourself, or for someone else. Sometimes it involves giving up everything you have ever known, or everyone you have ever loved, for the sake of something greater. But sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes it is nothing more than gritting your teeth through pain, and the work of every day, the slow walk toward a better life. That is the sort of bravery I must have now.” Veronica Roth

Last evening in lieu of a small thank you meeting being organized, arrangements were being made and the event went as planned. The next day, saw many being greeted by the vases were filled with flowers of yesterday, with their freshness still intact. For once, the atmosphere was brightened by their beauty and their grace. Though over a few days, they wane off and lose their initial sparkle, the memories of their beauty still linger on.

“A life filled with complete certainty is absurdity.” Maxime Lagacé

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Life, on the whole, echoes the moments of flowers in bits and pieces. Over unexpected elements, finding the sunshine rays and the available resources, to grow and bring forth their colours. Though the uncertainty of their survival looms high, whether they being plucked or not, the fodder for the animals and so on, it doesn’t prevent them from colouring the world around them. Such that, their grace and beauty brings forth a smile even on the most dull and tired faces. To be like them, is not difficult but hard, depending on own will and inner peace. When one tries to imbibe and live as the grace of the flowers, then the beauty of life will increase by manifold.

“You can be anything you want to be, do anything you set out to accomplish if you hold that desire with singleness of purpose.” Abraham Lincoln

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The Grace Of Flowers
Sue Coppernoll

Gladiolas in a white vase,
their magenta faces shining
in early morning light
streaming through a windowpane
speckled with last night’s raindrops,
bring me to wakefulness,
adoration, and hope.

Another volley of blossom
unfolds atop their stems,
assuring me that on the morrow
I shall yet have their company.

Breathing gratitude,
I pour cool water from a crystal pitcher
into the vase with a devout prayer:
“May my life also unfold in radiance and in beauty.”

I return the flowers
to a corner of the hearth,
knowing I am ready, now,
for what the day may bring.

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Posted in Daily, Family and Society, Personal Musings, poetry, Reflections

Rainbow of the Day

Posted on by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

“When I set a glass prism on a windowsill and allow the sun to flood through it, a spectrum of colors dances on the floor. What we call “white” is a rainbow of colored rays packed into a small space. The prism sets them free. Love is the white light of emotion.” Diane Ackerman

One of the most important tasks as mother to a toddler is finding space for the innumerable handiwork with the colours either on the cupboards, kitchen cabinets, door or the refrigerator door (walls aren’t an option). Just the other day, there was a struggle to find space for “the rainbow” which eventually displaced the “dog and cat” on the fridge door.

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Taking a close look at the rainbow, there are more than the scientific seven colours lined up. More than the aesthetic and art sense, what makes it more important is the love behind the drawing and to acknowledge the skills of the child, learning to appreciate them and let them grow by themselves, just guiding them and not pointing out or training them. The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow depends on how one views it.

“Sometimes it’s important to work for that pot of gold. But other times it’s essential to take time off and to make sure that your most important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow.” Douglas Pagels

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I’ll Paint You A Rainbow
Grace E. Easley

I’ll paint you a rainbow to hang on the wall,
to brighten your heart when the gray shadows fall.
On a canvas of joy outlasting the years,
with a soft brush of sweetness to dry all your tears.
I’ll paint you a rainbow with colors of smiles
That glow with sincerity over the miles.
On a palette of words I will tenderly blend
Tones into treasures of sunlight and wind.

I’ll paint you a rainbow that reaches so wide,
Your sights and your sorrows will vanish inside,
And deep in the center of each different hue,
A memory fashioned especially for you.
So lift up your eyes, for suspended above,
A rainbow designed by the fingers of love…

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Posted in Daily, Life, Personal Musings, Quotes, Stories Around the World, Work

Beyond the Odds

Posted on by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

Thomas Edison tried two thousand different materials in search of a filament for the light bulb. When none worked satisfactorily, his assistant complained, “All our work is in vain. We have learned nothing.” Edison replied very confidently, “Oh, we have come a long way and we have learned a lot. We know that there are two thousand elements which we cannot use to make a good light bulb.”

“You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.” Dr. Seuss

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It wouldn’t be just the assistant of Edison alone felt defeated, but thousands of like minded innovators and entrepreneurs who would have had similar feelings during their line of work. While working out their dreams and designs, many a time the negativism felt would have to be replaced with practical optimism for things to succeed. What would have been the outcome if they were still stuck in the crypts of negativity ? While the obvious was that they may have lost out on their invention; the reality is that they may lost out on their dream.

“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.” Eleanor Roosevelt

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Every experience has something to teach each one of us. Being human, one is bound to make mistakes, feel low during the time of repeated setbacks, open criticism and rejection. Coming out of those dumps is what makes the difference for each one of us. Life is all about growth and finding new shores. Find the realistic optimistic side of each failures or setback. Use them as stones to rebuild the dream and finally one would achieve it over the course of time.

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” Henry David Thoreau

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