Category: Random Thoughts

Posted in Family and Society, Personal Musings, Quotes, Random Thoughts, Work

Trace Not These Steps

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

Interacting with peers on the neighbourhood level, workplace to society on the whole, one walks through various situations. From the good-natured ribbing to snide remarks, comments are always being passed around, whether one wants to actively join in it or happens in own presence; inevitably it happens. In such moments, getting affected is easy. Among all those remarks, taking some in the true sense and few with a pinch of salt or just let them float above the mind helps.

“Keep on the sunny side.” Ada Blenkhorn

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

To keep the mind sane and thoughts happen, a lot of just walking away helps. To pass a remark in defense to company who really wants to pull one down, doesn’t really help. Instead time gets wasted in sorting out blurry thoughts all the time, some of which in hindsight, one realizes isn’t really worth it. To keep the thoughts in one’s right mind, one needs to learn when to leave or abstain from joining in purposeless and meaningless thoughts. Once we learn to walk away from the taunts and comments, one learns to embrace the challenges as they come, keeping the mind of reasonable thoughts, sane, happy, clam and at peace with a will to put the inner best forward.

“A lot of walking away will do your life good.
Walk away from arguments that lead you to anger and nowhere.
Walk away from people who deliberately put you down.
Walk away from the practice of pleasing people who choose to never see your worth. Walk away from any thought that undermines your peace of mind.
Walk away from judgmental people, they do not know the struggle you are facing and what you have been through. All away from your mistakes and fear, they do not determine your fate.
The more you walk away from things that poison your soul, the healthier your life will be.”
Dodinsky

Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments
Source:https://vk.com
Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments
Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments
Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments
Posted in Christian, Life, Personal Musings, poetry, Random Thoughts

Setting the Clock Right

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

Before closing for the weekend, there was a final briefing to plan the schedule for the following week. With a quick glance at the clock, the briefing had started. With a quick glance at the clock, the briefing had started. After the set of instructions said and a slew of ideas discussed, the hands of the clock hadn’t progressed. Or in other words, the clock on the wall was dead.

Each one of us have our own internal clocks, ranging from the physical, mental and the spiritual type. While the former may get it’s due share through workout sessions, balance of the diet scales and taking the stress free zone; it is the latter that at times, needs a push. The human nature needs to maintain it’s innate balance by engaging the emotional, mental and spiritual aspect. When those clocks aren’t wound properly they may fail to function in synchronous with the remaining aspects of human life, creating a chaos within. Each sphere of our life needs help to function properly. By constant prayer, faith and belief in His Word, there would be help to restart our clock when it ceases to function properly. For everything goes as per His Time.

“And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.” (Genesis 28:15)

Source:https://vk.com/veruj
Source:https://vk.com/veruj
Source:https://vk.com/veruj

A Boy and His Watchmaker

This watch my father did on me bestow,
A golden one it is, but ’twill not go,
Unless it be at an uncertainty:
But as good none as one to tell a lie.
When ’tis high day my hand will stand at nine;
I think there’s no man’s watch so bad as mine.
Sometimes ’tis sullen, ’twill not go at all,
And yet ’twas never broke nor had a fall.

Watchmaker.

Your watch, though it be good, through want of skill
May fail to do according to your will.
Suppose the balance, wheels, and springs be good,
And all things else, unless you understood
To manage it, as watches ought to be,
Your watch will still be at uncertainty.
Come, tell me, do you keep it from the dust,
Yea, wind it also duly up you must?
Take heed, too, that you do not strain the spring;
You must be circumspect in every thing,
Or else your watch, were it as good again,
Would not with time and tide you entertain.

Comparison.

This boy an emblem is of a convert,
His watch of the work of grace within his heart,
The watchmaker is Jesus Christ our Lord,
His counsel, the directions of his Word;
Then convert, if thy heart be out of frame,
Of this watchmaker learn to mend the same.
Do not lay ope’ thy heart to worldly dust,
Nor let thy graces over-grow with rust,
Be oft’ renewed in the’ spirit of thy mind,
Or else uncertain thou thy watch wilt find.
-John Bunyan

Source:https://vk.com/public75290000
Source:https://vk.com/public138314547
Source:https://vk.com/public138314547
Posted in Life, Personal Musings, poetry, Random Thoughts

Myriad Shades of Nature

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

“I think that to one in sympathy with nature, each season, in turn, seems the loveliest.” Mark Twain

An unexpected fill in for an outstation workshop had resulted in the journey to the city of my high school days, one of my Alma maters. Landing at the airport, with the cold winds and temperatures dropping down fast, the journey had caught me unawares especially as the winter winds had long left my residence towards the first month of the year. Acclimatizing to the sudden change makes one realize the manifold faces of nature.

“In Ohio seasons are theatrical. Each one enters like a prima donna, convinced its performance is the reason the world has people in it.” Toni Morrison

Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments
Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments
Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments

Like the sudden change of the winds, so does the emotions and complexity of those moments. Experiences in life bring forth the faces of emotions from within. From the quiet feelings of contentment to blooming happiness as the uneasiness, anger and fury at difficult situations, life takes one on a myriad of emotions similar to the roller coaster ride of nature. One needs all the bad to feel the beauty of the good. Like the pristine winter white can echo the contentment as well as loneliness, so does the fledgling spring echo the new life in the bleak canvas as well the blistering heat of summer which bring out the joy of outdoors to the prequel of the rains of autumns cold but leave a touch of colour when there. One needs them all to feel complete. For contentment doesn’t come when we have the best of the best, but learn to appreciate the present in the midst of the worst.

Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments
Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments
Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments

The Human Seasons

Four Seasons fill the measure of the year;
There are four seasons in the mind of man:
He has his lusty Spring, when fancy clear
Takes in all beauty with an easy span:
He has his Summer, when luxuriously
Spring’s honied cud of youthful thought he loves
To ruminate, and by such dreaming high
Is nearest unto heaven: quiet coves
His soul has in its Autumn, when his wings
He furleth close; contented so to look
On mists in idleness–to let fair things
Pass by unheeded as a threshold brook.
He has his Winter too of pale misfeature,
Or else he would forego his mortal nature.

John Keats

Source:https://vk.com/slideshowarts
Source:https://vk.com/slideshowarts
Source:https://vk.com/slideshowarts
Source:https://vk.com/slideshowarts
Source:https://vk.com/slideshowarts
Posted in Christian, Daily, Family and Society, Personal Musings, Quotes, Random Thoughts

Stars in the Dark

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

Helping out my niece with their science assignment, we had rigged up a makeshift primitive telescope to take the pictures of the night sky. The purpose was to either get a constellation or two in full focus or click a shooting star. As the project was underway, the beauty of the night sky was something to reckon with. All the twinkling lights reminded of the bright points scattered across the vast dark canvas.

Source:https://vk.com/monahos
Source:https://vk.com/englisharoundtheworld
Source:https://vk.com/monahos

Looking at one of the many mysteries of nature and gifts of life, one often feels the awe and magnificence in His Works. Though at times, unbidden thoughts enter the mind, especially during the trying days, of “Why me?”and as the feeling of helplessness overwhelms; it is the faith in the hope of a better day tomorrow that helps one survive.

Faith is a bluebird you see from afar.
It’s for real, and as true as the first evening star.
You can’t touch it, or buy it, or wrap it up tight;
But it’s there just the same, making things turn out right.
– Rufus Wainwright (The Rescuers, 1977)

Faith is the anchor in the unbidden thoughts of negativity, self-doubt, depressive or defeated nature, which often occur every now and then. Getting out across these boulders and pits, requires something as simple but deeply profound as faith. Days like those which promote the negativism can be shot down by the Faith one holds deep inside.

Source:https://vk.com/monahos
Source:https://vk.com/monahos
Source:https://vk.com/monahos

“Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.” Oswald Chambers

One can’t possibly get everything figured out. There are things that happen, either in a single moment or as a sequence of events; that mayn’t be explained by simple logic or by own understanding. During those standstill moments, it is the inner Faith that helps us find a way to get to the light of tomorrow. And the more when one is thrown off the deep edge, devoid of the understanding why; the more one can deepen their Faith in the glory of His Way, His Will and His Word. Life never makes sense, but by faith in the hope that things will eventually work out, difficulties are crossed out, trouble overcome and the inner spirit strengthened making the present livable. For one day in the future, these days of the past will be acknowledged for their way in them making our Faith stronger in Him and helping one to reach those better days of the tomorrow.

Source:https://vk.com/veruj
Source:https://vk.com
Source:https://vk.com/veruj
Source:https://vk.com/veruj
Source:https://vk.com/veruj
Posted in Family and Society, Life, Random Thoughts, Stories Around the World

When Shared, then Found

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

“If you want happiness for an hour — take a nap.’
If you want happiness for a day — go fishing.
If you want happiness for a year — inherit a fortune.
If you want happiness for a lifetime — help someone else.”
Chinese Proverb

One of the gifts of the holiday season is the delightful art of bringing that smile on the faces around us. With all the carol singing, Christmas games at the retirement and palliative homes, the local teen and youth community had an engaging and meaningful Christmas time. A week later while reviewing the photographs and write-ups in the community newsletter, the happy accounts and candid moments brought a smile from within the heart.

“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” Buddha

Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments
Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments

Many a time, happiness is accounted by the gifts accumulated, places visited, accolades and awards received and other social markers (as perceived by society) obtained. Yet the reality is far from that. True that all these achievements and more, may bring some amount of pleasure and joy; but does it ever last.

Doing and scoring for oneself brings only meaning at the height of achievement. If there aren’t any who really share in our happiness from within, it holds no meaning. Yet bringing a smile on a stranger’s face by saying “thank you” or offering assistance to a mother with a struggling toddler to help with their grocery cart in the long queue; these hold a wealth of meaning as they bring a smile from the bottom of the heart.

Source:https://vk.com/englisharoundtheworld
Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments
Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments

Truly being happy is never by capturing the butterfly, but allowing it to fly and share the colours it has along the path it takes, bringing smiles of happiness, peace, joy and contentment everywhere.

FIND HAPPINESS
Once a group of 50 people were attending a seminar. Suddenly the speaker stopped and decided to do a group activity. He started giving each attendee one balloon. Each one was asked to write his/her name on it using a marker pen. Then all the balloons were collected and put in another room.

Now these delegates were let into that room and asked to find the balloon which had their name written within 5 minutes. Everyone was frantically searching for their name, colliding with each other, pushing around others and there was utter chaos.

At the end of 5 minutes no one could find their own balloon. Now each one was asked to randomly collect a balloon and give it to the person whose name was written on it. Within minutes everyone had their own balloon.

The speaker then began, “This is happening in our lives. Everyone is frantically looking for happiness all around, not knowing where it is.

Our happiness lies in the happiness of other people. Give them their happiness; you will get your own happiness. And this is the purpose of human life…the pursuit of happiness.”

Source:https://vk.com/englisharoundtheworld
Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments
Source:https://vk.com/englisharoundtheworld
Source:https://vk.com/englisharoundtheworld
Source:https://vk.com/englisharoundtheworld
Posted in Family and Society, Life, Random Thoughts, Reflections

In Front of Us

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

Long weekends are meant for a break from the usual routine. While the family homestead is the usual go-to place for a change from the town or suburban life, with kids the eagerness to go somewhere special for the holidays arises. When the purse strings are tight, inventiveness goes a long way. Unlike the Englishman Mr. Hopp, sometimes the best thing would be a planned event in the company of friends and family, at times even in own backyard. Putting it more explicitly, this long weekend saw a camp-out with family at the beach, a two day event sufficient to keep everyone occupied. Spending some wholesome time with kith and kin put many little things in a new perspective.

“Sometimes what you’re looking for is right under your nose and you don’t even know it.” John Hall

Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments
Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments
Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments

Opportunities and memories don’t lie in the outreaches alone. Sometimes the best things of life are right under our nose, which may be missed when we are constantly seeking for the unusual or the exotic. Learning to appreciate the present as well to gradually build on the available options at hand, helps the right balance to be struck in life. Glitter and glamour may be present beyond the immediate circle, but one may tend to forget how temporary those aspects are. The innumerable bequests of the present once when neglected or in gradual ruin, their absence or loss when remembered draws out many regrets from within.

“A smile is happiness you’ll find right under your nose.” Tom Wilson

Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments
Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments
Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments

Every now and then, there are many special moments when we take an effort to uncover them and view them from a different aspect. While the natural instinct is to provide for the day and chase after the hidden dreams or the glamour of the other side; this pursuit is to checked especially to ensure that the blessings of the present aren’t taken for granted. The future is a definite aspects that looms about, putting a definite amount of insecurity and uncertainties arise deep within while considering it. Yet knowing when to strike a balance to those thoughts, help one to discover the beauty of the present around. For though the future look through the telescope of plans, optimism and dreams is important; neglecting the present hours of gifts, blessings and opportunities would result in a hazy, murky vision ahead ridden with guilt and plenty of what-ifs.

Englishman Mr. Hopp
Looks through a long telescope.
Sees mountains and forests,
Clouds and skies.
But he does not see anything,
That under his nose.

Daniil Kharms, 1936 (1905-1942)

Source:https://vk.com/slideshowarts
Photo by Flickr on Pexels.com
Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments
Source:https://vk.com/slideshowarts
Source:https://vk.com/thesemagicmoments
Posted in Life, Personal Musings, poetry, Random Thoughts

Silent and Treasured

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

Last week saw impromptu weekday walks with the family, most during the early evenings before the dusk gives way to the darkness of the night. While the basic purpose was to complete the requirement for the nature projects of my kids, these walks saw the quietness of nature at their best. School secrets were shared, ideas were discussed and explored and above all, one was listening for the notes in the silence.

“Keep silent, because the world of silence is a vast fullness.” Rumi

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

Through the silence of the walks and stillness, one learnt to appreciate the gifts around them. Besides refreshing oneself, this stillness helps one to rejuvenate their thoughts and start off fresh. Many a time, one forgets to appreciate the silent blessing s and gifts showered on one, if one is constantly clamouring for the busy thoughts or caught in the chaos of the day. To break free and find some foothold in the melee, one needs to escape to few impromptu and sudden periods of silence to refresh and rediscover oneself. Yet discernment is required at all times. Certain things are best heard when one is silent; while some things require the silence to be broken. Knowing which is which will happen as the maturity grows over time.

“Everything that’s created comes out of silence. Thoughts emerge from the nothingness of silence. Words come out of the void. Your very essence emerged from emptiness. All creativity requires some stillness.” Wayne Dyer

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

Voices of the Air

But then there comes that moment rare
When, for no cause that I can find,
The little voices of the air
Sound above all the sea and wind.

The sea and wind do then obey
And sighing, sighing double notes
Of double basses, content to play
A droning chord for the little throats—

The little throats that sing and rise
Up into the light with lovely ease
And a kind of magical, sweet surprise
To hear and know themselves for these—

For these little voices: the bee, the fly,
The leaf that taps, the pod that breaks,
The breeze on the grass-tops bending by,
The shrill quick sound that the insect makes.
– Katherine Mansfield

Katherine Mansfield, “Voice of the Air,” from Poems (London: Constable, 1923 and New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1924).

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