Beauty-around and within

Feel it. Right through yourself. Let it carry you back and forth in time.

The poetry of Earth is never dead.

John Keats , On The Grasshopper And Cricket

DAFFODILS by William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

Oh Boy, is nature really that beautiful?

Well, yes it is.

It’s just that we are not aware of our relationship with it.

Slow down. Life isn’t just about work or people or jobs or passion. It’s much more than what you think it is. Take a moment or two to contemplate the things around yourself. Stop complaining about things you can’t have or get. You’ll never have enough. Stop comparing your life with others’ lives. You are responsible for your life and yourself. Be wise; overlook what you have to.

Once you break away from your busy life, you’ll realize the beauty around you and within you. People are in a mad rush to prove themselves, to reserve their spot in this world, to feel recognized and wanted. Live and learn instead of grieving over your past. Whatever’s happened cannot be changed. Learn from your mistakes and use those lessons to improve the quality of your life.

Even after 14 years of experience, I’m still learning. (I don’t think it’s quite a lot considering the fact that an average person lives for more than 79 years and that simply reminds me that I have a long way to go)

Derive pleasure in what you do. Trust your inner voice not people and their futile criticism.

People ask me why I walk slow, write slow, and speak slow (not very slow but also not exactly fast and by the way I’m trying to get rid cause it’s become more of a habit ). “I wanna feel everything I do”, I tell them. Feelings have a special place in my heart. I can’t let go of them. I might forget incidents but not the tenderness, not the warmth not the pain, not the confusion nor the joy.

Self-realization is when things around you start making sense, when you realize your uniqueness an your worth. And the beginning is the hardest part of any journey.

I don’t care about when and why this happened. I’m just glad it did.

You know what’s the key to retain pleasure?

Don’t expect anything from anyone. And ta-da! Your anticipations cannot be proved wrong and nothing can let you down.

If I ever had to summarize what I’ve learnt in life so far into one sentence then this would probably be it

“Grab every opportunity that comes your way because second chances and spontaneous miracles are not gonna happen.”

Trust yourself.

Explore yourself

Ever since the lockdown began, I’ve been testing every skill I thought I was capable of and started concentrating on things that I was good at.

If it wasn’t for the curfew, I’d literally spend the whole day outdoors and never realize that I had to give importance to certain things that could only be done indoors.

And so, I put together a list of ‘lockdown activities’ as I call them to keep my mind from any menacing thoughts of the deadly coronavirus.

  • Play piano
  • Randomly read the dictionary
  • Photoshop and add taglines to photos
  • Resolutions for the new academic year
  • Read books
  • Improve handwriting
  • DIY best out of waste
  • Design signature
  • Paint moods and memories
  • Watch documentaries and informational television shows (Brainchild, Brain Games-NAT GEO)
  • Write poems ( I haven’t done this before but I’d love to try it out…..and um how do I start?)
  • Maintain a scrapbook or a trove
  • Install learning apps and online study material
  • Self-portraits and pencil sketches
  • Doodle on mugs and make handmade key chains
  • Read poems, blogs and watch YouTube videos (Keep it random)
  • Haven’t got any friends? Don’t worry, you’ve got Google on your side at all times.:)
  • Try calligraphy or photography.
  • Something self-destructive (might seem unusual but go ahead with it only if you’re confident with your decision) like MINDVALLEY that’ll help you reshape your conceptions and beliefs.
  • Organize your workspace (increases productivity of your work when the surroundings are comfortable)
  • Learn a new language!

Did any of these work for you? Feel free to share your experience in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

Can’t explain…

Were you ever hemmed into a situation where you just couldn’t find the right words to describe your feelings? Well, I’ve experienced that repeatedly and so I decided to do something about it.

Here are bunch of handpicked words that I can very much relate to and I’d love to share with you.

ECCEDENTESIAST(n)

someone who hides pain behind a smile

ETHEREAL(adj)

extremely light, not of this world

PETRICHOR(n)

the pleasant, earthy smell after rain

EPHEMERAL(adj)

lasting for a very short time

NEFELIBATA(a)

one who lives in the clouds of their own imagination

DENDROPHILE(n)

a person who loves trees, forests

OBLIVION(n)

the state of being unaware of what is happening around you

FERWEN(n)

an ache for distant places; craving for travel

DYSANIA(n)

the state of finding it hard to get out of bed in the morning

p.s: I’m quite familiar with this one as I’ve had regular practice 😉

Thanks for reading!

The Hunger Games

Here’s a collection of my favorite songs and quotes from the one and only ‘Hunger Games’ trilogy.

The Hanging Tree

Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
They strung up a man
They say who murdered three
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging treeAre you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where dead man called out
For his love to flee
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging treeAre you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where I told you to run
So we’d both be free
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging tree

Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Wear a necklace of hope
Side by side with me
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging tree

Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where I told you to run
So we’d…

Source: LyricFind

Deep in the Meadow

Deep in the meadow
Under the willow
A bed of grass
A soft green pillow

Lay down your head
And close your eyes
And when they open
The sun will rise
Here it’s safe
Here it’s warm
Here the daisies guard
You from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet
And tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place
Where I love you

Source: Musixmatch

“But there are much worse games to play.”

This line keeps ringing in my head.

What does Suzanne Collins mean when she says this?

The answer to that question is apparently two months away from now.

I’ve been waiting for the prequel ever since I completed reading the trilogy.

And the novel, currently untitled is expected to be released on May 19, 2020.

I can hardly wait to read another book with such a complicated set of twists and turns written by one of the most renowned and also my favorite author, Suzanne Collins.

SUFFERING!

THE WORD ITSELF SENDS CHILLS THROUGH MY BODY

HOW WILL WE EVER GET OUT OF THIS LABYRINTH OF SUFFERING?

-A.Y

From Looking For Alaska by John Green

That is the main theme around which the story of Alaska Young revolves. Looking For Alaska is perhaps the most poignant book I’ve read in a while. And the question that she had asked really got me thinking.

Her answer to this question, is to get out by dying or giving up on life, straight and fast.

On the other hand, Miles, the protagonist views it quite differently. According to him one’s mistakes can be forgiven (though not forgotten).

I browsed the internet this morning and a couple of answers made perfect sense to me. Here are some:

  1. Have persistence and patience during hard times. Things change as time flies. Also, patience might bring some luck.
  2. Hope–hope and never stop doing the next right thing.
  3. Suffering is a form of loneliness. Getting out of your comfort zone is the only way out
  4. Letting go of things outside your control, such as death. Learn to accept the bitter truth and live in reality
  5. Change your state of mind (I know that’s hard and the process is complicated and tiring but it’s worth giving a try).
  6. Change your perspective. Look at things from someone else’s lens. Embrace the authentic self and practise gratitude.

Let me know which one of those were preferred by you in the comments below.