Happy Teacher's Day, Life

"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." ~ Henry Adams

Indeed, when Henry Adams wrote the quote above, he was probably referring to a fabulous teacher and life. It's 'Teacher's Day' today, and while we thank our parents, grandparents, friends and professors for teaching and guiding us, we must remember to thank 'life' - the quiet teacher who has an eternal job. We're all permanent students in 'The School of Life' and while the journey is far from smooth, the lessons are invaluable. Life is one teacher who never fails us, no she doesn't. Very often, we choose to fail life. However, the beautiful part is that no matter how often we choose to give-up, life just does not allow us to.

We may not always get what we want, but life makes sure that we get what we need. Our time on Earth is not meant to be just a smooth highway sans the speed-breakers; it's a mixture of everything, the smooth highway, bumpy roads, twisted mountainous terrain and sometimes a dry, barren desert with no concrete path in sight. Life wants to understand that we need to accept and take all these paths in order to fulfill our destinies on Earth. While, most of us hope for a smooth, hassle-free highway, we learn priceless lessons from bumpy roads and barren deserts. The smooth highway blesses us with unbounded carefree joy, bumpy roads strengthen our will to accept hardships, twisted mountainous terrains sharpens our will to perceive things before they happen and a pathless barren desert urges us to take the untrodden path - the path less discovered. Indeed, our physical life is about spiritual growth, and it's this growth that this great teacher, 'Life' is shaping.

We've been blessed with a heart, mind , soul and spirit. (All of us have a spirit, but we are a soul) Life's aim is to help us realise that all these four integral parts, work in cooperation with one another. They may be different parts of one body, but they have one common goal... a peaceful, happy life, accepting the hardships as a part of life's examination, learning from the pain, growing during our healing and relaxing during our happy times. While we may not get enough of the good times, the hard ones sanctify our spirits.

In addition, our great teacher has blessed us with the ability to be able to help ourselves and use our resources for the betterment of mankind, nature and animal-kind alike. This school teaches us lessons in love, caring and sharing. And when we see an injustice, the good Lord has blessed us with a brain and the ability to try and right a wrong. Indeed, 'life' teaches us that loving oneself is nice, but loving everyone else is even better.

Life is stage with all the elements of drama. Our beautiful teacher hopes that we accept our lessons as a part of fulfilling our destinies here on Earth. We're all temporary visitors, with limited time. However, we must focus on our lesson, with an occasional eye on the ever-ticking clock.

Thank you my dearest life, thank you for the happiness and joy when I've laughed with carefree madness, thank you for all my tears because they truly purified my soul, thank you for all the pain because its those times that sanctified my spirit, thank you for my family and friends who've all had a part in making me who I am, thank you for a chance to think for myself and sometimes for others... but most of all thank you for giving me the chance to be able to help (mankind, nature, animal-kind), the will to want to better life for everyone and the belief to know that no matter what, life revolves and lives on love.

There's a lesson in every moment; they may not always be lessons we like, but they sure are lessons we need. What we choose to take from it is really up to us. Life - our greatest teacher awaits us with ever-open arms of love - are we listening already?

Have a fabulously blessed day everyone. :)

What's your Dream for Today?

"Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream, Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream..."

The Everly Brothers sang this as a love song, and as my mind hums this lovely line, I believe that all of us have a fabulous love affair with our dreams. Whether we dream of a certain someone, achieving our next goal in life, or generally being completely lost in thought, everything and I mean everything begins with a dream. Realising those dreams depends on self-effort and destiny, however, the lessons we learn along the way (irrespective of whether our dreams materialise or not) are priceless. Every action has a reaction and everyone begins with a dream.

When we're in our mother's wombs, our parents dream for us; as we grow, we begin dreaming for ourselves and sometimes for everyone else (while our intentions may be honest, it's important to allow each person to dream their own dream. See, we're all connected by one common thread of 'being' and sometimes our dreams for someone else, may actually help them, but most times we really must allow each one to dream and realise their own dreams). Nearly all of our physical life is centered around dreams. We have dreams that may take some time to materialise and there are some that materialise as we dream them. Each of us must have a small little dream for the day (besides the long-term dreams of course). You see, little, small dreams gift our spirits with ever-growing wings.


My dream for today was baking an eggless cake. There is something ever-so heavenly about running our fingers through flour and something supremely spiritual about the aroma of baking. Ah, bliss, bliss as I saw the little cake rise to perfection. Indeed, it wasn't so much the end result that was rewarding, as much as the process. Fascinating, how a combination of simple ingredients can result in something so beautiful. Ah the pleasure of baking and the pleasure of watching my mum, dad, brother and sister-in-law enjoy it.


Dreams and life are quite like that. It's fabulous that everything begins with a dream; but what's even better is the journey towards it. In the end, whether our dreams are realised or not is irrespective really, because no matter what the final outcome is, we better our souls and better our spirits. There are lessons in every step we choose to take; the good one's enrich our soul, the difficult one's sanctify and purify it. The important thing is, that we realise that dreams have a beginning and an end. When we realise a dream, our spirit sows the seeds for a new one. In case, a dream is unrealised, our spirits teach us invaluable lessons from the experience.


Yes, while we have dreams that need a long-term commitment, we must make sure that we keep our little dreams alive too. Dream, continue dreaming, have many dreams, many, many dreams. Revel in them, nurture them and learn from them.


Dreams, like life, are great teachers. We don't need eyes to see our dreams; they're born in our hearts, our souls and they take-off from there. Seeing is not always believing, just like dreaming is not always delusional. Just like we sometimes don't need eyes to see the truth (our hearts already know), we don't need proof to validate our dreams.


So, whether it's dreaming (and achieving) communicating with your pet, baking, making at least one stranger happy, giving your soul the spiritual gift of freedom or whatever it is you dream... dream just dream. The journey to fulfilling that dream is a soulful one that enriches our spirits.


So, drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream, Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream...


Have a fabulously blessed day everyone. :)

Conquering the Fear of the Truth

"All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them." ~ Galileo Galilei

'Truth' is the very foundation of our spiritual lives and yet we fear the truth more than anything. In a way, I find this fear ironical and humourous. Truth represents God and our souls as they truly are. But, when we embark on our journey within, we may not necessarily like what we see and choose to 'create' a different truth for ourselves. However, there is no 'different truth'; there's just the truth and everything that isn't the truth, is a lie, a fallacy, a falsehood, we find temporary comfort in.

Before we set out conquering our 'fear of the truth', let's try and understand why an untruth is ever so appealing to the human race. An untruth is a fabrication we use to our convenience. We often believe what we want to believe and twist truth the way we want to. The problem lies with the fabrication itself and future consequences. Fabrication is delusional and our real problems begin when we find so much of comfort in the untruth that we try and replace the truth with the untruth. What initially started as a convenience, soon becomes an integral part of one's very existence.

The truth is the truth. It isn't situational, demanding or fearful. On the contrary, it's safe and pure. Most times, our fear of truth is unnecessary. Our fears stem from worry of what the world may or may not think of us, what the world may or may not believe. Why worry about people in the world, when everyone is struggling with accepting their own truth? We must concentrate on staying true to our God, true to the universe and to our spiritual selves... in effect staying true to everyone else. Our physical life is a journey, a discovery; a discovery of different facets of our spiritual selves. We may think we know ourself, but the more we think that, the more we become strangers.

We must remember, that none of us were meant to be perfect. God doesn't expect us to be perfect, why then should we expect perfection of ourselves and others? No, God has made us brilliantly well, with all our flaws and imperfections. He wants us to begin by accepting those imperfections, loving them and rectifying them. Yes, before we even consider conquering our fear and imperfections, we must accept them for what they truly are. They're there because something led them to be there. So accept; begin by acknowledging and accepting. He won't do it for us, no one else can do it for us, we need to do it ourselves.

And we can begin by making the biggest conquest of our lives - conquering the fear of the truth. It isn't the truth most of us are running away from, it's the fear. And, the easiest way to conquer that fear is by embracing it... yes embracing it. Close your eyes, breathe and introduce yourself to your fear. Wish it, hug it and tell it, that you accept it. Remember, fear is a just a small part of you, that always works against your spirit. So, once you wish it, put your arms around it and say, "Okay my friend, you may like me, but I don't particularly like you (see how easy the truth is). So, I want to you to work with me and cooperate. Please, take my leave and let me live life in truth. After all, God wills it, the universe wills it and my soul wills it. While you may have misguided me in believing that your were safe, I know the truth now and I am saying goodbye to you."

Open your eyes, take a deep, fresh breath of freedom - freedom from fear and freedom in the truth. The fear of the truth and untruths do not define any of us, our acceptance of the truth and our will to change for the better defines us.

The truth isn't easy, and honestly, it's not meant to be. However, the freedom and joy we experience in it, is something all our souls must feel. I know that this is easier said than done, however, small, baby steps towards the truth is the way to go. Always begin with small, slow steps. Always.

Look within, the truth is right there waiting for us to discover it, acknowledge it, accept it and love it. Yes, it's difficult, but it's okay. It's okay to falter. it's okay to fall... as long as we pick ourselves up and continue on. Don't worry about judgments and reactions; people who love you, will continue loving you irrespective of your truth. In fact, they will love you even more for accepting your truth. Because people who genuinely love you, will be happy that your soul is rediscovering itself. Besides, once we accept the truth, we accept the will of God and the will of the universe, we can hear the heartbeat of the universe and we will know, that we're on the right path.

The truth is: the journey is a long and arduous one, but with each stab of pain, comes soul-cleansing; with each bit of acceptance, comes spiritual freedom. Love yourself, like God loves you, accept yourself, like God has already accepted you; accept the truth for what it is and change yourself for the better.

There's no truth that's unforgivable; there's no fear that's unconquerable; begin by conquering the fear of the truth and you will find yourself... ever-so-slowly, just like it's meant to be.


Have a fabulously blessed day everyone. :)

Keep that Torch Burning

"Life is no brief candle for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible, before handing it on to future generations." ~ George Bernard Shaw

Yes, we must pass-on a torch to our future generations, not a candle. But, do we seriously believe that we're holding torches at the moment? Are we? Are most of us just holding a candle that's burning at both ends? In this 'get somewhere quick' and 'get elsewhere quicker' life, I do believe that we're holding an ever-extinguishing candle. In fact, our future generations, all the children the world over, are the ones holding the torches; us, the adults fail to see them.

Let's give ourselves a test, shall we. Just look into the mirror and let's ask ourselves, "Who am I?". Most of us will have to think for a while before we even begin to describe ourselves, and even then we will probably be as far-off from the person we truly are. Now, go to a child, could be you own, your niece or nephew, neighbour, any child who knows you a little and ask him/her, "Who am I?". A child's answer will come before you even finish your question.

A child sees our innocence, just us as they believe they know us. They won't flatter our ego's in order to impress, they just tell us the truth. Now that's who we really are; that's the person we lose in this mayhem we now call life. I believe, in order to truly answer the simple question above, we must unlearn all that we've learnt so far. We must rediscover the child within, connect with her, love her again and give her the breath of life she longs for.

All the children in the world are our future, and we must be humble enough to realise that we are now taking lessons in life from the one's who've only just begun theirs. A child knows and lives innocence, honesty and the truth. Santa still comes down the chimney, fairy-tales still come true, a fairy godmother still leaves money under their pillow in exchange for a tooth, fearlessness is a stranger and discovery is second-nature.

We need to breakout of the 'adult-mode' and try and reintroduce ourselves to fearlessness and discovery. Most of us, hold back on living life in its truest sense because we fear the consequences that may or may not follow. Most of us, fail to keep the explorer in us alive because we're often afraid of what we will discover. Break-free, break-free and conquer fear, break-free and discover. Yes, in some situations certain responsibilities may take precedence, but I believe that fearlessness and discovery can co-exist (happily at that) with responsibility. Yes, fearlessness and discovery are something our future generations are teaching us.


Notice a little child learning to cycle. He/she can't wait to get on and zip-off. The little child focuses on the process of learning and not on a few falls that may happen on the way to learning to ride. When they do fall, they bruise, they cry, but they get up and get back on. The bruise scabs and eventually heals in its time. And while the bruise is healing, the child masters the art of riding. Fearlessness and discovery are quite like that. We need to hop on and surge, yes, we may fall and bruise in the process, but the wounds are temporary, they will heal. The experience and learning are priceless and it's something we will carry for the rest of our lives.


We must keep our questions coming, because only when we question, will we ever have the guts to try and figure out our answers. With our answers comes realisation, with realisation comes even more questions, with even more questions comes even more soul-searching and discovery. As we answer each question, as we come close to realising who we really are, we come closer to ourselves, to our inner-beings... to the truth. Sometimes, we scare ourselves with what we come to realise, but remember, that fright is temporary. Accept what we see, who we are and ask ourselves another simple question.

These days, most of us are busy complication our lives with the complex questions. But begin with the simple ones; they're the hardest to answer, but once we do, we'll realise that the complex questions don't exist anymore. Simplicity and truth are so strong, so pure that nothing remotely complex and/or negative has the strength to sustain itself. Yes, the truth itself can be very scary, but that is one fear we MUST, simply MUST conquer. (Conquering the Fear of the Truth will follow in a different post tomorrow)

If you want to see the truth, see it in the face of a child, see it when you close you eyes and connect with the Almighty and the universe. Live, really live your life spiritually - it awaits you with bated breath.

There's a bright, bright torch burning brilliantly somewhere and there's one for all of us. It's time we relearned our lessons from all the little children; they personify the truth, innocence, fearlessness, sharing and caring. They are our torches with true lessons in life.

Have a fabulously blessed day everyone. :)

YOU

There’s something about beautiful, heavenly raindrops playing sweet music on an ocean that now resembled a sweating lover in the throes of passion. Watching the sea is something, but seeing her at her wildest best in the monsoons is a beauty that only nature can afford. I watch huge waves hit rocks and crash, only to come back stronger, newer and more unique than before… quite like our spirits.

And then the conversation between my soul and mind began…

Leave said one, don’t leave said the other. A decision far from forthcoming, thanks to the conflict within. My internal reasoning kicked in and said, “In its time, everything will happen in its time.”

But, this was a time I didn’t need reason. I already know what’s right and what’s wrong. Who’s to say, what’s correct and what isn’t? The truth is the truth, and as much as we’d like to believe that it is situational, it really isn’t, the truth is the truth. Knowing the truth about ourselves or someone else’s, does not make him/her or us a good or bad person. No, we’re too mortal to sit on judgment on another person and ourselves. The beauty about the truth is that if it goes against God and the universe, we can change our truth, by changing our behaviour.

Ask yourself, who are you? Who do you want to be? I asked myself the second question and got an honest answer, the truth. I need to be just me, just Nish.

I listened hard for my inner-voice; I knew she was there, lost in all the turmoil that I chose to lump myself with. She’s so soft, and between Nish the daughter, Nish the sister, Nish the granddaughter, Nish the niece, Nish the friend, Nish the professional, Nish the this and Nish the that, I am spent.

As we all are – we’re ever so busy fulfilling our parts in this play called life, that we lose a little bit of ourselves everyday. We even have a word for it now, we call it multi-tasking – we’re all these multi-task masters, who pride ourselves at handling the BB in one hand, breakfast-on-the-go in the other, instructions to the maid, giving mum a hurried goodbye kiss on the way to work… all this while dealing with work on the phone. Aren’t we just a super race now!!! Or NOT.

A friend told me today, that in-between all these roles, I am happiest being the dreamy writer. Lost in thought, reveling in silence… bliss. And while, each of us has our own nature of bliss, it’s still far from the bit-part roles we play in our lives. Life and situations call on us to play different roles, at different times; sometimes, different roles at one time. But it’s time to stop.   

STOP. JUST STOP. LITERALLY, STOP.

It’s important to disrobe, get out of portrayed character and just be. I being me and you being you, reintroduces us to our sense of being in a small way. These are roles we may not be able to get away from - out of compulsion or choice, but ever so often, we must find our own spot. Sometimes, what we see within is far from pleasing. In fact, it’s difficult, scary and hurtful; but facing these feelings, accepting them and believing that we will not let them drive our lives, is the least we can do for ourselves.

Yes I caved, I was so lost and probably will be lost in the future, I am just about finding myself, I may want to run, but I am not going to.

I am getting to know me, Nish – the girl who loves her silence, the girl who’s getting to know her soul, the girl who now loves every part of a broken heart that’s healing (slowly, ever so slowly). I am now enjoying the net that I once struggled to get out off. I am happy just being and I found that net disappear in my state of being.

Being, just being, is a tiny step towards getting to know oneself. And it’s the tiny steps that really matter. Leave the leaps and bounds by the sidelines for a change and enjoy the little baby steps towards knowing oneself. It is these baby steps that are the most difficult steps. Once you start, there’s no looking back, unless of course, you want to… and if you do, you can start all over again.

It’s not the number of starts you make, but how far you get after each one.

Here’s to getting know yourself, bit by bit, better and better every single day. Gift yourself, YOU.

The journey to ourselves is one of the hardest walks we experience. I may o may not be ready to crash, but I know that when I do, I will be at my weakest. And when I’m at my weakest, I will experience strength that only a soul who’s crashed time and again experiences.

You may fall, but the same bruises that marred your soul and spirit, will be the ones that purify and strengthen you.

Have a blessed day, YOU. :)

Letting Go

Giving up doesn't always mean you are weak; sometimes it means that you are strong enough to let go.  ~ Author Unknown

Indeed, sometimes letting go is the best gift we can give ourselves. 'Letting go' applies to a variety of emotions and situations, and today, I am talking about 'letting go' in reference to love.

'Letting go' and 'giving up' are very different, yet we choose not to differentiate. 'Letting go' refers to soulfully, spiritually and physically saying goodbye to someone, when we know that God and the universe wills it; 'giving up' on the other-hand, is just allowing a relationship to perish, because it involves too much of an effort and/or sacrifice.

Some may wonder how we differentiate between the two. That's easy, look within and ask your heart and soul. All our answers we seek are with us. The question is, are we ready to accept what we already know, or do we choose to look the other way and pretend like everything's okay?
Letting go is not goodbye... far from it. It's a way of saying good-luck. Good-luck to the person you love and good luck to yourself.

And boy, don't we need all the luck, once we do say goodbye. It's natural to question our decision, wonder if we did the right thing, if we tried at all, if only, if only we could give it one last breath of love. I believe, love comes from God, and he helps us realise love and letting go when he believes it's time. Yes, letting go is the hardest thing, especially when we feel like a part of our soul has abandoned us, when we question our feelings and wonder how something so pure, so precious didn't go the way we wanted it to. But then, we realise that because our love is pure and precious, it reinforces us and gives us the strength to let go.

Letting go comes with pain so unbearable that it's impossible to put into words, but it also comes with strength of love, soul and spirit so indomitable that it expands our heart and soul. Once we pass the phase that involves questions, self-pity and even bitterness and anger, we become aware of a tranquil phase, where we are able to acknowledge that while we may always love the person we said goodbye to, we now have space enough to fill our hearts with even more love for another person.

Let go, give yourself all the time to cry, travel, write, walk along the ocean, take-off to a tranquil hills-station, do whatever makes you happy. And then when you reach tranquility, forgive (no matter what transpired between the two of you), smile at the good times, thank the good Lord for the tough ones. Remember, the new you is born because God willed you to be reborn and the new you is born because the person you bade goodbye to, brought you there.
     
Letting go is the hardest thing we do, but we've truly let go of someone, when we find our joy in feeling the way we did, realise that love is always there, when forgiveness is embedded in the core of our being and when we're able to acknowledge what we had with someone and make space in our hearts for a lot more love.

Letting go sanctifies and purifies love, fortifies your strength of soul and spirit, gives your feelings the respect it deserves, opens out hearts, souls and spirits that only letting go can bring.

Have a blessed day. :)

Free-falling with Faith

I stood on the edge of that cliff for too long and then the universe made a decision for me... it was time to plunge. No looking back, no questions, no reasons, no fear, no distrust... just plunge. PLUNGE, I did it and while I was free-falling, I saw some of the most beautiful sights, had experiences that only fearlessness can bring, rediscovered my soul, reacquainted myself with my broken heart and learnt to love every bit of it and then I realised I wasn't free-falling anymore, I was actually flying. I WAS AND AM FLYING!

How often we find ourselves balancing on a precarious edge (we could be holding on to careers, a relationship, the hope of a relationship, material things etc) trying our best to hold-on, just hold-on because we believe that maybe, just maybe things will change and/or get better. How often do we allow our careers and all things material to define us. How often do we stubbornly stay rooted, instead of just taking that plunge with faith... faith that everything will be okay; belief that this is only part of a larger plan and we must follow humbly, no questions asked. Let go, just let go, set it free, set ourself free.

No matter what the plunge involves - it could be sailing around the world, learning to bake just to feel heaven in soft dough, the feel of gentle breeze on you skin or moving to a new country altogether. Make a decision and if it is what the Almighty has willed for us, then God and the universe will find a way to make it happen. If not, they will open new doors and urge us to change our direction.

Let's leave the planning to higher sources, we're too meek to believe that we control our destiny... and yet that assumption is a favourite with so many of us. I've come to learn that the Almighty will either throw you a safety net or teach you to fly.

It's time to break those imaginary mental shackles, time to rid ourself of the grasping onto this, that and the other. Gift ourself the beautiful present of free-falling with faith and experience life at it deepest, most spiritual best, because this plunge comes from faith.

Our physical life and situations are like a fistful of sand in a tightened wrist; the tighter we grasp, the quicker we lose it. On the other hand, if we only just set it free, let it go... a few grains will fall down and find their place in the larger scheme of things but we will still be left with a small amount of sand in our palm... and that's the amount that's meant for us. Let loose, let go... set our beautiful spirit free.

When we don't make decisions ourselves, the Almighty and the universe makes them for us. Let's be graceful enough to accept these decisions as the great master's plan and find our peace and solace in now. 'Now' what a beautiful moment - 'now' close your eyes, connect with your soul, set him/her free and plunge... you may either discover a beautiful new pair of wings or fall into the most secure safety net.

Have a fabulously blessed day everyone. :)

Walking Across a Burnt Bridge

There's something about making our way across a burnt bridge. Most of us look for bridges that aren't burnt and there lies our folly. I believe that we need to cease looking for a bridge that hasn't burnt and make our way across one that already has. Confused? Read on...

Most of us waste too much of time looking for steady bridges and in effect lose out on experiences and discoveries that only a burnt bridge will allow. You see, a burnt bridge offers us an undiscovered path that we can call our own, experiences that will be more enriching than anything we've ever imagined and so much more.

Some may argue that some experiences and situations in life drain and empty us. I agree and I also say that we must allow it/them to drain us. When we're going through it, the immediate aftereffects are devastating, but one day in the future we realise that what emptied us then, fills us now with resilience and faith and strength we never even knew we had. It's okay to crash and it's okay to be empty... because only when we crash, a new person is born and only when we're empty we'll have the space to fill ourself with new enriching experiences.

Indeed, spiritual life is most enhancing and enriching when we feel our pain, know and understand it for what it is and love it for the cleansing. Every tear spent, every stab of hurt felt, every test of our spirit, only cleanses our soul in a way that God wills. Submitting totally to the will of God and the will of the universe is essential.

It's alright to breakdown, cry as loud as we need and talk to God and the universe. In fact communication with the Almighty is essential more in our pain, because this is when we have the most questions, this is when our understanding abandons us and this is when our very faith is tested. Yes we have a lot of questions for God and we may even question his fairness and sometimes his very presence in our lives. But remember, the moment we feel that God has abandoned us, he is actually carrying us through. To feel and know pain in its truest, rawest most sorrowful self is to truly know God. This is how God feels when we choose a different path from the one he has chose for us.

Pain and sorrow have their own lessons, tears has its destiny, hurt has its own purpose. Let's acknowledge, accept and embrace them for what they truly are. Accepting pain and loving it for what it does for us spiritually will lead us closer to our soul's true purpose.

Love pain as much as we love laughter
Embrace it, like we would a lover
Sanctify it, like we would love an integral part of our soul
Understand it for what it means to our spirit
Accept it unquestioningly


Laughter is soul-enriching, pain is soul-cleansing.


Have a blessed day everyone. :)