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system upgrade necessary

Can you rate the following tasks in the order of difficulty and perhaps come up with an emoticon that closely resembles your reaction at the time of reading each of these tasks?  Draft job description for a manufacturing engineer. Draft job description for a climate scientist.  Draft job description for a housewife. Draft job description for a working wife. Draft job description for a working mom and wife. Draft job description for a working dad and husband.  Draft job description for a househusband. Now, try to order the above along these metrics: monetary value, credits/rewards (not $), societal status (how others perceive you in your role) , self-worth quotient, emotional and mental exhaustion. While reading the above, if you wanted to either quit, or didn’t have any difficult emotions, my friend (not literally, no) , congratulations, you’re privileged.  How others perceive you.. implicitly, but quite significantly, impacts your self-worth. Merely wearing hats o

self affirmation

“Don’t worry, everything will be fine” — Does this ring a bell? Famous words of your parents, especially mom? It is amazing what these positive affirmations can do to us.  When something is working, it’s usually a bad idea to change its trajectory according to me. But, I’m about to challenge this, yet not give in to greed or lose self esteem during the process. When love and family are in the equation, it’s almost always a complex equation. A change isn’t always bad, wouldn’t know until I try it? I’m gonna wear the hearts of a kindergartner and a beagle to go with the flow, curiously, and with utmost trust in something that whispers in my ears “anything for togetherness”.  Don’t worry, everything will be fine. 

Very busy?

We have our own versions of life, our own ways to live it, our own ways to make it appear like something else.  If you have a second to breathe, you’re as busy as anyone else. We are all busy fueling our body that is home to a beating heart(s). We better be busy.  I cannot think of one positive reason as to why a person may tell you he/she is very busy (with some yogic, mystic, erroneous psychic element that is inexplicable, quite simply disregards everything but the person) What does that make you? Dead?  Doors (almost) shut and eyes get rolled when immaturity knocks my door, if you’re a grown up (kid). I wish I were more tolerant and patient.. but oh boy the aging greys are wise stingrays, love them for real. 

Stay calm, be present

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Life is a bed of roses.  It’s an art to traverse through the rose bush.  Some embrace the thorns, some panic and some more are blissfully unaware of the same.  Some embrace their landing on the rose, some panic knowing the transience, some are blissfully unaware of their standing.  Blooms come and go. Take a moment to embrace the present. Take a moment to observe that change is imminent, but.. why not let the fragrance linger awhile?  Stay calm, be present. 

Luxury out the window

I used to spend hours learning and recording+editing my songs before being eligible for "Mother's Day" wishes. Of the several things a mom does, one important thing she does is to "let go" and that's what I did today.... a single shot recording, with no opportunity to re-record despite the need. Luxury out the window, but what we often miss is not the extravaganza, but a simple, innocent smile that glimmers as a reflection in your eyes. Happy Mother's Day to moms in all forms! Hope you do a little something for yourself today. Uyirum neeyae.. from the movie "Pavithra" (for amma) If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element

The twenty minute drive..

I wrapped my vegetable phyllo pie like a Christmas present and turned my oven on..375 degrees for 35 mins. It should be nice and golden when I return from a short drive through the lanes filled with Christmas decor. We three left for a quick drive to freshen us up, though inhaling the recycled air from within the closed car. There is at least one question in mind that lingers all the time.. all pointing to the same answer or no answer. “what has winter done to us” .. “What has parenthood done to us”.. “what has the pandemic done to us”.  As we drove past our driveway, our four legged princess who normally runs to find a seat in the car the moment she hears the word “drive”, chose to play the quiet music. She looked at us from her bedroom window and didn’t even bark or whine. Look, who’s a grown up, I thought.  Ten minutes down the road, I asked H to hurry back home. I was wondering why I turned the oven on and stepped out, especially when Jill was still at home. What a bad idea was tha

No-calorie burn mind and body exercises for a healthy living.

If you’re pregnant or have any other underlying medical conditions, please consult your doctor for the part where I demonstrate pressure points. You can safely disregard that and just follow and listen in to the rest of the session and still achieve mindfulness. Please note that this is more of literature review from existing online resources (especially Chinese Massage Manual: By Sarah Pritchard) combined with personal experience and philosophy, not to forget acknowledging the mindful meditation practices from Calm. You can read and follow the rest of the post at your own risk. If you’d like an audio-version of mindfulness practice, please drop a comment. Let us begin. Good morning. I am AR and together let’s experience the bliss and strength and of mindful mediation today.  Start by sitting in a comfortable position. If you’re able to sit with your legs criss-crossed, that works the best. Otherwise, it’s absolutely okay to choose a stable stationary position where you feel the