rey @hope

He sat there with a gloom on his  face… not believing yet again he has been left behind by his beloved family member to go on a trip...                       Sultan , my Pitbull  a sensitive boy that he is, hates it when even one of his family members would go out of station. The sight of the suitcases horrifies him and makes him uneasy.   His world would come crumbling down as soon as he would realize what he feared the most has already happened. He would lie outside the room of his beloved person all day , giving up on food and playtime. He would whine around looking for the missing person and would express his sadness in all possible ways. Such is his emotional display. The others in the house could always see the change in his behavior.  His attachment to his human family is beyond words to express. The unconditional love that he displays is so touching. He has no other motive behind his expressions.    I am particularly taunted by my children as they always say," But Maa, he

I n the backyard of my Mother's house grew many Jackfruit trees. The fruit laden trees are fascinating to look at as such heavy fruits hang up their in bunches and the weight is born so easily by the branches.       Upon visiting the grandparents house my son would want to climb the trees around. This kind of luxury was missing in metro cities. My mother was all support for him and even identified trees which he could climb. Shash was always drawn by the wonders of nature present in this house. He would keep himself busy observing bees, beetles and butterflies. He loved the centipedes and the millipedes and not to miss the giant spiders. He asked numerous questions to his grandmother about the old well in the house. A creative kid that he always was ,once he picked a few jackfruit leaves and kept looking at them enthusiastically . The fresh leaf was bright green in colour with deep visible veins. The leaf when shed turned into tan brown colour,the completely dried leaf would be da

 It was a regular Sunday morning and I had been chilling at my mother's beautiful house in Kerala. There was a reminder on my phone about a session on "Building immunity in challenging times' which I did not want to miss.  Its so true that immunity is not just for physical nourishment but also for the mental & emotional strengthening.  Each day reading & hearing news related to the loss of lives and the trauma thereafter due to the pandemic has been overwhelming. Sharing genuine & complete information with the doctor whom one consults helps in finding a proper solution.  'During these testing times trauma is also caused due to misplaced beliefs', said Dr Harsh a soft spoken and straight forward Physician.  He matched  completely with  Sundari's views  when she said, 'Listen to your own body before rushing out for a quick fix remedy as coming out of denial  is the first step to acceptance.'  Sundari was the charming bright eyed therapist who

  A friend shared this picture with me this morning-an amazing click. The shades of clouds has its own story to tell and so do the patterns that I see in them. The dark grey clouds are the angry ones ready to burst out anytime. They say that the ecological balance is all disturbed by human encroachments. I shall not deny that as in the past few years we have been witness to vast destructions caused by natural calamities. The colours of the clouds are many. The light blue shade displays calmness amidst of the threatening dark ones. The blue shade is the one which  as if is asking us to have faith and keep our calm. I am reminded of the good Samaritans who appear from nowhere to take charge when Mother Nature is at its worst. The good souls exist in the worst of surroundings. The Blue clouds are the good souls. The fury of nature is uncontrollable and so is the magic of prayers. I somehow see a white patch in the shape of a divine white angel with a wand flying against the direction

As I sit in the ancestral house made by Dadaji and  inherited by my  mother ,I can re-live many fond memories. So, there is a very old traditional Easy Chair kept in the corner of the room where I sit to work. I was always fascinated by this traditional looking thing. One can sit, sleep, dream  on it so comfortably.            I vividly remember how Dadaji  would sit  all day long reading and  dozing  on this old but amazingly comfortable E asy Chair  after he retired .  Besides the easy chair the other not to miss items possessed by Dadaji were the latest edition of the magazine- India Today ,a hand held magnifying lens  and  the tempting orange candies .  As kids we, his grandchildren would always eye all his possessions which he was very possessive about. Later his great grand children too had the same desires like us.   Dadaji was a very simple human being with minimal expectations from any of his family members. He lived almost to complete his century. The very soft spoken and

The evening here gets pleasant  with the cool breeze and what better could it be when the river is flowing just across the fence. I couldn't sit and watch anymore from my room and quickly picked up my mask, keys and the mobile phone and headed towards my favorite place here at 'The Health Village' -the bench close to the fence overlooking the river.                The sound of the water, the flowing weeds ,the clouds with the  artistic patterns and the setting sun.. .I was once again so lost in the beauty of this heavenly place. The frantically chirping birds were returning back to their nests. The grazing cows on the other side of the river were heading back home. The fishermen had anchored their boats too. The clouds in the sky could be seen playing hide and seek with the setting sun ... The setting sun  was an indicator to all. Pause before you restart.  What begins will have to end and what ends will have a new beginning... The setting sun gives us hope to look forwar

Growing amidst trees of Guvava, Sapota (Chikku), Coconut, Jackfruit & Mango, I noticed the Wild Yellow Flowers had its own charm, one couldn't let go.                                     Sitting in my balcony, I couldn't  help gazing at them every now & then, Mother nature had given them all the beauty to bloom time & again... The Butterflies & the Bees don't discriminate , I see, They enjoyed the nectar from the  flowers of  Orchid, Rose & Poppy...           Soon they flocked around lovingly on the Wild Yellow Flowers , With the same interest and remained on them for hours & hours... The Wild Yellow Flowers stood tall & with pride, As if saying-I have my own style, I need not hide.... My wishful thinking- Only if humans too would learn to shed off inhibitions & false ego, And live in harmony as the Butterflies, Bees & the Wild Yellow Flowers... I cannot but extend my heartfelt gratefulness to these living beings,  The Magic of Gra

  The Kani Konna Poovu or the  Golden Shower flowers   or  the  Cassia Fistula (scientific name) blooms as the time for Kerala’s harvest festival, Vishu approaches, which falls on April 14 every year.  It is observed as the New Year falling on the Vernal Equinox. The  Kani Konna Poovu  is popularly used as the part of the “ Vishukkani ”, the ritual first thing seen on Vishu . The  Kani Konna Poovu  is also Kerala’s state flower. So, at The Health Village   in Aluva, Kerala, Valsa & the other staff enthusiastically arranged for the  Vishukkani to be kept in the office. I looked at the flower laden  Golden Shower tree and   at once decided to keep the Vishukkani in my room. After taking support of the staff I managed almost all the needed articles. The only thing left was the  Kani Konna Poovu ( the  Golden Shower flowers). As I sat at the bench overlooking the River Periyar  wondering as to how I would get the  Kani Konna Poovu... That was when  out of no where  Saleem -the n

All day long, I observed the slow & silently flowing river water and the never ending noisy trains passing by  over the bridge on one side. Aren’t they such contrasts ??              As I sat on the banks of  River Periyar  in ‘ The Health Village’ , I  realized ….Isn’t life just the same -  full of contrasts !! In the quest to de-clutter ... M y Home, Head & Heart....  it is now the turn of my H eart .... I now seek answers to my own questions. We all carry a load in our Heart.  In our life don't we all have- ·    The people whom we love immensely- noisy or silent relationships, ·    The silent desires in our heart- simple or complex, ·    The noisy hassles created around us by- people or things. So…..here I decide to  de-clutter my Heart . I would henceforth, enjoy t he slow & silently flowing river like calls of my Heart and make a choice of facing or letting go of the noisy & painful hassles of my life which will still be around me just as the contrast

 T he hot summer days are here again. We look for comfort in the air-conditioned rooms with our favourite books, TV series or the indispensable mobile phones. It was during my regular morning stroll in my favourite Green Paradise that I saw a little sparrow lying unconscious near the water tap. I sprinkled some water on it and a little in its mouth. I rested it in the shade near some plants. After a few hours it flew away...   That was when I looked around for the bird feeder which was kept near the sunflower plant with some grains and water for the birds to fight hunger & heat.  I was told that the earthen bird bath was washed by Mali Bhaiya the previous evening. So the water wasn't kept.   I suddenly felt responsible for the condition of the little sparrow. Only if it would have been there.  I immediately filled it and put it back. The least that I could do to be considerate towards my favourite visitors!!   I now wait to see them back... the scorching sun should not

 Rani, one of our support staff at home walked into my room to inquire on my health yesterday with her tiny son following her like a little lamb. Barely two years or so dressed up in blue jeans & a full sleeved shirt the little boy flashed a smile at me...It was the most infectious smile indeed ! Sultan, my PitBull  was suddenly affected by the intruder in his comfort zone. He went near him and I warned him "Sultu, chota baby hai, tung nahi karna "... And Sultan just licked his little face and the boy flashed yet another smile and patted him. Both of them were almost of the same height and as if Sultan smiled back at him...The boy was not scared and continued to smile and pat him... A warm smile is a universal language of kindness. I was so touched with the smile of that little boy. I hugged him and handed over a chocolate to him to see yet another electrifying smile . Smile is such a powerful expression. It can change moods in no time. They say-' There are hu

I always admired my Mother’s love for gardening  and her  dedication towards it.  She would religiously put in hours  of hard work to see her blooming glories.               Somewhere I too love to see the magic of nature and the play of colors it displays around. S o when I realized this passion of mine still existed in me , I decided to pursue it.  The barren terrace had a lot of space and then my trips to the nursery and potters started . Soon the terrace had enough and more plants and my Mali Bhaiya and I created a lovely terrace garden in a few months time. I would spend most of my mornings and evenings in M y Green Space and whatever other time that I had on checking about new plants and tips to take care of plants.        Sultan , my Pit Bull has a fondness for my plants too. He would inspect every new plant added to my collection and enjoyed being on the terrace with me.  Soon my children found the terrace to be the most desirous place to spend time... the numerous colors enc

As I finished  de- cluttering  my wardrobes and shoe shelves and the bed side drawers, I felt a sense of immense relief and satisfaction.   The load had started getting unbearable to hold on.... space was crammed... and I was so overwhelmed with things I was no longer in need of.   As I sat overlooking my neatly stacked wardrobe with just enough stuff, I told myself as part of   de-cluttering ... M y Home, Head & Heart  now it’s the turn of my  Head...   As human beings we tend to stuff too much in our H eads and think lowly from the Heart .   I sat down with my diary and pen... I started listing down people, things, thoughts and conditions which burdened my Head .   One thing that I learnt from  ‘Her ’ was that only we get bogged down by all hurts and unpleasantness.... Everything else moves on..   So the  De-cluttering  process of my Head started... I began analyzing  my list....Slowly I found myself deleting a few burdens of my Head from the list.   I told mysel

  As I wake up each day I say my little prayer to see me through the day. I don’t remember a change in this routine. I have always believed in engaging myself in productive activities right from morning. No matter what goes in the mind, I would do something which would satisfy me and also be result oriented.   On one such day, I woke up with a thought of de-cluttering... M y Home, Head & Heart.... So started with my wardrobe.... there is never an end to needs but can we not cross check on our needs? There is no point accumulating stuff that isn't used... and moreover there are so many people who are in need around us.. I have a list of people whom I give my stuff because they use it lovingly . I started the segregation  work... and I packed the clothes, shoes, bags and accessories and bundled them  people wise by putting a tag on them.                                 Let me have the joy of sharing my favorite belongings with those whom I care about... And am I not continuing wi

It all began when She kept motivating me to write something which would come straight from my heart. I said maybe someday... and then She gave me a deadline....".Saturday I want to see it !!" I have a fear of deadlines...and then words just started pouring.... I had done a couple of sessions on the Magic of Gratitude. It was during one of my training sessions for the teachers that I remember telling them - Look for something positive everyday, even if it means you have to look a little harder and be thankful to anyone or anything if it has touched you, made you smile or changed your perspective.  And  here I put my words in action and extend my Gratitude to Her...  for letting me see the world from a different angle... Kindness is an extension of being grateful and  She told me  I should be KIND to myself and that I need to remind this to myself with the help of the mobile phone reminder every 30 minutes....It bugged me initially when the pop up said- BE KIND TO YOURSELF