A blooming garden

Today, you may think you’re all alone, my friend
The storm that has hit you, has shattered the windows of millions of other houses
But they say, when you look directly at the eye of the storm
Gather all your grit and strength that you would need to endure it
Holding hands of your loved ones, singing sweet lullabies
And hold your ground, staying in one place until the storm wears off

There will be a day when the grey clouds of fear will disappear
When the chaos and uncertainty will all end
And the rays of sunshine will bring along great joy
That day, don’t forget the day you looked at the eye of the storm
And think about the amount of bravery it took for you to withstand it all
For soon, there will be a blooming garden for you to walk
Just wait a little longer, my friend, together we will brave the storm. 🌸

PS: Dedicated to everyone fighting the covid crisis back in India. We are in this together. Stay home and mask up if outside! 😷❤️

Earth Day special

Happy Earth Day! 🌍

Every day, I feel blessed to have been born on this beautiful planet that helps us find beauty wherever we go. It also instills the need to protect this planet of ours in our own special ways. Instead of looking at it as a lost cause, what we can rather do is give it our best shot to save the planet. The big changes we talk about do start with us and our everyday lives.

Here are few ways you can help save the planet:

Decreasing use of plastic: Try to replace things made out of plastic with reusable materials. I’ve switched to using metal bottles instead of plastics at home and during travel. I would say I’m not even halfway there. But, taking one step at a time also does count.

Don’t litter: If you can’t help clean the trash that already exists, least you can do is not throw trash on the road or in the sea. Even a tiny chocolate wrapper needs to be thrown in the bin.

Plant more trees. 🌳❤️

PS: New York is brimming with such beautiful cherry blossoms right now, which make my evening walks more pleasant!

The grass is greener where you water it

“The grass is greener where you water it.” Read this quote on the Internet and thought it was an interesting twist to the old quote, “The grass is greener on the other side”. When we don’t like where we’re at, the unknown seems like a better option just because that’s our perception. We start seeing the other side as an escape, but we have to think for ourselves and not be simply blinded by the allure of the unknown.

Life is always about the choices we make. Even though the other side might seem greener, the choice always lies with us to choose the ground we would like to grow from. When you begin to believe in yourself and acknowledge your own grit and strength, your life will be a flowering garden with greener grass wherever you choose to go.

Prisoners of the free world

This image was taken at the Alcatraz prison, which is just 1.5 miles away by sea from San Francisco city. Walking through the matchbox sized cells with rusty metal bars, it made me wonder how the lives of the inmates of this prison would’ve been like. The prisoners had this beautiful view of the Golden gate bridge on one side and the SF skyline lurking on the other.

The tour guide told us, that the smell of chocolate from the famous Ghirardelli factory nearby, used to spread across the island. The irony for the prisoners here was that they could’ve had everything that one could wish for, just 1.5 miles away. And yet, because of the burden of their crimes, this small distance kept them away from the real world.

Alcatraz Island, California

I also happened to stumble upon a prisoner’s cell (above image) who’s art made me stop and wonder that, if he was out here in the real world, he would’ve definitely made it as an artist! Such a waste of talent. When I come to think of it, we as humans, sometimes imprison ourselves in this crazy web of life, that we forget about the beauty that lies underneath. I mean, this one life, wouldn’t you want to make it big?

This guy, he was stuck in one place and yet, he tried to make something out of literally nowhere! And here we are, free as birds, yet caged by these shackles of a monotonous life, societal pressures and procrastination. One of these days, I hope you break free from these chains and paint a beautiful picture in real life as well!

Friendships lost and found

Isla and me decided to meet at Pebble beach. She always loved the beach. Probably because her name itself meant an island in Spanish – Isla. I faintly remembered our beach getaways during college days. It had been 10 years since our last rendezous at the beach. Since the Californian winds blew quietly that day, we decided to directly head down to the beach.

For the longest time we just sat quietly on the sand, staring at the deep blue ocean in front of us. The sound of the crashing waves being the only sound amidst the awkward silence. I suddenly remembered, this place was called “Pebble beach” and I saw all these pebbles lying around. I grabbed some pebbles from around and started stacking them one above the other. Isla joined in too. We both got engrossed in placing the pebbles on top of each other, trying to maintain their balance. While we were at it, I said, “You know, people stack these stones to make a..”. “Wish! I know”, she said and smiled. I smiled as well, amused at how she remembered this random thing I once told her.

Just like that, here we were, 10 years later, skeptical if we had lost our connection and wondering if our friendship could ever make sense again. Yet, we were back to being those same two kids who used to run off to the beach, where we would stack some pebbles together, wishing for future adventures together.

I didn’t wish for anything that day and I know she didn’t as well. Maybe, one of our wishes from the past did come true. Because here we were, reunited as the best friends we always thought we were.

Human cages

Looking back at this picture, it reminds me of the beautiful world we live in. Last year, particularly hindered all our travel plans. However, this particular shot makes me think about how we, as humans, build some fences all around us, restricting our own growth and reach. How often do we wonder about what’s stopping us from doing the things we’ve always wanted to do?

Sometimes we are restricted by external factors whereas, sometimes, we unknowingly build a cage around ourselves and keep running in circles. A lot of things we worry about are just in our heads. If we don’t even try to wander beyond the usual, letting go of the insecurities, self-doubt and risk of failure, we might never get rid of the cages we’ve put ourselves in.

Pebble beach, California

The above picture is a gentle reminder of how free we truly are, to be anywhere in this big, beautiful world and become the person we really want to be. It’s all about the perspective. 

P.S: This is one of the lookout spots from the iconic 17-mile drive along the Pacific coast in California.