World Environment Day

It took me a moment to realize this pretty structure was made from trash collected from Jacksonville beach itself. They had put up an entire display of art made from all sorts of ocean trash. Nature has its own way of saying what goes around, comes around. The trash we throw – the small empty bag of chips, use-and-throw glasses, plastic bags, our small actions today contribute to what our future would look like and if we want it to be pretty, we need to be mindful of our own actions. The need for change that we all talk about, starts with us. 🌿

Happy World Environment Day! 🌎 🪴

Jacksonville beach, Florida

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.

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.

The thousand magical suns

A wise old man once asked me, “Son, do you want to hear the story about the thousand suns?” Intrigued by the man’s question and worn from my own exhaustive journey, I sat down to hear more. Then he said, “There are these thousand unique suns out in the world and if you let their rays fall on you, your life will be filled with inner peace and happiness, no matter what. You will find them either during sunrise or during a sunset. There won’t be any signs, but make sure you look towards the sky each day and you will just know.”

I searched for long, trying to find these magical suns that would be the light of my life. I visited that old man again after a few years, desperate to find out how I wasn’t even able to find even one of the thousand suns. He looked at me and started laughing. I thought I had made a fool of myself trying to find something that didn’t exist.

The old man then said to me, “Here you are talking about how you failed to find the magical suns that would enlighten your life. And yet, you couldn’t think about every sunrise and sunset you saw during your journey. Those were the rays of sun you were supposed to collect and you’ve been doing it all along. Every time you paused to stare at the magic of this universe, the different colors of the sky and let it grasp your attention, you did collect all the magic out there.”

That day, I thanked the man and walked away to catch another sunset.

P.S: Took this shot of a beautiful sunset at Tulum beach, Mexico. Missing the beach life a lot! Do you guys prefer to watch the sunrise or the sunset?

Pressed flowers in a book

Let’s collect flowers and save them in a book
Pressed amidst random pages, where no one would look
From the days when we wished for the time to stop
So that our good times would run in an endless loop

Let these flowers you pick from the ground
Remind you of days that made you forget time
And how happy you were in your own little world
Oblivious to everything happening around you

And each time you come across a dried little flower
I hope the faint scent and its imprints on the pages
Remind you of a time when this flower was in full bloom
But right now, it’s a cherished memory, an invaluable heirloom

– Ashwini

P.S: We found these cherry blossom trees in the Japanese Tea Garden located in the San Francisco Botanical Garden. Eagerly waiting for the cherry blossoms to arrive again this Spring!

The waterfall..

They say, she tells a story without any words
All you have to do is pause and simply watch her flourish
Through the long branches of trees old and new
How she cuts through massive rocks that try to block her way
And flows over the tiny pebbles that people once threw

She doesn’t seem to care how they view her or judge her criss-cross path
For all she knew was to flourish through it all
Changing courses when the obstacles didn’t let her slide through
For one way or the other she was meant to endlessly flow

She moved seamlessly, being her unapologetic self
That grew and outgrew everything that came under her way
Roaring through the wild forests, “I am born this way and this is what I am meant to do”,
She gathered all of her forces and incessantly she moved

Leaving the world to see the marvel that she was
A natural beauty, creating magic wherever she falls ✨

– Ashwini

P.S: This picture was taken at the Smoky Mountain National Park in North Carolina and was shot on my good old iPhone 8. Always fun to try something new in photography! Also, happy weekend!

A timeless beauty

And some places, they remind you of a timeless beauty that exists through nature’s different courses

These trees, they provide shade to the people gathered with their families having fun
And yet, now with their leaves gone, these very trees, they glisten in the wintry afternoon sun

The residual snow reminds you of the howling winds that rattled your windows
And the playful laughs of the kids who jump with joy, every time it snows!

Some places, they instill the faith in you that every time you come back
The sun will always rise and shine to provide you some warmth in this New York cold.

PS: This picture was taken at Brooklyn, New York in Feb, 2020. What a beautiful mess it was! ☃️

Chasing sunsets.

We were literally chasing after this sunset during our drive through the Florida Keys. Our phones showed that the sunset was in 10 minutes and so we started running towards the point where we could see the sun going down. Later, I just sat on one of the stones nearby watching the beauty unfold. I couldn’t help but think about the magic of this universe and how it just naturally paints the whole sky with all these vivid colors. I purposely chose not to add any filters to this picture because the twilight sky did a pretty good job here!

With the start of a new year, I hope you all too, chase after real happiness, run towards things that brighten up your life and run away from those that suck the light out of you. I hope you find work that motivates you and takes you one step further towards your life’s purpose. And most importantly, I hope you’re surrounded by people who bring out the best colors in you and genuinely make a conscious effort to be a part of your life. Choose people who choose you and hug them a little harder next time!

This past year was really a roller-coaster ride of events and emotions. But, it also helped me to re-evaluate things I never really had time to ponder over. Mostly importantly, it has taught me that happiness is a choice. So when things go awry, if we begin to focus on the positive things in life and let go of all the things beyond our control, life does seem simple and less complicated. And whatever you’re chasing towards, don’t forget to cherish the little joys of life! 💫

PS: I’m finally back to blogging after a two-week break in Florida. This picture was taken at the Bahia Honda Key in Florida Keys. I already miss the Southern warmth in this New York cold. Looking forward to creating and writing more this year. ✨
Happy New Year folks! 🎈