Take time to heal what’s broken

I absolutely love the outdoors and even a small walk outside makes me escape the monotony of life, allowing me to get lost in the beauty of the outside world. Sometimes, the outside noise you hear when walking through the streets of a busy city seems to quieten the train of thoughts that flood your mind. When you are a person who just can’t sit idle for a long time in the confines of your home, life sure does seem difficult when you are stuck at home for a long period. Hence, being able to step out of my apartment after almost a month due to a leg injury surely felt like a huge deal!

However, it has led me to tell myself that it’s okay to let life change gears and set it on “cruise control” mode for a while. Generally, when a driver feels exhausted, they can set the car on cruise mode which controls the speed of the car and maintains a constant speed. Whatever you want to do in this life and whatever you are currently doing, gets affected if you don’t focus on your health first. Being sick takes a toll on you physically and mentally. January being the start of a new year, just like the majority of people out there, I was pumped up to begin this year with a bang. Life seemed to have other plans for me. However, I took this time to focus on healing my injured leg so that it heals faster and catching up on some tv shows I had been meaning to watch.

With one of my goals for this year being getting healthier, I haven’t been able to exercise right from the second day of this year. Life has been slower. But the only option for me was to rest and let my leg heal, so that I would be up and running soon. Jumping into the 2nd month of this year (not literally :P), all I can say is, if any of you are having a rough start like me, we still have the rest of the year to hustle. Whatever you’re going through, it’s okay to take some time off to heal from it. I am not just talking physical injuries, but mental trauma too. Our mind and body need time to process the curveballs life throws at us. Get some rest, relax for a while, get back on your feet and chase your goals with all you’ve got.

Old habits die hard

They say, old habits die hard
When I look at you every time you walk into the room, I understand why
They also say, it takes 21 days to create a new habit
I don’t know which is worse, the 21 days of not looking at you
Or the 21 days of replacing you with a new habit
Because time for me has come to a standstill since the day I saw you
Maybe you weren’t just a habit
But a reminder of the love I have carried for you since then
So I take this love and let it walk away with you
Coz it’s always been yours to keep
Realizing that you don’t have to give up on some habits,
But gradually learn to just let them go
I simply walk out of the room, into the bright new world
Like a man with a heart full of dreams
Knowing there are things and places meant for me
Now, all I need is to form a habit that takes me one step closer towards my dreams

– Ashwini

P.S: I took this picture while riding on a two-wheeler with my friend in Gainesville, Florida. Loved how the Spanish moss growing on these trees gives them a dramatic effect.

The flowers that bloom

If you ever wonder what you’re made of,
Think about the flowers that bloom through branches and thorns alike
Their purpose is to grow into these beautiful flowers
That makes walkers stop by to adore and smell
Or make people carry a fresh bunch home
To remind them how beautiful this world actually is
How even a single stem can brighten up your day
And how an entire bunch fills your entire room with fragrance

Let these flowers remind you
That you too, are meant to grow into something beautiful
Sometimes you need to just let yourself be
Maybe a sunflower, maybe an orchid, maybe a tulip
You don’t need to be a part of the same bunch

Choose whatever you want to be and sow the seeds today
Slowly growing roots and expanding your stems
Even if the world looks at you just as a bud today,
There will be a time when you too, will be in full bloom. 🌸

– Ashwini

P.S: Came across these lovely flowers while taking a walk in New York City. Loving the spring vibes all around!

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!

Choose yourself. Over and over.

We often talk about how we love a fictional character from a movie or a show. Have you ever wondered how easy it is to love every other thing in this world and yet, so difficult to love ourselves. We try to find meaning in the outside world, to search the light that will guide our way and give us a reason to live, something that will make us happy and feel good about ourselves. But, how often do we sit with ourselves and try to make sense of what we are.

You try to find the “good” side of all characters in movies, friendships and even relationships. And yet, you’re so cruel to yourself. To think that you’re unworthy of any good thing in this world. That you will never be as cool as the other person is. And yes, you can try to be that person, but you can’t escape who you are and what lies within you.

It takes a lot of strength to face your own demons – your insecurities, your weaknesses, your pain, your failures. And trust me, it takes an insane amount of courage to acknowledge all these things that make you vulnerable. If you can be kind to strangers and even stray animals, why not show some kindness to yourself? The first step to self love starts with accepting yourself. The good, the bad, all of it. These are the things that make you, YOU.

Accepting yourself empowers you to grow past your weaknesses. You need to tell yourself insane amount of times that “I am not just a product of my insecurities. Rather, these are just things that make me human”. What really matters is how you choose to get past it and focus on things that do bring the best out of you.

Honestly, the world is always going to have something to say about you – sometimes good, sometimes bad. Don’t let them define you or just blindly adhere to the world’s perception of you. You have the choice to live a life built on your own beliefs and choices. Just work on yourself. Believe in yourself. Choose yourself. Over and over. ✨

Let go a little.

Start with your vulnerability, you don’t have to hold it all in.
You can let go a little, vulnerability is really not a sin.

Moving on to your anxiety, why do I have so many troubles you say;
Let go a little, you don’t have to worry about everything that doesn’t happen your way.

The things and people that bring you bouts of sadness, let them go a little;
Make some room for happiness, you don’t always have to settle.

The fear that’s eating you alive, it’s just in your head;
Let go a little more and you’ll know life is really not that bad. ✨

Epilogue: We are often afraid of letting things go just because once they meant a lot to us. Things, people, memories. But if it’s troubling you so much, do you really want those things in your life? Letting go is hard. So much harder than me just saying it. But, more than anyone else, do it for yourself. You deserve all the happiness in this world and it begins with inner peace. So, try to let go of things that are weighing you down and just soar high with wings of freedom in the clear sky!