Standing there, Staring at the vast mountain, I perceived the essence of solitude, The sense of being far away alone. The pale blue sky turned scarlet, Temperature changed from warm to cold, Purple Darkness dominated Daylight, But still i stood there, Me and my shadow, All alone, Much too alone, Never tiring of staring at the horizon, Watching the sun go down leisurely, Tasting the warm glow of solitude, Rising and tossing within me, Threatening to outpour its brim One fine day...
Little do men perceive what solitude is, and how far it extendeth. For a crowd is not company, and faces are but a gallery of pictures, and talk but a tinkling cymbal, where there is no love. - Francis Bacon
As the dark wind started howling, I heard whispers calling my name. Unknown voices whispering in the dark, laughing softly beckoning me.
I heard them echoing in the dark woods, the whispers knew only i could hear. My soul lay drunken, bewitched, Into the whispers, it sought shelter.
My pace quickening unwillingly, legs dragging me to their tunes. I searched and searched for the source, alas, my eyes found no mortal close by.
I tried to listen hard, unaware of what they are trying to convey. I caught a word barely against the rough wind, "Beware, Beware!!" was all i could hear.
A chill ran through my spine, Fear ripped across my heart, Away from the whispers, I ran through the dark night...
If I knew it would be the last time that I'd see you fall asleep, I would tuck you in more tightly and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.
If I knew it would be the last time that I see you walk out the door, I would give you a hug and kiss and call you back for one more.
If I knew it would be the last time I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise, I would video tape each action and word, so I could play them back day after day.
If I knew it would be the last time, I could spare an extra minute or two to stop and say "I love you," instead of assuming you would KNOW I do.
If I knew it would be the last time I would be there to share your day, well I'm sure you'll have so many more, so I can let just this one slip away.
For surely there's always tomorrow to make up for an oversight, and we always get a second chance to make everything right.
There will always be another day to say our "I love you's", And certainly there's another chance to say our "Anything I can do's?"
But just in case I might be wrong, and today is all I get, I'd like to say how much I love you and I hope we never forget,
Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young or old alike, And today may be the last chance you get to hold your loved one tight..
So if you're waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today? For if tomorrow never comes, you'll surely regret the day,
That you didn't take that extra time for a smile, a hug, or a kiss and you were too busy to grant someone, what turned out to be their one last wish.
So hold your loved ones close today, whisper in their ear, Tell them how much you love them and that you'll always hold them dear,
Take time to say "I'm sorry," "please forgive me," "thank you" or "it's okay". And if tomorrow never comes, you'll have no regrets about today
~anonymous~ *** From what I have been able to find out, most of this poem was written in the 1930s or 1940s by one of two authors. Two ladies claim credit for it and then was more recently adapted by another writer, a teenager. Will give credit to all three in the future.
Expectations...the very word seems to be heavily loaded with a concoction of a variety of emotions.We tend to get hurt or disappointed in life when something or someone does not really meet upto our expectations.For instance, there can be expectations regarding your job,studies, friends or your love or family.
Parents keep on nagging their children to score more in the exam.Why? because they expect their children to gain more knowledge and lead a successful life and what happens when they don't really meet their expectations? It leads to disappointment on the parents side and creates stress upon the child at not being able to meet his/her parent's expectation.In other words,it creates a sad environment for both the parties.There are occasions when we hear of students committing suicide because they fail in their papers and unable to face the outside world, they take up such an extreme step.Fault is certainly on the parent's side at expecting too much out of their children.They should realize not to build up so much of expectations that are impossible to be met sometimes.Give them a break.Guide them gently if they are weak, be more understanding instead of shouting or beating them up.Be more of a friend than a father/mother and try to share their feelings so that they don't become petrified of you and hide things from you in the future.
There is one more common example.Take a girl for instance who expects to speak with her guy at least once a day.But when for some reason the guy remains busy with his own work or within his own friends circle, attending parties etc the girl feels upset and disappointed when her expectations are not met by the guy.This eventually develops a bad feeling and even though the girl tries to hide this fact from the guy, it remains etched in her heart and this may be the soul reason in causing quarrels or disagreements between them.Why? because the girl expected the guy too to reciprocate her wishes, the wish to speak to her at least once a day.Fault was certainly on the girl's side at expecting too much out of him.She should have been more understanding and matured enough to give the guy some space of his own.She should have never expected him to think like she thinks.If the guy does not feel upto it, let him be.Take a cool attitude.Building high expectations out of someone will never help anyone.It only leads to frustration.
So the tip of the day is "Always expect less but give more".Be kinder than necessary, everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.Everyone has problems in their lives. No mortal is completely happy in this world.If for some reason you are not able to understand a person's actions, try to put yourself in their shoes and see the world.You will get a much better idea why they reacted in a certain way or why they are the person that they are.Never fail to lend a helping hand to anyone even if they didn't help you at some point.True happiness lies in giving it to others.I always feel good when i am of some help to anyone.Its a pain that mostly people tend to forget about humanity and think about only themselves.If only we could come out of our own self oriented world and think about others too, the world would have been a much better place to live in. We should always give more and expect less.That way no one gets hurt and leads to a healthy peaceful environment eventually.We will find real contentment in life if we start giving more and expecting less.
One night a couple was returning back from a late night movie.Unfortunately their bike broke down on a lonely stretch of highway.Now both were very young and when people are young and that too in love they don't give a damn about fear.Romance and love is all they dream about.
So the girl instead of worrying about their circumstances found this particular incident very romantic.Being alone with her love on a starry night walking back home hands in hands, an ideal romantic situation in her eyes.
The guy being ofcourse less romantic and more practical cursed his stars for this misfortune.After all he has to drag his bike now till he can get some help.
"Damn, this bike had to break down tonight only!!",frustrated he kicked his bike.
"Oh come now, don't be so upset.Look at the positive side,we get time to spend alone like this.So adventurous and romantic don't u think?",the girl asked with a smile.
"Yeah right..You will come to taste romance when some rowdies happens to catch up with us like this.They will rob you blindly and wont even spare your life."
"Oh don't talk like that.Nothing bad will happen.Just look at that bright star above.Its shining so much.So very pretty na",the girl said clapping her hands looking least perturbed.
Irritated the guy was about to snap something back when he looked at her and his face softened at her carefree expression and he swallowed down his harsh words.
Instead he too tried to relax and replied positively,"Well may be you are right..No point now in being gloomy.Lets be positive.By the way you are looking quite pretty in the moonlight"
The girl blushed and so went on their romantic conversation oblivious to their surroundings.It was quiet late at night and not even a single car passed by that road.
After walking upto a distance, they took a lane that goes through some dark woods.It was a cold December night and there was a slight mist.When passing by the woods, the fog started thickening around them.The guy being very protective told the girl to wrap her arms around him and walk closely.They were unable to see what is ahead.
Suddenly breaking the silence of the night, they heard a heart wrenching sound of a woman weeping somewhere.They became alert immediately.They looked hard through the fog and could only see a lamp not too far away.They could now see a woman in a pale saree sitting down by the lane side with a low lit lamp.
Glad to see a human, the guy approached the woman concerned,"Hi there, why are you crying? Can we be of any help?"
The woman continued bending her head and weeping in that agonizing voice.
"Helllo lady, do u understand English? What is the matter?" the guy asked again.
The woman still ignored his question and acted as if she didn't hear anything.The guy and the girl puzzled looked at each other.
"May be she is deaf and her husband left her alone.Should i shake her so that atleast she will come to her senses?",the girl asked.
"Yeah try it.God knows what is the matter.Its past midnight."
The girl then stepped closer to the woman and shaked her asking "Hello, what happened?"
This time the woman responded by stopping her mournful crying and slowly turning her head up.
When they glimpsed at her face,they both became stupefied with fear.The woman had no eyes in her head.They were staring at a face with no eyes. Petrified they screamed and ran for their lives.Now not needed to mention the fact that the guy dropped his bike then and there and caught hold of his girl and made a run for it.
This seemed like a very unreal experience but it really happened with them.All sense of romance vanished from their heads and there was only the desire to somehow live through this night.
Somehow after finding their way back to the main road, they saw a man not far away pulling a rickshaw slowly.It was very strange to find a rickshaw at that hour but desperate to get away from there, they called the man and got in his rickshaw.Both were sweating in fear.Seeing this the rickshaw man asked "What Babu? Why are you both so frightened?"
They narrated what they saw.The rickshaw man laughed at it and said that its not unusual to see these kind of things in this area.Lots of accidents used to happen in this area and it is told that those souls keep hunting this area.
The couple gulped down this information thinking somehow this nightmare should end.This was certainly worse than getting attacked by a group of rowdies.
The guy asked,"What about you? How come you are riding at this hour?"
"My rickshaw had some problem so i got delayed returning home",the man replied.
After going to some distance,the rickshaw stopped and said it wont go farther.
So the guy asked how much was the fare and started to pay the man when he noticed something very weird.Can you guess what?? The man too had no eyes.He was smiling crookedly and asked "Kya Babu? What is the matter? "
"Yooooouuur eyes??!!" the guy stammered.
Laughing the man warned in a strange voice,"I told you already Babu, this place is hunted.You should not wander here like this at this hour!!" His voice echoed all over in the stillness of the night.
Not waiting for a single moment,the guy took hold of his girl's hand and ran like anything from there until they reached the safer parts of the city.Never again did they venture to go for a late night movie again.
With a mind numb with pain, the teary eyed girl walked upto the edge of the bridge. The dark waters floating down, shimmering, whispering in the darkness, inviting, coaxing her, to be amongst its unseen depths.
Standing on her toes, her soul tempted, her heart beats paused, she spread her arms wide, with closed eyes, she took the plunge down, with one last breadth, one last smile, one last tear, as she became one with the waters, she was set free forever. Soon a new day will begin, without her struggles with the world.
Staggering alone upon the rocky path, a frown on her forehead, with tangled agonizing emotions, she kept treading along.
Tiny blue and white lilies, magically appeared on her road side, taking her breadth away.
The rocks disappeared, flowers everywhere, lay scattered on her path. A warm sweet fragrance, the pale blue sky, the fresh greenery, the husky tender clouds, was all she could gape at.
"Is this an omen?" she asked herself. "Omen sent by God, to feel the beauty of life, to forget my woes, and enjoy the ride?"
As if in response, a blue butterfly with patterned wings, flew by her side.
She understood the sign, stretched out her hand, on it rested the butterfly, so tender, so adorable, In it she confided, all her sentiments, with a small gentle kiss.
Cruel waves of life, washed away, the beloved house of clay. Fragile innocent dreams shattered, broken apart. Joyful moments, turned into, a painful reminiscence. Numerous hopes, buried alive, in the graveyard of rigid customs. What is left now, is a burning anger, a strong stubborn wish emerging like a volcano, from the dead graves, to build again, to dream again, to live again, to hope again, to fight back, surfing and riding, the cruel waves of life...
After analyzing my life, i have realized that everything in life happens for a reason.Every person we meet comes to our lives for a specific reason.Its not merely a co incidence.Every action, every move made by us has a reason.The reason being very simple, an act to make us realize our destinies.An act to teach us something good.You just have to find out the reason.
Many times u may feel like why some things happened only with u.You may then blame God asking "Why me, God?" But did u ever get any response back from Him or any hint or indication as to the reason behind your question? No, i assume.I used to always ask God the very same question whenever i felt low and somehow much later in my life i would know the answer by itself.I mean to say that every event is co related with each other, our past, present and future.What happens in the past will have some connection with the present and the present with the future.I hope i m not confusing you a lot.I m just trying to convey the simple message that God has somehow conveyed to me that "Everything that happens to us is for our own good".
We might not be able to comprehend the meaning of this at the time when something unjust actually happens to us but much later on in your life, if u look back and try to reflect, u will realize that whatever had happened, had happened for a reason.The reason might be simply to lead u to something better or might be to make u learn some things so that later in your life u don't repeat it.
To cite an example, i sometimes ponder that God has not given me everything i wanted in life.I have seen sadness, death in the family from a tender age.I have seen my carefree childhood life turned into a struggling one.I lost my loving father at an early age suddenly.I saw tears in my mother's eyes (something that kills me alive).Somehow everything changed after that.Our lifestyles changed but life moves on and so we did.Now u might tell me that how can i say that this particular event had happened for my good.I would like to say that may be God wanted me to become more stronger with pain, to revel in my mother's love forever, to be with her in sickness and health,to take care of her the way she takes care of us.She had given her share of love and also my father's love, may be more than that and i will be indebted to her forever.Now dats not all, there may have been millions of people who must have suffered from worst tragedies and i am just thankful to God for letting me have a mother who loves me so much.I am thankful and grateful for the things that he has given me.We should be contented with what we have rather than asking for more.
Like everyone, my life has underwent through a lot of tipsy-topsy curves.Moments of sadness combined with happy ones.However in every major event of my life i have felt God's definite magical touch in it.I have always felt his presence by my side.I may choose to ignore it when i m too sad with something but deep down inside i always know that He is with me, watching over me, listening to me, guiding me always.He communicates with me sometimes with some signs, u can say some omens.If u follow or recognize those omens in your life, u will be able to read what He is trying to tell u.Its utterly magical and u might not believe in omens but trust me that is how it happens in my life.These omens may come in any form.It may come as a rainbow,a butterfly,a banner or in the form of a person.I am now learning to read those omens in my life.
There were many small small incidents in the past and later i realized why those happened.It somehow led me to something good always.Recently,i had joined a new company and had to relocate to a remote area.But i had only a month's time to look for a new house.Try as we could,we were not able to find a good one.We contacted all the real estate agents in that area and searched almost every nook and corner ourselves.Everyone asked me what i will do as time was nearing to vacate and we had no where to go.But this time i was somehow confident that God has surely planned something.I just knew that i will get it in God's own time.God will do the needful.And truly,we got a good house just the way we wanted at the right time.
Its amazing how God sometimes hears to all our prayers and paves our way by clearing away all the obstacles away in His own time.It simply baffles me every time.He is undoubtedly the perfect planner.He has plans for everyone.If for some reason u feel that why has God not answered to your most needed prayer, just take my word that He will surely give u an answer in His own time.And if he does not, then do not feel dejected.It just means that its simply not meant to be.It means that He has something better stored for u in the future.Just be patient and continue to grow in His faith.Do your duty, be honest and sincere in whatever u do and God will surely reward u one day for your hard work done.
Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of luck. Illness, love, lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity all occur to test limits of your soul.
Hello Reader ...today i want to share some feelings regarding changes that comes over suddenly in our lives.Changes which we don't really want to accept but very much needed for us to move on ahead in the race of life.
Recently we had to move over to a new flat located in a remote area of Bangalore.The area is quite isolated with only a tech park and a forum close by.As i had mentioned in one of my previous posts, i was quite contented with my previous house even with all its mystical phantom experiences.I had grown accustomed to staying in that house so much that i never thought i would have to leave it one day.I loved its white walls which seemed to speak to me in an uncanny way.I loved its glorious spacious rooms.I loved even the balcony that used to display a very dirty view of an empty, unused plot which was being used as a sort of garbage dump.I loved everything about it so much was i attached to it !
Even next to my room, from my windows everyday i had to tolerate the continuous madenning barkings of four huge dogs of our neighbour.The dogs were kept in two kennels just below my room.It used to irritate me so much that i used to concoct plans of buying different types of deadly poisons and mixing them with bones and throwing them down at them easily from my window to murder the dogs.It would have lead to an instant unsuspicious death of the damnable dogs.Now before u get the idea that i m some sort of a sadistic animal killer :) , let me correct u that i am usually a great animal lover, specially cats and dogs.But moments like when u try to get some blessed sleep after a head splitting migrane and all u can get to hear are the loud barkings coming from next door, trust me even u will feel like murdering those dogs :)
Nevertheless, now that i have left that house, its only silence that visits me from my new room windows.And u know what,i am not at all loving this silence.I want those dogs again..the house back.Somehow my ears have become accustomed to hearing the music of their barkings all the time in my room.I used to dream of this silence ofcourse many times but now that i have achieved it, my heart still seeks how it used to be.May be i am sentimental.I don't know but i really miss the old place, old friends, old job...the old simple life.
I still remember the first day we shifted to the old house, me and my brother with only a few belongings, laughing at each other from the two distant rooms, feeling euphorious as though we got to stay at the Buckingham palace.Yes, it was like a palace to us after staying in small dark rooms for years together.No doubt in that palace, i got to experience some terrifying unexplained events like the one i have mentioned in one of my previous posts.Now that we have vacated that house, i would like to mention some of the other strange events that had happened during our stay.
The very first one began on our first day of shifting.The whole day was gone in packing and moving things into the house and we were very exhausted.Infact i was so tired that i fell into a deep sleep in the cot where i was lying down in the large Hall.I didn't have the energy to get up and sleep in my bedroom.During the night, i had woken up suddenly feeling somebody was waking me up and was surprised to find myself in the Hall alone.Feeling scared and cold, i shut my eyes and went to sleep.Next morning, when i opened my eyes, i was shivering and found the fan running at full speed.I was surprised because i had never switched on the fan in the coldness of December night.I even asked my brother if he had done it when he woke up but he simply smirked saying he had never come out of his room.I wondered who did it then.The one who woke me up at night? God only knows!
Then there was one day when i was alone cooking in the kitchen when i felt something passing behind the curtains of my bedroom door.I was half turned towards it and could not see it properly.When i turned and stared what it was, i could not see anything.May be it was my wild imagination, saying that i continued cooking. Again after five minutes,i felt the same thing happen and this time my heart missed a beat, my hand began shaking.I stopped what i was doing and turned towards the door.I stood like that for some time transfixed.
Now the list of these activities will go on and all i want to say is even with all these mysterious happenings in the house, i still loved it, still do and miss it terribly now.My heart was breaking while i was packing my things in the room.I was unable to bear the sight of the rooms left barren.The posters torn, the windows left uncurtained, the dogs growling outside as though sensing my departure.With a heavy heart, i had said goodbye to the walls and the notorious spirit or whatever it was in the house.
It was time for me to move on, to let go of things we cant have forever.It was time for me to accept changes in my life and embrace a new bright beginning draping a soft silk curtain over the past.And believe it or not, it was on that day that i saw a double rainbow for the first time in my life in the midst of showers and sunlight from the balcony of our new flat.May be that was a sign of good omen :).I am soon going to find that out...
Amidst the veil of darkness, Time slowly ticking by, Street dogs barking, Trees swaying, intoxicated, The stars glowing, in the night sky, Somewhere i hear, a baby crying, A car passing by, The dim lit appealing, vacant courtyard, The soft humming breeze, shivering my flesh, tempting me, to close my eyes, under the tender warmth of my soft blanket, but still sleepless, i lay with eager dreams ornamented, upon the edge of my eyelids, with random vivid thoughts, encompassing my mind, embracing my pillow, i am waiting, sighing, for sleep to dawn, upon my exhausted being, putting an end, to the infinite explorations, draping the silent racing forms, locking the door, of my blazing eyes, if only for a while...
