My love letter to Waali

Ok, this isn't the official one. THAT's still a work in progress.

Waali has been on my case to write her a love letter because she happened to have read one I wrote and ended up feeling jealous. I'm THAT good apparently...

Thank you thank you. *bows*...

Anyway, the title? It's just a metaphor because this post if FOR Waali.

___________________________________

A couple of years ago life saw us trying to get through a rough patch. 

You know those days, when you just feel stuck!

Things aren't the way they should be. You're doing things you don't like to see yourself do. And you're just stuck.

It may seem, to others, like there are a gazillion ways out. But really, you know it's a lot harder to do than talk about.

Until something, in this case, someONE comes along and changes all of that.

And HOW!  

Out of the blue, completely unexpected.

It's true. Sometimes you're just not the right person to make things better for yourself.

Sometimes, you just HAVE to be rescued. And you're not caught in a crossfire anymore.

Once you let that superhero save the day, it's funny how your dramatic story can turn into quite a fairytale.

Suddenly there are laughs, like there have never been before. And there's NOISE. Unearthly noise! It can drive you nuts. (Trust me, I know!) 

For me, there was (and is) fun and friendship. And a solid someone who I know will take care of something that is so precious to me, I couldn't live without it. After many tests on my part, like Kulfi fights (I may have been the one bleeding in the end, but I SO let him win, man!), and conversations about who God is on beaches at 4am, and little disputes here and there... I can only feel a sense of Peace because this superhero is worthy of the lady he's got. 

(I'm sorry if this post is making you feel worse right now... but the IRON is coming Waali... waaaait for it.)

My point in talking about how things can change for the better in an instant; In just the moment that the universe decides it's completely on your side, is to remind you that nothing that's forever and worth having, comes easy.

I'm going to have a Spiderman moment of my own here and say that,

"With great love comes a greater fight to keep it alive."

(I know I'm the least experienced person to talk (romantically anyway!), but I believe enough in the things I've seen.)

Love always finds a way. 

Distance really means so little when the person means so much.

And while you take it as it comes just remember, 

your girls were there when it began 

and your girls are here, still.

________________

On a completely different note, just today I thought to myself while listening to Tina Turner..."What HAS love got to do with it?" And while writing this... I figured. EVERYfreakingTHING!

  

Something came along

Something comes along and shakes you to the bone

Things happen and you don't know why

You think about the one you love like you think of being alone

You don't get any of it. And it still gets you high

Your world is upside down. Everything is new

In reality, its still the same old thing

You could let it all go, save maybe just a few

But you're alright, thats all that matters and suddenly, you sing

This song of new beginnings while nothing really ends

This tune of happy sorrow, misunderstandings and making amends

These lines of searching for everything and love 

Just holding on, celebrating what living is made of

Something comes along and shakes you to the bone

Who knew you were standing so still?

Some days are diamonds while others are stone

If its about a life worth living, you fit the bill

And you stand by now, all shook up

You watch your loved ones live

You see them laugh and sing the blues

You've got all your heart to give

So you catch up to them, shaken or not

You let them know they can never be alone

Not while you still share their sky

For something came along and shook you to the bone

sigh.

My favourite 'Rice'... from the little I've heard, anyway.
On hard days, it's strangely peaceful having this on constant replay, even though it's hardly a lift-me-up kind of track...
(I read the summary of the plot of "closer"... doesn't sound like a typical Julia Roberts movie...
Jude Law, maybe. Not Roberts? It also doesn't sound like anything I'd want to watch. But it has an interesting soundtrack to read through! :P )

Lock the door, leave the world outside.

The 21st of September is a very special day for two people who, to me, are more important than most other things in the world. I miss them terribly. Even though circumstance forces us to be physically apart (as it has for some time now), I still know they're never really gone.
I think of them often, and I send out little prayers to the universe and the other forces at large, to keep them safe and happy, always. Even if I may be terrible at keeping in touch, mostly because I'm too busy allowing life to toss me around, they're always in my heart. There's one single song out there that reminds me of them. So, as I thought of them and missed them, I YouTubed their song... This video brought tears to my eyes. It's simple and thoroughly beautiful in that simplicity, much like their love.
Even the candle at the beginning reminds me of any home they live in together.


When it comes to relationships, there are no two people in the world I look up to more. Maybe, my parents. But even they're of a different time. (No offence to the folks... But, it's true.)
Yesterday was the 21st of September and also the 11th anniversary of a journey I've seen from the start.
A journey I remember in phases, only because it wasn't exactly mine. Although, I was traversing my own course alongside the whole time.
I've seen this bond begin, grow and continue to exist and only grow stronger. And I cannot help but think to myself, 'How lucky they are!'.
But luck is just a small part. I recognize how there's a lot of work involved too. 
It's a labour of love. The best kind of labour there is.
Nothing has ever convinced me more that Love is really all you need. True Love.
Two people, with true love on their side, versus the world. And I believe that has the power to make anything work.
Love is all you need. It's as simple and as difficult as that.

"People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life." 
— Elizabeth Gilbert


I think a soul mate isn't just the person who helps you be the best you can be,
they're the ones who at the end of the day love you not only for your shiny, sparkly prettiness (which, very often, is the only thing the world will accept you for), but also for all the ugliness you have to offer. When you find that, it's definitely worth holding on to. 
I sit in my orange and blue room and think of all these things, and my chest fills with mixed emotions I can only release in a deep sigh! I now know what I want of love. And as much as they give me hope and the power to believe that it truly does exist, I'm fearful of not experiencing it myself or somehow, stupidly letting it pass me by. I shouldn't be. I'm only 21 after all. But am I too safe with my heart for my own good?
Those are silly, although completely normal, worries to have.


At the end of it all, my heart fills with a warm and fuzzy feeling as I think of them now...
They're apart and always together.
They fight as passionately as they love.
They've grown and continue to grow.
And I love them, as one, and each on their own.
I can only hope to be as in love some day...


To 11 years of life so well lived, it feels like 11 minutes
and
To the future. 
Many minutes, more. Much richer, a life.
You inspire me. You give me hope.
And you're part of the reasons I believe in love.

"Here is the deepest secret nobody knows

Here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

And the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows

Higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide

And this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart..."

Dance with me!

A Leo Sayer original, but I like this cover!


Do you dance?
Would you like to?
Dancing is brilliant!
Sweet release of every kind of emotion.
I can only stand back and admire those to whom it comes naturally... 
especially those who've dared to take it on as a career.
I salute you.
It has that power-range, from pure discipline to breaking all the rules!
It inspires.
It thrills.
It makes you feel alive. OK, it makes ME feel alive.
And when life gets monotonous and I start to feel like one of those dead-girls-walking, 
I think about how, it's all really nothing that a good hour of music and dancing can't set straight!


There was a time I was the shy, reluctant to get on the floor, kind of person.
I've come a long, long way.
I couldn't care less what I look like now! 
When I'm in the mood, I'm on the floor. And I stay there...
until breathing becomes difficult.
Sometimes, even after breathing becomes difficult.
Not something I'd recommend, though.


When I think of the reasons... 
More often than not, I don't have any.
Or is that me kidding myself?
=)


Who or what makes you feel like dancing? 
Go on, now! Dance the night away!

Don't stop believing ♪

Just a small town girl,
living in a lonely world...


just lived an everyday.
And what an everyday it was!


Today was special.
There are so many thoughts that went through my head today, that I know I want to write about.
And I'm at a loss for a place to start!
I'll begin with the obvious, most appealing thing about today. The fact that it was a day of celebration for two major religions in our country. The energy in the city today was infectious. 
An unexpected bike ride through different parts as well as the usual drive through the extremely familiar areas of Pune just opened my eyes to a kind of harmony amidst the battle to have the noisiest loudspeakers at any given Mandal!
Festivals like these mean different things to different people.

• Being there for each other.
• Reconnecting.
• Good food.
• Celebrating life, God, His goodness.
• Fun.
• Acknowledgement of community.
• Free time to unwind.

At the end of the day, rejoicing in all things good over all things evil.


I walked around a neighbourhood today, who's people I know nothing about, helping a friend carry out her annual task of distributing the mouth-watering sheerkurma her mum makes for Eid. I followed her around, awkwardly smiling at the faces that opened doors greeting her warmly and me, equally so, with an expression that was a cross between a smile and a frown insinuating an unspoken question I read as:
 "Have we met? Not that it matters". 
I felt a sense of warmth watching her reconnect with these people she grew up around, even if they did seem to have the same complaint- they seem to meet her only around this time of year.
But then, at least. 
And they exchange what might seem like superficial pleasantries, but to me run deeper.
It's a message that goes beyond spoken word, that says, 
'I know you've always been there and I know you're there still; 
and although our paths vary while living in a decidedly similar world, 
I will remember you.'


An unexpected turn of events required a couple of us to ride towards the Deccan part of town. On the way, I was absorbing the energy in the city. Good, festive vibes that weren't coming only from the outrageously loud music playing in many places. I noticed a number of areas where Muslim and Hindu celebrations were taking place side by side. I also noticed how well the Hindu, predominantly, white and saffron colours go with the Muslim green. The exact three colours that constitute the National flag. Quite perfect.
And I sighed as we watched dance troops stall streams of traffic so that they could finish their celebratory demonstrations right in the middle of the road. 
Only in India. 
I was completely regretting the fact that I didn't have my camera at that point.
And of course I smiled.
I smiled because there is probably no other place in the world with this much tolerance floating around. 
We could sell it!
There's religious tolerance and tolerance for blatant flaunting of almost any kind of traffic rule. Yes, we could sit around complaining about all of it with no end in sight, but I'm more fascinated by the fact that these little things, like diversity and acceptance of the fact that rules will simply not be followed, are what make Indians for the most part, a very accommodating set of people. We're used to things, the slow, easy-going way.
(I realize I've touched upon a highly volatile and extremely debatable topic. So, I'm going to be diplomatic here and say that this is just one way of seeing things. Not necessarily the right way.)
But I do take pride in the fact that we were stopped from what we were doing, because of a group of people who wanted to dance on the road celebrating their God, and we still found it in us to smile and say, 'Alright, turn the engine off. We'll wait this out.'


On a more personal note, today was about being with loved ones, closest after my family.
It was about being the way we always are, but together.
It's the love of these people (some of whom I met in the course of this long day and some of whom, I didn't) that give me the strength to know I'll be OK whenever I do have to take that midnight train going anywhere.
And whether I'm winning, or losing or singing those blues, there will always be someone I can share the joy and the warmth or the fear and the disappointment with. There will always be someone who cares.
I'm so sure, only because joy, warmth, fear and disappointment are amongst all the emotions I lived through today and there was always someone there. Roller-coaster or not, I didn't even have to ask.


September 11th, may have gone down in history as one of the darkest days the world has ever seen, but my experiences today were some of the most beautiful and positive I've had! 
To me that is a sign of hope. 
The memory of all the lives lost that fateful day will live on. 
And it reminds me that much more, how thankful we need to be for our very own lives.
How much more accepting we need to be of each other and how much more love we need to give.


Oh, the movie never ends
It goes on and on and on and on
just, 
Don't stop believing!

=)

Cos it's a bittersweet symphony, this life!!



Kid's are the best! =)

It's a nice feeling to love something new everyday! =)

It's funny...

It's funny how Kid Rock and Eminem can inspire me and gross me out.
It's funny, however much I stack to give away, I always have too much.
And he said it right. It's funny how, 
"Forever always seems 
to be around when it begins
but forever never seems 
to be around when it ends."

It's funny how I always make the same mistake twice; If not more than that.

And it's funny how I learn a different lesson every time.
It's funny how I want the things that I can't have or that aren't mine for the taking.
It's funny how I've gotta keep reminding myself of how lucky I am to have the things that I've got.

It's funny how I depress myself and lift my spirits so effortlessly, on my own.

And what's funnier is that often it's over the same thing.

It's funny how I like the fan moving fast on a cold night just to snuggle up in thick sheets.

It's funny how on every other night I like the sheets but need bare feet.

It's funny how I lose myself in another person's song, knowing I was singing the same thing in other words all along. 

It's funny to see myself do the thing's I knew I could, but was too afraid to try.

And it's funny how waking up in the morning and taking a deep breath really can get you high.

It's funny how we live and learn through each other even though we're only living for ourselves.

It's funny how anything can be a prayer if you do it with all the love in your heart.

It's funny how I can talk for hours but never really say what I'd want to the most.

It's funny how I sometimes say exactly what I think without having thought about the fact that I'm about to say it. (Dicey prospect - that.)

It's funny how I've always wanted to write a piece on contradictions and this is the closest I've gotten. 

And it's funny how most of this isn't funny at all.