A for Awesome !

I am an on-and-off reader. There are days when I go on and on reading stuff. I am so engrossed in multiple books at the same time that nothing else seems to matter. Days pass by and so does the reading fever. And then there are days, when I don’t read at all. I don’t feel like picking up the newspaper. I don’t like the sight of a written word. Then there is a phase between these two extremes, when I force myself into reading, for the heck of it. I reluctantly pick up the newspaper, telling myself it cost me a rupee or two. I text multiple people to suggest me an interesting read. Then I put in all my reason to choose which one will bring me back from the other side, back into the lovable world of words. And so goes on the cycle.

But all this while, there is one thing that I never miss reading. It’s called the 1000AwesomeThings. It’s an award-winning blog that’s also been supposedly turned into a book. I believe most of you would have read it as well, or heard of it, or stumbled upon it. But I felt the need to write about it.

The idea is quite simple. Neil writes about one awesome thing, every weekday. The thing can be as trivial as the joy of getting gas just before the price goes up, or Thinking it’s Thursday when it’s Friday, or Seeing someone laugh in their sleep. The list can go on. Some posts are long. Some are as short as a sentence. And some post-titles are enough to brighten up your day.

The amazing part is how a thing as little as “Watching something download really fast” can make you happy. And each day is filled with so many of these trivial things. And each day we experience something of this sort. But how many of us really take note of it, and feel thankful about it: About the little joys that life is filled with; the little gifts that we are blessed with. And what IS life anyways, if we take away these little joys from it! Neil lost a friend, but he chose to see the brighter side of life. And what a gift it is! To show a million people the beautiful side of life. We live our lives on the edge. We look at each day as if it were a battle. We cry about so many things. Some are really sad. Some are not so much. Some are completely unworthy. Truth is, It is all in the mind. It is liberating to just know that a simple change in outlook can change your entire life. At the same time, it is surprising that the things that bother us so much, can only be dealt with by our own selves.

I like reading the posts on this blog, because they make me happy. And I hope one fine day, I will be able to see all these awesome things with my own eyes, and will not need somebody to point them out to me.

So next time, you use your remote control without having to even look at it; or find a hundred-note in your old jeans, or catch a bus at exactly the moment it is going to leave; hold on, pause and feel the awesomeness of the moment. Because that might be the most awesome moment that you are going to live that day; and probably just that feeling could be enough to make the rest of your day as awesome.

Happy living !

Of days by-gone

I speak of old days-

Of days by-gone.

The smooth roads,

The grassy hills.

The lovely sunshine;

The endless giggles.

The dancing butterfly.

The innocence of life.

The long afternoons;

The carefree evenings.

That baby’s sleep;

The whims and fancies.

The quarrels and tears;

The making-up and cheers.

The chidings and wonder;

The lightning and thunder.

The little paper boats –

In the dirty rain-water;

Falling sick;

Missing school thereafter.

The ice-cream treats;

Cricket matches on the streets.

The Christmas tree;

The New-year plans.

The if’s and but’s;

The Will’s and Can’s.

The dreadful exams-

The hideous result-day.

The prizes, the gifts-

And then comes May!

New books, new bags;

Old notebooks; new tags.

Friends and foes,

Seated together in same rows.

Only fights; no gossips;

What’s in the heart, is on the lips.

Summer vacations;

Winter break.

By the end of it all,

The room’s a wreck.

All that fun-

And much more.

Double it all;

Still there’ll be some in store.

‘Coz I speak of old days-

Of days by-gone:

Of smiles and laughters ;

Of never-ending dawns...

Not easy.

No. It’s not easy.

It wasn’t supposed to be.

But You have got all the weapons;

That your battle will ever need.

You wait for the right time;

You feel it isn’t now.

But this is what you’ve got,

That’s more than clear and loud.

The roads never do the walking.

The paths are always sought after.

I ask, who tames the camel;

Other than its own master?

No matter how much you’d like that;

Life doesn’t come with a manual.

Sad, the expenses come daily;

Appraisals? Only annual.

So stop waiting for that instant-

The moment that never might come.

Live this second utterly.

Leave behind what’s done.

Put into action, all your energies;

And fruits will eventually bear.

Hope, perseverance and good-will

Can overcome every fear.

And when all apprehensions evaporate

You only have yourself to defeat.

As some great man said,

And I only dare repeat:

“It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.” 

I write to You

Every single day, I write to you.

I write to you a million letters.
Each letter with a billion words.
Each word with a trillion feelings.
Each little feeling, with a zillion heartbeats.
I write to you, about the alarm that did not ring;
That silly key that I forgot to bring;
The door-knob that targeted my hand;
That stupid presentation that I could not turn grand.
I write to you, about my favourite chocolate;
The song that’s been in my head, of late;
What divine-good healthy breakfasts do;
Which colors look really good on you.
I write to you, about that friend who ditched;
My friend’s view on the seven-year itch;
The argument at home that left me upset;
That unkind word that caused so much unrest.
I write to you, about the season’s first rains;
The first raindrops that struck the window panes;
The growing fondness for changing seasons;
And other trivial things I need as reasons -
To write to you and let you know -
That you are with me, everywhere I go.
And as I write to you those words,
I wonder if you’ll ever know..
About the million letters I write to you.
The ones i never did show..