Subtle things

If you were to ask me of the first few words that come to mind as I think of this term - challenges, you would hear me saying - hard, inevitable, lonely, vulnerable. And these are the very reasons that hold us from embracing them. We are unsure if we will be able to move past the hard times and even if we do, how long will it take us to get there. It is truly hard to mine and dig deep into what lies beneath or ahead of the challenge when you are actually going through it. Then comes the popular advice that we should see these challenges as opportunities for growth and how they help us emerge stronger than before. As true as this advice is, why is it still hard to put it into practice when it is needed?  I believe one of the reasons is that the benefit seems intangible for a long time until we run into a situation where we recognize how one of the past experiences is being helpful. Over the past some time, I have found another way to highlight the value of challenges to myself. Somethi

I  enjoy receiving and giving gifts. Who doesn't? The moment I say gifts, our mind draws pictures of birthdays, weddings, or major cultural festivals where we exchange gifts with our loved ones. Sharing presents has become a tradition for these occasions.  While this is all great and fun but I prefer to practice another model of sharing presents, which is driven more by thoughtfulness. This is the model where you not only recognize the conventional moments such as birthdays or graduation but are also mindful of the other occasions. These other occasions may not necessarily come wrapped with a tag of celebration or an explicit call reaching out for something, but you know that those occasions hold a special meaning in the other person's life. When you follow the latter case, you are giving (or receiving) purely out of your care for the other person and not out of any give and take protocol or bound by any tradition. And to add to that, the surprise element. If you are on the re

Have you come across moments in your life when you recognize presence of something very subtle and trivial, something that you never wished for, but now that you have it - it has earned a special place in your life?  In my experience of life so far, while our core values and innate nature always stays the same but our priorities, personality, habits, our likes and dislikes all of these elements tend to evolve in some capacity. Over the time I have recognized how certain things that I had never thought about or wished per say, have suddenly turned into things that I deeply cherish. As I share what they are, you may wonder what's so special or endearing about having them? And I would respond by agreeing with your concern but my idea behind sharing those here is to highlight not the absolute value of certain things but the importance that we need to pay in noticing these smallest yet newly emerging joys (life's whispers).  Quite often, we tend to focus and celebrate only the highl

Even though I have published a few posts but even now I run into doubts as a new topic crosses my mind. The first reaction is excitement and a mental rundown of what I want to write but soon after I start questioning its value. Is it really worthwhile to write and share? Is it convincing?  I started my technical blog recently and all these concerns were even more pronounced as I was not just resuming but initiating something. There are so many blogs, papers and information on the web written by leaders of the fields, what would my write-up offer? Should I be spending my time somewhere else instead rather than blogging?  But then I decided to stay with the idea and start a blog. With this post, I intend to share the answers I have discovered while reflecting on these questions. If any of you are also considering to start or resume a blog and your mind pulls you back with some of the questions I have listed above, I hope my post here helps in overcoming them.  1. Clarity on why you are i

The past few months have been very emotional for most of us with the ongoing pandemic. With businesses and jobs impacted worldwide, those lucky enough to remain employed have a deeper sense of gratitude and appreciation for their job. But all of us have gone through mental and emotional challenges, including anxiety, depression, exhaustion, and helplessness as we navigate through the ‘new normal’.    Personally, the pandemic has been a significant learning experience. With the internet flooded with perspectives and strategies to deal with these challenges, I believe that we as a community, are more united in supporting each other.  On the same lines of sharing one's lessons, I want to bring up one issue that has been on my mind from past time and in my opinion, it is among the top striking lessons that this pandemic is trying to tell us.  It is the value of freedom that each living species on this planet is entitled to it, not just the humans .   Ironically, as the biggest propone