Balance!

Its a balancing act...life is.

Like walking on a tight rope. It starts when you are born, and you try and balance everything carefully while walking.

Weight is added with every step you take, and more and more co-ordination and determination is needed to stay steady on the rope.

This weight, this baggage, it comes in various forms. Some of it is responsibilities that we need to shoulder as we become more independent, more mature. Some of these responsibilities are like the pole that the tight-rope walker has in his hands. It helps with the balancing act. Some of them, like caring for your self, your family and friends, helping the community are responsibilities that we need to take up. Otherwise we become that extra, unwanted weight in some one else's balancing act.

Others, like unnecessary worries, fears, grudges, ego, all these can, and should be dropped. Ironically, it is these back-breakers that we have more of than the good, grounding weights. We tend to convert our responsibilities into worries, challenges meant to stimulate our minds turn into stress, and somehow things unravel and begin to fall apart.

We need to learn to distinguish between the different situations of life. Necessary challenges should be accepted whole heartedly, discard what is hindering our progress, and keep walking.

We may be surrounded by people who love us, but that walk on the rope is a solitary one. We start off with a safety net provided by our parents, but eventually, it is just one single person on his own. We may have spouses, kids, friends, but maintaining these relations is also a balancing act.

I hope to make good judgments and walk to the finish well balanced if not perfect.

Wish me well, friends!

Smile

I was humming one of my favorite songs yesterday, when I actually paid very close attention to some of its lyrics. I hate it ever since! The song is

तुझ से नाराज़ नही ज़िन्दगी...

I know a lot of us love this song to bits. The reason I hate it now is this line...

मुस्कुराऊँ कभी, तो लगता है...
जैसे होठों पे, क़र्ज़ रखा है...


Rough translation:
Sometimes when I smile
It feels like a debt on my lips

This is simply impossible!

A smile can never be a debt! It is one of the purest forms of expressing joy, of bringing joy, and transforming hearts and minds!

Just smile, and you instantly feel better!
Smile at stranger and you have a new friend!
See a baby smiling and you forget all your own worries

There is nothing new in this post :)

Just wanted to share a smile!

And lots of wonderful quotes about smiles here!
Do click on the link, its wonderful!

Go on...make the first move...

A favorite song of mine is this one from the movie "Thodi See Bewafaai"

हज़ार राहें मुड़ के देखीं , कहीं से कोई सदा न आई

(Rough translation: I turned around a thousand times, but no one beckoning to me...)

It is a very poignant, very soulful song. It is picturised on a married couple, they are very much in love even after years of separation. The song depicts how they are yearning for each other, but are waiting for the other person to take the first step.

He says...

तुम्हें ये जिद्द थी के हम बुलाते,
हमें ये उम्मीद वो पुकारे...

(You wanted me to call you, and I was hoping that you would)

And she says...

है नाम होठों पे अब भी
लेकिन आवाज़ में पड़ गई दरारें...

(I still have your name on my lips, but my voice is hesitant)

The song starts off when they are still young, and ends when they are quite old. What a waste of time and emotion! All that was needed was a phone call, a few heartfelt apologies, and a new (and hopefully better) beginning!

I am sure we all will relate to this situation, where we are desperately missing someone, but are too reluctant to take the first step. It may not just be someone we are romantically involved with, it could be a friend, a parent, a sibling, just about anyone.

We are afraid of how they will react, whether they will accept us back or not. What if they lash out in anger and ask us to go away? What if they insult us? What if they don't feel the same way as we do? What if they simply ignore our existence and walk away yet again?

I would say, more often than not, the other person is also waiting for you. And will offer their own reconciliation once you make that first step. And even if they don't, well, you still have nothing to lose! At least you will know that you tried your best.

So lets begin this new year by letting go of our egos, and making that phone call to the loved ones that we are missing so much. It seems scary, but might turn out to be quite easy after all!