Category: Introspection

Missing Blogger pt. 2

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It has now been 116 days since I last posted something on my blog. I haven’t been putting it off or coming up empty on ideas. It’s mostly because I have too many things going through my mind and its been getting hard to focus on any one of them. But, today I decided to slap on a fresh coat of paint on the site and finally sit down and type this post up.

I am currently in the middle of an online semester. Online classes & labs are inefficient learning environments, so that’s an ongoing struggle. COVID-19 is still a thing and I’m pretty sure we have a second wave of cases on the way. So, the uncomfortable mask on the beard must stay where it is. I’m doing a whole lot of electives this semester and learning a lot about what people in Psych & Pols science study. Some of it is fascinating but some is downright boring.

This past summer was a long and introspective one. I confronted a lot of thoughts and tried to figure out how to embody better versions of myself. Not all days were successful. I worked on self-acceptance and self-forgiveness. The summer was also a wake-up call on friendships that drifted away when school wasn’t on. I realized that sometimes people you think or hope would stay around a long time don’t. Sometimes, people who have been around forever aren’t right for you. Time just goes on and people become more of who they are. It is up to you to recognize the kind of people you want to have around you.

The past few weeks have been tiring, frustrating but also incredible. I am finding more and more about myself. I find myself drawn to people who don’t make friendships feel like a chore. And I’m lucky enough to have friends always there for a chat or a beer or even sharing good music. I do things that make me happy. I go for walks and watch the trees turn yellow and red. I feel grateful for everything I am lucky enough to have. I am still a bit inefficient and occasionally lazy when it comes to schoolwork, but I always seem to end up with a good result, thanks to late nights and gameplay music.

These 116 days have been full of reflections, walks, music, podcasts, movie nights and baby steps towards better versions of myself. I look forward to what is to come and to giving my best to this semester. For now though, I’m going to enjoy what remains of this glorious Fall we are having.

P.S. Hope you all are staying safe. Please use masks in public areas like stores and buses & let’s get through this responsibly!

As it is

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Change is the only constant. I miss the days when this meant simpler things like transitioning from high school to university or finally moving out of your parents house to start a new life of your own. Such changes are so common that we’ve made our peace with them. We know that they must happen and only a handful try to resist these natural changes.

When it was my time to leave home, I made peace with the fact that it was an important change for me. I was to gain an education, learn to be independent and start my journey. Keeping all these things in mind, I went with the flow and let the waters take me where they may. I’ll admit, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows but then, change never is. We just need to accept it, the good and bad included. Now, this was an example of a change we all look forward to. I know that someday I’ll move from being a student to a working individual. I might re-locate in the course of a job. And after a few decades of service, I’ll retire. These are all changes that we can anticipate and often prepare for. And once you make those transitions, you simply be at peace with the happenings and let the waters flow as they may.

But what about those unprecedented changes we can’t see coming? A pandemic, maybe?

How is the world supposed to cope with everything that has happened? I won’t go on to list all the things that aren’t the same, but we all have some idea of what these are. These were the changes we never saw coming. But now they’re here. I can’t fly home for the summer. And it’s inconvenient and downright unfair. I have half a mind to rant and rage against everything that isn’t what it used to be. Some might even advocate to bring life back to what used to be “normal”. Somewhere in my heart, though, I know that this might be the new normal. The change has happened and our minds want us to fight the flow because it’s all new un-chartered territory.

Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be.

Wayne Dyer

I think it’s time we stopped resisting and waiting for things to go back to normal. I’m tired of being angry at a virus. This is what it is. Just go with the flow.

The Little Things

Harkrishan2 Comments

Have you ever thought of the grand scheme of things? Everything that is happening around us. The expanding universe, collapsing stars, natural disasters, epidemics, population surge, dying rainforests and so much more. There is so much that goes on around us all the time. So much input into our lives. So much that affects us. So much that we must respond to. So much that we live with.

So what difference do we make? Amidst all that’s happening, what can you or I do to make a difference? So much actually. Humans have so much potential to make a difference. Right from discovering fire to inventing the wheel. From predicting the weather to predicting how the universe expands. There’s actually people planning on how to move Earth’s populous to Mars someday. As humans, we have the capacity to do great things.

But there are things that matter more than these far reaching feats of humanity. Things much simpler and within the reach of every person.

Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I have found that it is the small things, everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Simple acts of kindness and love.

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

And that’s how you and I can make a difference. It’s the little acts. Pick up a piece of trash. Donate some clothes. Hold the door open for someone. Thank your server. Tell your loved ones what they mean to you. Be there for them.

Not all of us will be recognized by history as people who changed the world. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have the capacity to do so. We can do so much by doing so little. In my travels and experiences, I have been fortunate in meeting so many people. I have met some of my heroes. I have acquainted with fellow travellers. I have experienced different cultures. And in all my experiences, I remember the little things so well. The power of a small kind act is such that it can stay in someone’s memory for a long time. And perhaps, inspire them to carry it on.

In my mind, I know that I am not destined to be a great, well-known individual. In my heart, I am satisfied that I don’t need to be one to leave my mark on the world. It’s the little things.