Category Archives: happiness

You don’t love me!

By | | , ,
3 Comments

Saying this to your spouse, girlfriend or boyfriend is quite common, but the true answer lies within yourself.  Rather than asking this question to others, asking it to yourself will give you the best answer. Ponder upon the reasons why you don’t love yourself much and you won’t be able to give yourself any excuses or fake assurances with a mouth full of lies like others can do to you. That’s true that we cannot lie to ourselves. Relate this FOMO (fear of missing out) of good things like love and attention from others to those days when you were single but happy, may be in your childhood or adolescence, and find out why were you happy that time as compared to now when you have people closer to you? You will find that you are actually not missing anything, but yourself. The FOMO is connected to people, not to real happiness.

It’s important, I must say very essential to find yourself if you are lost in running after people for your happiness. AND, IT’S VERY EASY!

Don’t wait for special occasions with people, like dating or celebrating only with others. Date yourself; celebrate your existence, your own happiness, and your own achievements.

Shop for yourself, or wear beautiful dresses when and wherever you want

Take yourself out for a coffee, some desserts or some wine

Drive yourself to beautiful places, scenic highways and put on your favorite music

Pamper yourself with a SPA ; buy it or create for yourself. A warm bubble bath with aromatic oils and plenty of time can just be the perfect way to pamper your body temple

Walk alone or go for a trek. Romance nature and you will never be disappointed.

Cook for yourself. Anything that you like and would love to cook for others, make it for you. Don’t treat yourself as unimportant. A glass of wine while cooking with some beautiful music or any travel and food documentaries is my way of happy cooking.

Dig out the things you forgot during the course of life which made you happy, or something that you always wished for. It could be a hobby, and activity you were fond of. It could be a thing you always wanted for yourself, a dress, a book series or anything.

Beach-up. Nothing is more soothing and relaxing than listening to the ocean waves. You can do this too, but you can also party on the beach, play with the waves and have fun the way you want to. A beautiful beach dress, flip-flops and a beach bag can make you

A bookstore with a café’. No need to say more.

Appreciate your appearance, your looks. Feel gorgeous

Dare it. Face your fears if you have any. Go for adventures and your success or failure will make you closer to you

Movies, yes, they make you feel good. Watch your favorite movies. If not regularly, at least once in a month spend your day with your favorite characters and stories with treats in the living room.

Meditate or join a spiritual group, a Sufi dance workshop, a pottery workshop, a gardening workshop.

Grow your own garden. A few beautiful plants, organic herbs not only please the senses but also give a chance to spend some time for yourself by using them for your own health.

Sit in a garden and relax on the green carpet grass

 Excursions, food walks, dance workshops, wine tasting events, farm tours, a visit to stud farms,  stage shows, stand-up comedies, live music concerts, swimming and so much more to do with yourself

Buy yourself flowers every now and then and some chocolates too. Enjoy!

 

 

Mommy, our childhood is not here to stay!

By | | , , , , , , ,
Leave a comment

My son asked me, “Mom, will you make me sleep till I go to high school or even after that?”

And I said “Grown up children sleep on their own.”

“But, mom, our love also grows when we grow, and I love you more every day, and that means I need you more every day.” He adds up,  “Mum, why do  parents always want their children to grow up early, do things like big boys/girls? Do parents not like small kids, and things they do?”

And then the questions started raining, and rather than finding their answers, I started questioning myself for many reasons. I was lost; lost in the world I created for my kids and myself.

“Mum, don’t you like when I ask you to watch a football match with me or play a game?” I said, “Yes, honey! Of course I do.”

“But then why do you not do that often?”, he said.

I had no answer to this! Deep down we both knew the answer that I am usually busy juggling office and home, and not able to find enough time to do this. But I didn’t want to give this answer to him, rather I asked myself, Why do I need to be that busy that I miss these chances that will never come again in life?

“Mom, why are you always cranky in the evening, when you come back from office, and don’t seem interested in whatever I say about my day in school, with friends, in the playground, but you always ask about my homework, notebooks, school dairy?”

“Why are you always in a hurry to cook, to serve us dinner, to make us sleep, to wake us up early in the morning, to complete our homework? Why don’t you sit with us for some time?”

I again had no answer to this!

“Mom, you know I like it when you are at home with us, when you take an off from work, or on a Sunday, and we sit and watch TV with a cup of tea; and when we dance together, even if I don’t like to dance on those silly songs you dance on; and when we lie down together on the couch for hours, and watch my old baby videos.”

“I love that too, my baby”, I said. And again I got lost in scratching out the real meaning behind these questions and replies.

“Mom, I can see many times you are very tired, but still cook for us, help us in homework, I always want to help you in kitchen, but you don’t allow me use knife, or handle hot pots, or go near gas stove. So tell me how can I do that?” and I laughed at this, and my son laughed even louder, and I asked, “Why did you laugh?” He replied, “Because you were happy and laughing.”

I couldn’t think beyond this! Just that, I have everything, but still I am losing a lot that will never come again; my children’s childhood; their innocence; their silly stories; their genuine emotions about the world around; those cuddly nights; their soft, chubby cheeks; those squeezing hugs full of love and that duckling trail- like after mama duck 😉

We must not take all this for granted. Our kids give us everything they have unconditionally, and our time and smile is all that they look for!

Unleashing Happiness

By | | , , ,
Leave a comment

Taking a stroll in a posh Delhi market, waiting for some friends for a fancy dinner. While talking about the luxury cars and homes; planning to work out ideas to get those glossy, expensive breezers on the porch of our future luxury home, me and my husband came across a street kid on the pavement, sitting next to a kiosk hugging a stray dog so tightly with so much love and tears in his eyes that the emotions could be seen spilling all over. He kept on asking the dog again and again that where had he (dog) been for two long hours? To my surprise, I went near the boy and asked him the reason of his tears and what was he talking to the dog? The boy said, “I am alone and I live on this pavement with my dog and work in this kiosk. My dog sleeps next to me and whenever I am sacred of the traffic honks at night I hug him tightly and then sleep again. He takes care of my bag and other stuff all the time.” I saw an almost torn bag lying on the pavement with a blanket next to it. I asked what all stuff he had in the bag. He said, “I have two t-shirts, a pair of jeans and some other stuff apart from the shirt and shorts I am wearing right now. And one of the t-shirts in the bag is new, given by the shop owner I work for. It’s really beautiful and I am going to wear it when I go for an outing with my dog to the nearby park which has a lot of swings for children.”  I asked him how many friends he had. He replied, “This dog is my only friend and that’s why I was so worried when I could not find him for two hours. I yelled and cried a lot but was unable to find him. I don’t eat without him, I don’t sleep without him. I was so worried. And now I am very happy that he is with me.” The dog and the boy were cuddling each other throughout this conversation, and the happiness was inexpressible. My last question to him was what were his wishes and expectations from life. And the answer was illuminating!

“I have everything to live, a job, a companion, a place to eat and sleep, clothes in my bag including new gifted shirt. The only thing I don’t want to happen to me is people treating me badly when I don’t behave bad with them, and also, I never want my dog going out of my sight. God is really kind to me. I am happy.”

I could really sense his happiness and contentment in life through his laughs, hugs and talks with his companion. An example of unconditional love and happiness agitated my sleeping sense of contentment and gratitude towards life.

We all have a lot to be thankful for that we take for granted.

Blessings to the boy and the dog!

God’s Best is Yet to Come

By | | , , , , , , ,
Leave a comment

We go through countless challenging situations in life where we stumble, we fall, and we try to get back up, or sometimes lose to the situations or the inevitable. But actually we never lose anything, we surrender, and when we decide to surrender, we leave all to God which is not our defeat but a victory, because God never makes His children to lose. Surrendering to God after endless efforts and trials is a victory to be cherished and get excited about the result that God Himself is going to fetch for us, and that is what I always say to myself ‘God’s Best, yet to come’.

We try and try but we fail, why? Because God wants us to practice a lot of things that He wants us to learn and be prepared for, and when we still fail to reach, God wants to intervene to reach our reaching. Because He wants us to land safely to our goal, God will never abandon us during our journey of faith with Him. All we have to do is keep repeating and believing in our minds and hearts that God’s best is yet to come. We need to continue pushing ourselves every day to God’s best, and never get satisfied with this feeling. When we get something good we must plan to get better and ultimately God’s ways will take us to the best.

A long struggle of mind and body can make us grow weary and insufficient, but our ultimate goal of experiencing God’s best can spark a new life in our endeavors.

Trying these steps to achieve God’s best in your lives really helps:

  • Be confident about God’s presence in your life.
  • Know He is there with you.
  • Express your gratitude toward Him all the time, I mean ALL THE TIME!
  • Always believe in your actions, because they are also through the Lord Himself.
  • Believe and tell God that you have done all what you could do and surrender to Him.
  • Don’t seek revenge for your hurt, let God take the call. Believe, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord (Deuteronomy 32:35).
  • Pray and Pray and Pray for everything you are grateful for, and the things your are asking for.
  • Talk to Him often, pour out your heart to Him and seek His guidance in silence.

Keep your focus only on God’s Best!

Falling in Love with Yourself

By | | , , , ,
4 Comments

Falling in Love with yourself! It’s the most difficult thing to get your hands on, because we always connect our happiness to others, may be to people, material things or favorable times. But, I believe, when we reach this level of spirituality where we fall in love with ourselves and our Lord, we lose all fears, all apprehensions, all hurt, and all resentments in our minds and hearts. Amazing feeling it is!! You don’t renounce the worldly things, but you enjoy what God has provided you with. Your life transforms, and you start doing things for yourself that you used think you couldn’t do alone; or things you were doing only for others. This stage will not make you self-centered, thinking only about yourself, because the process of reaching this state would have already taught you to be balanced in your thoughts and actions. So, you won’t quit thinking and working for others, but the addition to your life would be ‘Loving Yourself’, which you actually missed earlier.

It’s beautiful…beautiful…. beautiful to fall in love with yourself. You sing beautiful songs for yourself; you feel confident about your existence in this world; you inspire others; you get motivated to do more good, because you feel good; you dress-up well to feel good; you make yourself a hot cup of coffee and treat your sweet tooth with some delightful desserts; you crave for your favorite food and make efforts to satisfy the desire, which you never paid attention to earlier because your were busy satisfying others all the time. Frequent attacks of smiling while sitting alone, or while watching people and nature around; like kids playing in the park; puppies running after each other and their mother; beautiful families walking around, busy street vendors; fleet of birds flying in a pattern; mom and kids cuddling and kissing; and what not! Can’t even express!! But it’s magnificent!
And now, to you, your happiness matters and you have discovered the source too; it is your own individuality, your own decision to stay happy and trust God.

‘I hold on to You Lord’

By | | , , , , , ,
Leave a comment

I was never so strong till You held my hand to say, “My child, I’m there for you & you will soar high on wings like eagles.”

I was never so patient till You whispered in my ear, “I am trying to bring My plan into your life, have faith my baby.”

I was never so compassionate till You made me see the miseries of others around me, far bigger than my problems.

I was never so focused till You showed me the path You have chosen for me and promised that You will walk with me forever.

I was never so comfortable till You lifted me up in Your arms, when I got tired of the trails and adversities.

I was never so positive till You showed me the opportunities hidden behind the challenges I face.

I was never so confident till You said, “I can open doors no man can shut.”

I was never so fearless till You made all Your promises come true in my life.

I was never at peace till You drew me close to Your breast and kissed my forehead to help me rely only on You, and nothing or no one else.

I was never so cheerful till You helped me find my happiness not in people or things, but in nature, You and my own inner world.

I never felt so beautiful till You expressed that being Your child, I am unique and beautiful at mind , body and heart.

I never felt that free-will of giving; reaching out to people; showering unconditional love on others & not to judge people, till You revealed its need in my own life.

And now, I hold on to You for every single thing in my life.

  • I hold on to Your Guidance
  • I hold on to Your Wisdom
  • I hold on to Your Unconditional Love
  • I hold on to Your Plans in My Life
  • I hold on to Your Will, Not Mine
  • I hold on to Your Relationship with Me
  • I hold on to Your Fingerprints on the Pages of my Days

 

Be With Me Always!!!!