Stepping into and off the court of my mind!

Dearest Life,

You are my life, a precious gift from the universe to me, and I vow that I am cherishing and nurturing you with full awareness of your divine potentiality. I am practicing being with the wholeness of myself. I am breathing in and out with every telomere to connect with all that is. I am gathering my awareness and attention into the NOW, and living in this timeless space of divine consciousness. I live in body awareness and bless and bask in this physical instrument that I have created to live my current incarnation in.

When I choose to, I step into my mind-space with full awareness. I watch the thoughts in my mind with love and acceptance and navigate through them to enhance those thoughts that can help me perform the task at hand in the highest good of all concerned. When the work is done I say thank you, gracefully shut the lid of this mind-instrument, and glide back into the peace of my body awareness – my portal to the DIVINE NOW.

I live in grace, faith, and surrender. I live by giving and receiving love. I live in eternal connection to the divine. I function with awareness and interest. I look at human relationships as an opportunity to spread and share my joy and bliss. I seek divine connection to rediscover joy and bliss when it appears to be missing.

My work, career, purpose, ambition, mission, duties, dreams, desires and goals, are all secondary to this anchor of living in the sacred space of NOWNESS. I realize that these desires and dreams (even when geared towards loka-kalyaan, or unique life purpose) can pull me at an accelerating pace if I allow it to. I realize that these desires and dreams are wonderful components of my earthly game (perhaps one of the best parts of it), but they can upturn my paradigm of life and living if I allow them to. I can perform miracles and magic with my mind and thoughts but that game can take over my life if I allow it to. My key to be able to savor and relish my life experiences lies in maintaining the sanctity of my awareness and presence as separate from the magical manifestations and tantalizing games I play. Therefore, I keep returning to the sanctity of the NOW. When I am done playing, I say ‘good game’ or ‘good practice’ and shut the lid of my mind.

How will I realize the charm of the sport if I never step off the court?

Appreciating the writer in me

Given my belief in a fluid and flexible 'world out there', one of my favorite pastimes is to consciously tinker around with something in my 'inner world' (eg., my thoughts and beliefs) and then look out for changes in the 'outer world'. So these days I am toying with adopting an identity of myself as an 'awesome writer'. Its fun! Honestly!

I carry this new imagined identity with me like a precious fragile vase that I have just bought and protect it from the nagging thoughts of the marks I got in my school essays, the comments of other people on my previous writing attempts, etc.

Today I appreciate myself for being a confident writer. I appreciate myself for deciding to start my day with writing, whether or not I have something to write about, and whether or not I have a hundred other things to do which seem 'pressingly urgent'. I really know by now how flexible time, energy and personal work schedules can be. So if I am a 'writer' then by default, 'writing is very important to me' and so what better way to start the day rather than doing what is most important.

I am also choosing not to focus on the output of what I am writing, or have written. I am focusing instead on the process of writing itself. How am I feeling in this moment as I allow my fingers to fly across the keyboard? Do I feel like a writer? Oh yes! You bet I do! Do I like it? Absolutely! Does it bring me alive? Sure it does! So if I do this everyday (come rain or shine), and feel like a writer everyday for some part of my time....then slowly and surely I will begin to buy more and more into the self identity of being a 'writer'.

Hurray for todays writing!

Expressing Wonder

Today I just feel so strangely blissfull and dizzy with wonder as I see myself positioned in the midst of a complex but interestingly innocent universe. Yes I know innocent seems a strange word to use for something as complex as the universe but that's the feeling I get when I look at everything around me. The innocence with which every creature and creation seem to go about their own particular daily tasks, chores, duties is quite endearing to my senses. For example, the sun who just shines and shines, not caring not bothered about who is looking and appreciating, who is trying to harness her energy, who is trying to shield themselves from her glare. Just shining and sparkling in her own free right and expressing her own true nature. The flowers, the creepers, the butterflies,......all of them just being themselves - being who they are, expressing their unique nature. My son, my husband, the gardner, the canteen attendant, the lady I sat opposite at breakfast, the cleaner I passed in the corridor, - the list is endless.....they were all being so true to who or what they are (or rather who or what they believe they are). That is the innocence that bowled me over this morning. That is the innocence that made me smile at the universe the same smile I give my son and his kiddie friends. That is the innocence that endeared the world to me once again this morning,....and that endearment and cozy warmth that I feel in my heart is what I express my appreciation for today. :-)

Counting blessings

I am grateful for this lovely workplace
I appreciate the fitness of my body
I totally appreciate the awesome yoga session with my best friend this morning
I appreciate my son and husband for being so understanding
I appreciate this lovely green campus I live in
I appreciate this comfortable new office chair I have got now
I appreciate the love of my parents and in-laws
I appreciate that we all live in the same city and everyone gets to share in the miracle of Siddharth growing up
I appreciate the exciting work I have to look forward to today
I appreciate the love fresh aloe vera I got from mummy
I appreciate my newly organized kitchen
I appreciate that the bank and hop-com and athica are all within the campus
I appreciate the warm conversation I had with a senior colleague this morning
I appreciate having found a new direction from CPM course
I appreciate the awesome autonomy my current job holds
I am grateful I remembered to count my blessings today!

I appreciate the lovely birthday celebration we had for mummy today

My top ten things about the birthday celebration today are:

1. I loved it that my grandmother aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends and their family all showed up sportingly
2. I enjoyed having my house full of people who were near and dear to me
3. I loved the look on my mothers face when she cut the cake and wanted to feed her mother, grandson, husband, brother, sister, and daughter...
4. I felt like jumping when mummy declared it was her best birthday ever!
5. I was so delighted that I managed to be a host and that i did not succumb to my fears of hosting
6. I appreciated my mother and my best friend for bringing plates and cups and everything i would need and helping me out
7. I admire the way my father helped me plan it all, and how we together got all the necessary stuff
8. I really appreciate my chitti for helping me out in the kitchen and being such a superwoman when it came to tidying up afterwords
9. I appreciate pushpa for the excellent rasam she made
10. I loved it that everybody had such a good time and that daddy was such an absolute hero in planning, organizing, blowing all the balloons and decorating!

I appreciate the lovely peer group my son has

My 10 favorite things about my sons friends are:

1. I love that they get along so well with each other
2. I am amused by their incessant wishes to keep playing
3. I love to see how they can play so long with simple things like baloons
4. I love their keen focus - 'to play' - their firm belief that playing is what life is for ...
5. I love their focus on feeling good, having fun, and enjoying themselves
6. I appreciate their responsibility when they are left by themselves
7. I am inspired by their ability to communicate what they want to do
8. I am touched by their frankness in communicating what they dont want to do
9. I feel blessed in the moments that I forget myself and join in their play
10. I can find meaning in just being myself, when I see their confidence and conviction as they behave as if; ' their only purpose in life is to be happy and play'! :-)

I appreciate this wonderful campus

My 10 favorite things about living in this amazing campus are:

1. I love the number and variety of trees
2. I totally adore the variety of colourful flowers that grow in the many gardens
3. I like the open gardens system on our street
4. I am really grateful for the wonderful creche
5. I like the cute little children's library
6. I love being able to walk to work each day through a lovely tree bordered path
7. I love the safety and security which means we can wander out for a walk any time - night or day
8. I love the fresh, crisp, flower scented air I get to breathe
9. I love being able to walk out and meet friends
10. I am grateful to be able to walk just 5 minutes and get groceries, vegetables, or fruits....

I appreciate the vibrancy my father exudes

My 10 favorite things about my fathers vibrancy are:

1. I really love the genuine enthusiasm my father has for so many simple things that are often taken for granted by others
2. I love the way he enjoys and vocally appreciates simple things like 'lovely wind', or á nice sleep'
3. I love the way he connects so happily with everything connected to nature, from birds to animals to trees
4. I admire the way he has cold water bath twice a day and comes out from the bathroom with wet hair, almost creating the vibrations that a walking waterfall would emit
5. I love the way he jumps into every stream, lake, river or waterfall to play whenever we go on outings
6. I admire the way he makes and flies kites with more passion than anyone else of any age I have seen
7. I am amazed with his ingenuity and enthusiasm to make sticks and hooks and pluck mangoes from trees
8. I love the way he plays with his grandchildren and how they bask in his simple presence
9. I admire the way he manages his energy throughout the day and has built in little routines to replenish it up at regular intervals, like a morning jog, cold water baths, afternoon snooze, well chosen meals and snacks, regular bedtime etc.
10. I admire the way he takes full control of his life and his personal energy and meticulously nurtures routines and practices that are conducive to freshness and vitality

I appreciate the little fairy in my mother

My 10 favorite things about the little fairy i see in my mother are:
I am delighted to see a little skipping girl in my mother
I love the freshness of her spirit
I love her keen interest and excitement for beautiful things
I admire her intelligence and alert mind
I appreciate the goodness she exudes from her persona
I admire her creativity and enthusiasm to decorate and adorn the spaces around her
I admire her ability to look fresh and beautiful
I am startled by the way she effortlessly breaks the stereotypes associated with her age
I am repeatedly delighted by the way she plays with her grandchildren
If I close my eyes and think of her I see an array of beautiful and vibrant coloured flowers

I really appreciate the way these children play

My 10 favorite things about the way these kids play is:

1. I love their spontaneousness
2. I love the way they have so much fun and are so delighted with the simplest of things
3. I love the way they are soooo open to new experiences
4. I love the way they just 'have to play 'all the time
5. I appreciate the way they effortlessly interact with one another
6. I love the authenticity and purity of their relationship with one another
7. I love the way they just keep having fun till they get tired
8. I love the way they invent themes and stories around even normal activities like pouring water
9. I love the way they are oblivious to things like mud or wetness on their clothes
10. I love the ticklish giggles and bouncy skips that seem to infuse them when they play

I appreciate my wonderful bamboo treehouse

My 10 favorite things about my treehouse:

1. I love the fresh green leaves of the mango tree that form a canopy above
2. I love the view over the open space to the greenery beyond
3. I love the proximity to my house and the fact that its almost like an extension of my house
4. I love the space it provides - enough to strech and lie down for a snooze
5. I love the child friendly ladder and the way Sid and his friends climb and play by themselves
6. I love the natural feel of smooth bamboo against my skin
7. I love the cool bamboo against my back when I lie down
8. I love to see the sky from between the leaves when I lie on my back
9. I love to see and hear the many birds that come here
10. I love to see the cute squirrels climbing up and down the tree