Pampering My Soul

Purposely, I decided to do nothing today. Nothing means - not going for any coffee mornings, not going to the gym, not dropping and picking my son (he will take the bus) or talking on the phone. I decided to spend the whole day with myself. Doing something I always wanted to do - stay at home quietly, with my silence and peace. Till now, I did great. 

I managed to do yoga, half an hour meditation and got one hour body massage from a Chinese lady (who couldn't speak english). I cooked simple food for myself (rice and yogurt with some spices) and drank lots of green tea. I feel, as if I had touched that part of my inner self which needed my attention. I had pampered my soul today by not exposing it out to the world and had filled it with positive energy. I had re-enforced the believe that I can achieve and live my dreams. 

I thought about how I will look when I grow really old. What can I do now, to make my retirement days more fruitful? Though, I didn't find any particular answer but was just pondering over these thoughts for a while. I thought about all the people who came and went in my life and I thanked them for being a part of my journey. 

From now, I will make an effort to take out days like today, where I can pamper my soul and listen to my inner thoughts. 

SleepTalk

I attended a workshop today called SleepTalk. Initially, it sounded a bit weird but then I always like to explore and experiment. To be honest, I actually learned few tips which I want to share now -
1. 'TRY' which I always thought was a positive word is unfortunately a negative expression . I always said to my son - "At least try and finish half of that broccoli....etc".  Today I learnt that this approach is wrong.
2. Instead give OPTIONS to your kid which leads to consequential thinking! Make him chose from the various options.
3. Nagging Mother is a mother who uses these words - MUST, SHOULD and HAVE TO.  Are you one of them? I was one but from today I will change (not-try to change).
4. We want our kids to be - Safe, Secure, Confident and we want to love them Unconditionally. But, I somehow managed to portray Conditional love to my son. Kids often think that - Mummy will love me IF I do this.....
5. PRAISE for FAILURE - Praise the brain and it will give you more. So, 'words' are important.
6. Always tell your kid that - Everything will be alright in the end. If it is not all right then it is not the end. Beautiful! Isn't it?
7. The workshop taught us a technique of talking to the child whist he is asleep. I will start tonight with positive affirmations and watch for the changes.
8. Child's subconscious mind is receptive during his sleep and thats the time when the mother has to make the child believe that he is loved and protected.
9. The most important thing which I learnt today is -
"Emotional Intelligent is more important than IQ". 

JUST before you die

Greenery, all around me takes me back to my childhood days. I grew up in lush green neighborhood. Looking at different shades of green awakens my mind to creativity and I feel protected. I took that for granted till I shifted to Dubai. Here in Dubai, I can count the number of trees from my balcony.

Ohh..I miss Sakura season in Japan. Lying alone under the cherry blossom trees with petals falling on me and the gentle breeze brushing my face, was nothing but a therapy. I miss the sweet fragrance of spring whilst having green tea and reading a book under those bright pink flowers.
I left Japan two years ago and now, when I close my eyes, the only picture that reflects back is - taking long walks alone in the streets of Kyoto. Some of my 'one-day-outings' were taking train to Kyoto from Kobe, without having any destination in mind. Walking alone looking at the shops and the hustle and bustle of the city life used to stimulate my mind. I feel a deep connection with that city till now.
I remember showing some pictures of Kyoto to my cousin in India and saying - " A city you must see before you die!" In between, I was interrupted by my naughty brother and he said - " A city you must see JUST before you die!?!" May be unintentionally he said something which might come true for me. I want to die or spend some retirement years in Kyoto.

Doing Laundry

I don't look forward to doing laundry every morning. I have to push myself to take out washed clothes from the washing machine and then take the laundry basket to the balcony. Hanging each cloth and then clipping it is not fascinating.
But, today I purposely thought of looking at doing this mundane chore, from a different perspective. First, I thanked God that I have a washing machine and clothes ;-) to wear, then carefully took out clothes from the machine into the basket. I thought to myself, carrying the basket to the balcony was an exercise.  In Dubai, getting fresh air is rare. Being in the balcony, for doing laundry, is perfect time to breathe fresh air. I purposely did deep breathing, long exhalation took out toxins from my body. Planning the zig-zag pattern to hang the clothes, so that they don't block each other from sunlight, surprisingly took lot of thinking and creativity! It made me ponder over my today's routine and I had an interesting conversation with myself. I let my creative juices flow and got my camera to take few shots!
Different perspective to a  day-to-day simple activity makes it so interesting and beneficial.
Which boring activity or relationship you think, you can make interesting by just changing your perspective?

Soulful Sunday

Cannot stop thinking about the quote I read yesterday -
"Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die." - Carrie Fisher

So many times in life, negative feelings just over power our rule of 'positive thinking'. I purposely start my day with positivity and make deliberate effort to stay in my state of tranquility. I try and accept things and situations, the way they are, and manage to make maximum utilization of whatever I have. But, doing this is not that easy, as at times, I get trapped in negative emotions. After attending a workshop - Soulful Sunday, I realized that every negativity inside us will harm us and NO one else.

So, from today, no matter what, I will meditate for 2 minutes, will breathe deeply and will reflect on my thoughts. Proactively, I will delete unnecessary and negative thoughts, as now I know the ripple effect of them.

Simplicity

Life is simple. I had made my life really complicated in the past. But, now I thrive simplicity.....

Few simple things in my life now -
1. Love, pure love - When I get confused about some relation, I simply close my eyes and send love to that relationship. It helps me come out of that complicated situation. 
2. Drink water - No one is stopping me to drink water...It is completely my simple wish to keep myself hydrated. 
3. Sleep - as much as I can, as according to a study, we can overeat but not over sleep!
4. Read - Relation with a book is so uncomplicated. I don't have to take appointment with my book to read it!
5. Listen to my child - Simply lending my ears to him is spending quality time with him. I don't have to take those complicated workshops to do this. 
6. Walk - I miss greenery in Dubai but still I can walk. It is so simple, no need to wear those complicated gadgets, I just steal time from my daily routine to do that. 
7. Tea - Nothing unwinds me but tea. Depending on my mood I either drink green tea or masala chai! Love both :-)
8. Shower - Long hot shower after walk is refreshing. Something simple, I look forward to this simple activity everyday.
9. Simple home made food - I like to cook simple dishes and had learnt to do this over a period of time. Once I spent two hours to make those fried samosas and felt horrible after eating. I don't say that I don't eat samosa, I only eat them outside. I am cutting down on that now. 
10. Pray - Simply connecting with the supreme is something which completes my day. I thank God for everything I have and feel blessed. 

Roads in Japan

Date with Flamingos

Sometimes I wonder why 24 hours in a day is not enough for me. I usually plan my week in advance and any last minute "coffee meeting" is difficult for me to adjust in my schedule. Still, I think, I should be prioritizing my activities to steal more time to read and explore Dubai. 

Lately, I went to a bird sanctuary for flamingo watching in Ras Al Khor with two friends. My taxi driver had no clue about this place and he commented in hindi - "Madam, I have been driving in Dubai since past ten years and had NEVER heard of this place!?" Well, I was proud to guide him the directions with the help of my google map. 

Our eyes couldn't believe what we saw.....more than 300 flamingos in the heart of a desert city - Dubai! We reached there just before the bird's feeding time. To my surprise, the care taker allowed me to go near the water body, with a warning (which I ignored) that they will all fly. As he predicted, to our disappointment, they all flew in a group to some other invisible place. And there we were, sad and hoping for a miracle. Our last respite was the feeding time. We waited patiently and finally the person-in-charge arrived. We carefully watched his action of throwing the feed in the water. Yes! the birds started walking (not flying) towards their food. They were only half or may be less in number, but that also excited us. We admired them like children who just found their lost pet. We examined their moves carefully, their needle legs and wondered how they can stand on one leg for so long. Their S shaped neck and black coloured lining under their feather mesmerized us. This left me thinking - yappari, how beautiful nature is!