ChirpyQuill

 "What, if he were some gun-toting criminal?"  During our most recent trip, as we drove past an isolated stretch of  the freeway in the Midwest my husband noticed a figure walking along the roadside. The thought that it could be a lost teenager stranded without a cell service or phone charge was very unsettling. Or Could it be someone lost, perhaps intoxicated.. ... Whatever be their circumstances another living person was walking alone in the pitch darkness of the night.At that moment, instinct overtook caution and we turned back to confirm that it was an illusion and if indeed there was someone..Our intention was simply to confirm, and at no point were we going to stop. But to our utter disbelief, we did encounter a tall man in a denim jacket walking alone on the freeway. Instinct again overtook caution and we stopped the car!! Though clearly startled by our unexpected stop, the man appeared composed. Nervously, I smiled, while my husband inquired if he needed any help....

  So, If Universe is the answer, what is the question ? How on this earth (pun intended) would I know?! Let's digress a bit. Year 1924 - George Mallory and Andrew Irving were trying to summit Mt. Everest and reporters were bugging George with questions like "Why Mount Everest?" George, who was, as irritated as he was obsessed with Everest, gave an answer which became a legend of sort. He said, "Because it's there" Now That's a very apt answer and Everest doesn't care if it exists as an answer to somebody's questions. It simply exists because two tectonic plates collided. Yet, some are drawn to it because somebody is trying to find themselves while climbing it, somebody wants to leave a legacy , somebody has spiritual pull towards it and somebody is just an adrenal junkie.  Let's go a little higher from Everest... ok, a lot higher.. in the universe now. Universe is the answer to only one question - What happened after big bang ? Massive energy...

My daughter has been traveling with her school band this week and I have encountered a new feeling inside me. This is not the first time she has been away from home and a prompt from our writing blog made me think through this free style of writing.  If waiting and wanting is what I crave, what's the inquiry? Is it the pursuit of fulfillment, the drive of desire guiding me in my journey as a mother? Or perhaps it's the yearning for meaning, the longing to be present and purposeful amidst life's chaotic routine. When we feel anticipation and longing, do we not confront the mystery of our ambitions, questioning the true nature of our goals and the paths we choose? If experiencing both joy and tears simultaneously is the response, what's the inquiry? Is it the search for happiness, the endeavor to discover moments of joy amidst life's challenges? Or is it the exploration of the meaning of human emotion, the journey through sorrow and ecstasy that defines our collecti...

                                        If universe is the answer, what is the question…..   I had to understand this first and was explained by Atul with nice examples but was still confused. This statement was going on in back of my mind and I kind of got an answer. Here is my interpretation: Usually, answers come before the questions. Life does not give us choice but asks us to obey its rules. We question a lot and wonder “why me” or “wow!! me” and eventually learn to deal with it. But if we look back every situation or answer has its question and we realize “oh that’s why? “. We accept our answers (of course no choice left 😊 ) and eventually realize that this was the right answer for my question. Our questions also help us to change our perceptions and we see life from different ang...

  What you seek, is seeking you...  - Rumi... The universe has its way of communicating with us. The different people we meet in our journey called life, all lead us toward what we seek..Sometimes the path is short and clear whilst more often than not it's riddled with highs and lows, twists and turns till the dark clouds dissipate and make way for the sunshine. A newborn seeks solace and maternal love and their mom becomes their universe. Likewise, t he new mom seeks life and her newly born becomes her universe.  The new bride seeks love and acceptance and her husband becomes her universe. The dogs seek a home and the house becomes their universe. A musician seeks a Mozart and the notes become their universe. A writer seeks  a Wordsworth   and the words become their universe.  A first-time marathoner seeks the finish line and those 26.2 miles become their universe.  The disciple seeks enlightenment and the guru becomes their universe.. Outside this fi...

In February 2024, I had an opportunity to visit Tokyo (Japan) and was mesmerized with the learnings that I came back with. When it comes to technological advancements and innovation, Japan is way ahead of rest of the world be it the metro/subway system, Rail, bus or taxi or digital currency or a vending machines. It was amazing to see how you can get a hot milk tea or coffee from the vending machine.  If I have to define Japan 🇯🇵 in  one word, it will be Humility/Humbleness. Almost everyone I met in Japan is so down to earth that it sometimes feels unreal.  Everyone is  very content and grateful and will be so thankful if you take a small gift or token of love for them.  My ears are still echoing with “Arigatō Gozaimasu” whenever I think of visiting a restaurant, shop or any other place of interest.   Enjoyed the hospitality and warmth of my coworkers and business partners, who organized the Origami sessions, Tea parties serving fresh Machaa and some nice...

The world is floating on a Sea of stories, said someone. And I agree. Are we not just a bunch of stories entangled, intertwined, weaving in and out like endless ant’s paths on the jungle floor. Then when we juxtapose our’s on those of another individual with whom we may have crossed paths, it gets fascinating, doesn’t it. Sometimes there is resonance and at other times discordant notes arise. With some people our paths i.e stories even merge for a little while, while with others they just intersect. It is a giant spiderweb of paths that we took, of stories that we lived all around us. If only there was a way of zooming out and seeing all of it play out. Perhaps it is possible to cultivate this perspective in our minds eye.    It’s all fascinating and beautiful. Perhaps even worth reflecting upon on a rainy day. There is an expression among scientists of the serious kind. They say that it is as if we all are sitting on an island of knowledge and past the boundary of it lies the...

Alas, you are just renting it. It is not your’s to keep. You will need to give it back. Sooner or later. Sooner still if you skimp on the rent. That’s just how it works, you Ding Dong. Did no one ever tell you that?   Although, while in it, you do feel like the owner for sure. Fancy palace or modest hut you got, that’s your luck. But happiness, as you have already realized, has more to do with who lives inside the dwelling rather than what the structure looks like. All other things being equal though, a robust, aesthetically appealing structure helps for sure. But not that much and not for that long. A well maintained, tidy home with a manicured garden and some nice paintings hung tastefully go much further towards the well being and joy of it’s inhabitants, than a fancy house that is falling apart.  Fall apart it will though, sooner or later. Sooner if you don’t pay the full rent. So don’t skimp on the rent, you Ding Dong. Did no one ever tell you that?  If they did you ...

Last weekend on 3/24/2024 I did my first ever 20 miler all alone repeating loops in a radius of 2 miles at a snail's pace... Slowly and steadily chugging along...During those 5 hours many thoughts crossed my mind, many forgotten moments relived and many hidden memories resurfaced. I felt a gamut of emotions from happy to sad, from energized to fatigued, from exuberance to exhaustion. There were so many people I felt immense gratitude for that day. I felt a strong urge to message and thank them all on my return ..Just 3 months back it was an unthinkable thought and here I was today completing the longest-distance milestone of my life. But... When I finished the run I drew a blank..Words fell short.I felt inadequate of expressing any sentiment.I felt stoned and expressionless. Just a tear in the eye and a heartfelt thank you to my coach(sometime later) was all I had to express my big day.. Sometimes silence is the best expression, I guess... A profound state of no emotion is an emoti...

I almost didn’t go. I didn’t want to go. Life has a way of waylaying some of the best-laid plans. But we all know that by now, don’t we? Yet we hope that the Russian roulette that the universe plays with us all somehow misses us. Newsflash, kid, it never does! One moment, you are gearing up for a happy event that was being meticulously planned for months, and the next moment, life throws you a curveball, and the event is the last thing on your mind—or not even… I won’t get into the details of the curveball, not yet. That is for another day. Suffice it to say that my world was turned on its head, and I was frozen. Too frozen to move, too frozen to think, too frozen to love, too frozen to hate. I needed to get under my blanket and block out the world. I wanted to tent myself inside; the outside was too unfamiliar. It wasn’t my world. What does one do when their world loses its song? You dance anyway. And so, I did. I got on an airplane and made my way to Napa with the family for a ...