Taking the plunge

Hi reader friends

"Is it a good time to talk??" I wondered "If not now, then when!?" I assured myself and here I am taking the plunge into the expansive bloggers' world.

I have religiously maintained a personal Diary ever since I read 'Diary of a young girl' at 13. A happy marriage followed by two adorable kids made it difficult to get my daily dose of writing, but I still managed to note down thoughts, ideas, quotes and events that moved something in my cerebral cortex. When my kids were pretty much independent, I started to miss penning down the musings of my day to day Life. I got back to writing my daily diary again this year. This time I tried to structure it for ease of future access. I made categories for my notes as Health, Wealth and Wisdom, I added a column for gratefulness, wrote about how I could've made my day better and so on. I will save the diary structure for another post. For now, you will hear more about Health and Wisdom than Wealth. Not sure if it is my age or it is just my inbuilt dislike for the subject that makes me treat the wealth section a little step motherly, in spite of conscious efforts to contribute there.

Why a Blog and why at 40? 

When I was on a work break after our move to the USA, I wanted to savour the growing up moments with my little daughter and son. I did miss work and often reflected on my friends' suggestion of starting my own blog, but always managed to convince myself that I should not start something just because I don't work anymore.  So, I just spent my time reading, watching great TV flicks & documentaries, listening to podcasts and in general observed how the world around me works. Now that I am back to writing, I believe, I might actually have some interesting stories to share with others. Even if one person here enjoys and finds true value in my posts, I would consider, my purpose of writing this blog served. 

Every sometimes I plan to post something that has made a positive difference in my Life so far. A book/ blog I read, a person/ a personality I crossed paths with, a positive or negative event that evoked deep emotions, any idea that stirs my left or right brain, quotes that influenced me; quotes, ideas and thoughts that I am pondering on, moments in which I literally stumbled upon happiness and my honest attempts at understanding conscience, Life and the Universe. My Life is not great in any measure that it should be worth reading, nor have I experienced terrible atrocities and horrible abuse in my Life, I am neither an over achiever nor achieved any enlightenment of sorts, then why am I here writing about it and how would it be interesting for someone else to read? I am here for the sole and simple reason that I love to write. I enjoy writing about every small thing that touches my Life, and just that act of writing is extremely meditative and reflective. I can actually see all the thoughts passing through my head staring back at me in black and white. When I go back to the old pages of my Life, it is only to see how I have gotten wiser and better at my perceptions of others and Life as a whole. If you are my kind who enjoys reading short stories from another Life that make me think, then I can surely hope to keep you interested here. This blog is also for those who are not voracious readers and for those who are, but cannot make time to read books. It is also for those who do indulge in, what I call, shot reads (it will be a little more than 140 characters here though).

This blog is a slice of my Life, from my Journal (apparently what used to be a male version of the diary :), and as always my posts will be true to my own self. If you expect to find answers or conclusions or opinions that align with those of your own, you might be let down. I believe that the main purpose of reading should always be to learn something new? Isn't it?

As you take this ride with me, you might learn that I have different perceptions from your own, sometimes opposing even, but I will honestly try to reason the how and why of forming those for myself. Do give me your feedback in the comments about what your views are on just that particular post or how I put it forth in words. Trust me, I am a way better listener than a writer. Rest assured that I will enjoy reading all of the feedback with an open mind. There might be some things in the blog or in someone else's comment that might provoke your anger, and every cell in your body might want to get back at me or them. I have felt that way many times and have reacted in that moment of anger, only to be completely misunderstood. I have learnt my lesson the hard way. Now, with diligent practice, I always see the whole situation in the context of the larger picture called Life and/or the universe. This mindful practice makes me realise that myself and the other person with opposing views are minuscule in the whole scheme of things and our opinions completely insignificant to rage a virtual war of words. So, I earnestly suggest that you calm down first, reflect on it and then write about how my post made you feel. I will be happy to listen and reflect on it, but please keep it civil and dignified as I sure expect our young reader friends here too.

Life is too short to read a long story they say, so when I still have the time, I want to thank all of you for making time to read my blog. Hope you enjoy experiencing my journey with 'just one more cup of chai'!! Hop into my shoes to understand and enjoy it better :)