Will leave for our first 'Family Vacation' in a few hours.
Bye blog!

Thank u God, Family, Sikkim n the people over there :)

Papa from Haridwar and Mamaji are coming today evening. Mamaji ko kuchh kaam hai.

Happy Weekend

Balance work n relaxation. Spend time with partner, loved ones.

Be kind to yourself. Pamper yourself.

Music

Listening to Maahi ve... from Highway.

Saw 'The Wedding Date', 'Love and other drugs' on TV yesterday n day before.

How to Use Your Anger to Help Yourself (tinybuddha)

1. Anger can help you know yourself better.

I understood that the intense anger I experienced when my husband lied to me shows I deeply value honesty and openness. This allowed me to prioritize these qualities in future relationships.

Keep in mind that when someone does something that makes you angry, you have the opportunity to learn what your personal values are.

Also, when anger strikes, take a step back and ask yourself why you’re angry. Are you offended by something that was said to you? This might mean that there is a hint of truth in what the other person said.

Contemplate offensive comments with an objective mind. If you realize there’s some truth in the statement, use it as an opportunity to become a better person. If you conclude that the comment has no real basis, then you can send it to the trash folder of your mind.

2. Anger can help you raise your energy level and move out of depression and despair. 

Based on scientific studies of the energy associated with human emotions, anger calibrates at a higher energy level than hopelessness, apathy, or despair.

My anger propelled me to try new activities and meet new people to show the world I was reclaiming my dignity and my future.

Next time anger surfaces, let it drive you to take positive action and to change the unpleasant circumstances in your life.

3. You have the power to select how to express your anger.

Angry people are portrayed as bitter or aggressive, but this doesn’t have to be the case for you.

Kickboxing became my physical outlet to release any residual angry feelings. You could choose to express your anger through journaling, sharing your feelings with a trusted friend, or going for the fastest three-mile run of your life!

4. You decide how long to be angry.

I realized that although I could use anger in positive ways, it was stealing my ability to be happy.

I knew I deserved to be happy again, so I reminded myself that I had a choice to let go every time my angry thoughts surfaced. Over time, it became easier to return to a state of peace and contentment.

You can choose to take advantage of the lessons in your anger, and then let the feelings go. Tell your anger that you’re too busy making the best out of your time to allow him in your life for long! 

10 Tips to Nurture Your Creative Life: Making Time and Space (tinybuddha)

By mere chance, I picked up a book on simple living at the library. It was spring, and while everything came to life around me, I felt—well, in retrospect, I think I felt nothing. A sort of apathy had taken over. Sitting on the back steps of my patio, flipping through that book, something clicked.

For me, simplicity and creativity go hand in hand. I spent over a year simplifying my life—decluttering, meditating, and becoming very purposeful about what I wanted and needed, and how those two things are different.

Writing (and all creativity) needs space. It needs intention and purpose. Like grass, it needs to be watered, and how can you water it if you’re so busy attending to all the other “things” in your life?

Here are 10 tips to find the time, energy, and space for your creative life (essentially, how to water your grass):

1. Say no.

To invitations and purchases, to guilt about disappointing others and items you don’t need. We all have our weaknesses—mine is shoes, my partner’s is helping people—but learning to say no, is really the first step in simplifying your way back to creativity. It isn’t selfish to honor your creative self; it’s self-care.

2. Have fun.

Creativity is about creation, and creation is fun. It should be enjoyable. If it doesn’t appeal to you, don’t force yourself to do it—because “should” is very different than “want.”

3. Keep the editor away.

The editor has her place in creative “work”—like when I write book reviews or polish stories for publication—but she has no place in the creative sphere. Figure out a way to keep her busy or send her packing, and only call on her when her not-picky voice might actually be useful.

4. Be curious.

Embrace your curiosity as a natural state. Curiosity is key. Without it, creativity can’t thrive.

5. Expect and embrace imperfection.

Perfection is creativity’s enemy.

6. Toot your horn.

I’m terrible at this but I’m learning. People love to talk about creative endeavors—and it is inspiring to see how and what others are doing. Don’t be afraid to say, Hey, I painted that or Hey, I wrote a poem.

7. But don’t compare.

The grass is not greener anywhere else. You’re just looking at it from a different angle, and perception can be deceiving.

8. Keep it simple.

Don’t run out and buy anything you think you need to be creative. Creativity isn’t about items—though you may need brushes or a pencil or paper—it’s about the act. Start small, start with what you have.

9. Allow space and time.

Creativity really only needs space and time, two of the hardest gifts to give yourself. Clear a corner in your home, forgo a night out with friends, and begin.

10. Make it a routine.

This might sound anathema to creativity—it’s all about inspiration right?—but it’s actually the key. The grass doesn’t get green from the occasional heavy watering. It gets green from regular tending.

Creativity is the same: Attend to it everyday—the results are worth the effort.

When Life Doesn’t Meet Our Hopes and Expectations (tinybuddha)

The organs inside the human body sit next to one another, but they do not touch one another. They sit within body cavities but they do not touch the cavity.

Rather, they are separated from their surroundings by a membrane of space.

Perhaps we can apply this ingenuity to the way in which we live our lives.

As we experience the various emotions and events that we encounter in a given day, we feel jolts and grates and frictional rubs. We are affected by each one.

Why?

Because unlike the organs in our body, we live directly apposed to the events of our lives. As such, the slightest shudder feels like an earthquake. Every scratch feels like a flesh wound.

What if we could learn to live our lives with a thin layer of space between us and the events that we experience?

With this thin layer of space, we can perhaps keep the tempest that surrounds us in perspective. And at arm’s length.

Perhaps it is a thin layer of space between us and our lives that makes living possible.

Mother n child