A Hug…

The tenderness, the affection, the care, the safety, the trust that comes with a hug, one can find all of it here. Beautifully captured.
I am not sure if these pictures are in chronological order, I would like to assume they are. From being scared (in the 2nd picture) to looking right into the camera (in the last picture). Looks like a hug was all the little one needed to cross that mountain of doubt between fear and confidence.

Living with a damaged skull

         

           Hugging is the ideal gift.

               Great for any occasion, fun to give and receive,

                    shows you care, comes with its own wrapping and,

                    of course, is fully returnable. Hugging is practically perfect.

                       No batteries to wear out, inflation-proof, nonfattening,

                        no monthly payments, theft-proof and nontaxable.”

                                                                         ~~ Unknown

             …

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In search of a wonderland

She was looking for her wonderland. They said there is a wonderland somewhere in the forest. It was a long walk to the forest. She started early, but it was almost noon by the time she reached. The sun was almost overhead, sun rays trying to find their way through the labyrinth of leaves and branches to meet the dandelions that covered the forest floor, rays travelling from that one sun above to the several below.  

And that is where she found him, a cup of tea and a book in hand. And that is where she found herself, a pink diary and a half chewed pencil. They wandered around for a while, he, trying to find a place where he could sit back, relax and read his book, she trying to find a place to unwind, rest her tired legs, take a break from her search for the wonderland.

They ended up  choosing the same spot in the forest, right beneath that tree whose shade was bright enough to read a book and dim enough for a nap in the afternoon sun. She rolled her stole into a little pillow, put her diary and pencil away, and lay down closing her eyes trying to sleep. He sat down, finished his tea and started reading his book aloud.  She was not complaining, if anything she was surprised, how does he know, that I like the soft murmur of people talking as I fall asleep, she thought.
And so he read his book to her, a book he had written. It sounded so familiar, she woke up with a startle thinking for a moment, he was reading her diary to her, she checked for her diary, it was right where she had left it. So it was his book, his book and her story. She went to sleep not worrying about her diary anymore. It was all the same. 🙂
She fell asleep and he kept reading. One beautiful line after another. “I’ve never seen a dove sleep, but I wonder if this is how it looks?”, he thought
“I have never heard angels sing a lullaby, but I wonder if this is how it sounds?”, she thought
She had not slept such a sound sleep in ages. Was it the endless sleepless nights or was it the voice reading her a book, and the chirping of birds in the background or may be she had found her wonderland. 

Spring is almost here :)

No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn. – Hal Borland

Unsent letter: Thank you

Dear Stranger Friend 

Why the “thank you”, you ask.  I am sure you are one of those few people who understands what a heart-felt thank you means. It is just that emails convey words, but they are still not so good at conveying the feelings behind the words, because feelings need the personal touch which unfortunately technology cannot mimic yet. I am not sure if it ever will. 

Well why the “thank you” you ask. 

Thank you for the wonderful time I get to spend with you, in our wonderland, where snowflakes are gifts, raindrops are treasured, where cloudy misty days are beautiful not gloomy, where sunny days are bright not hot, where a good day starts with a smile and so does a bad day, oh wait, there is nothing called a bad day in our wonderland is there? There can’t be because we will turn it into a good day won’t we? 

Thank you for sharing your words, your thoughts, your strong opinions, your silly disclaimers, a part of your day with me. They help me feel at ease, feel like I am not the only one, there are more like me, who think, jumping into puddles is fun and so is tasting the rain as it pours, who value words like the world values diamonds, who do not mind drowning in an ocean of beautiful words. There are more like me who often carry the badge that reads “beware : I am crazy” wherever they go, simply because they do not let the child in them grow up, ever, simply because they do not like to conform to the rules of the world they live in. 

Thank you for letting me explore the few dark rooms in my heart which do not often see the light of the day. Those dust laden rooms,  I had always wished remained locked. There was stuff in the rooms, I did not know who to share with. I was too scared to go there all by myself, worried, I would never be able to find my way out. Even though it was only for the briefest of moments, I felt like I could trust you with the keys to the rooms, and rest assured that you will pull me out, and you did, right on time. There is more stuff in the rooms I know, stuff that I want to share, stuff I want to hold on to, stuff I want to throw away, but I think I can make that trip alone now.  I am not scared anymore.  

Thank you for letting me smile and laugh with you, without you 🙂 You know that, don’t you? What you do not know is after a long time, I cried. It felt good. Thank you. 

Thank you for sharing your loneliness with me. I have always been blessed with a comfortable life and loving people but now I value them more than ever. 

Thank you most of all for letting me be who I am. It is not in my nature to pretend, I do not say or do things to impress. But when I meet people, I end up mirroring them. The only thing I do not mirror is flattery. I have often felt I become the person I am with. You may call it pretense but it is something I do naturally. I can be loving, fun-loving, indifferent, emotional, sensitive, depressed, silent, talkative, serious, immature, selfish all in a day depending on the people I interact with. Their traits just become a part of my personality as long as the interaction lasts. When talking to you though, I felt like, the person I am, with you, is who I am, when I am alone.

I have always believed the reason people connect is because they have a few things in common but with you the few are slowly translating into many things. Sometimes you are exactly what I have always thought I am. Honest, affectionate, poetic, charming, a rebel at heart, an artist to the core, attracted by anything you consider beautiful, carrying a child like innocence and a briefcase full of disclaimers.  

Some other times though you seem like this total stranger – when you don yourself with things that allow you hide your true self,  things that protect you from getting hurt again, things that keep you away from those you fear could hurt you. Fair enough, you always say. Fair enough I would say too. It is a good thing to learn from mistakes. Whatever your reasons may be, there is no “one” right way of living a life anyway and like we always put it : “to each his/her own”. 

Now do you see why the “thank you”? Two words can mean so much sometimes and sometimes many words put together can mean nothing. We know that too well, don’t we? 

Cheers 

Krithya

The little pleasures :)

One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. One can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few. – Anne Morrow Lindbergh

(Shells from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina)

Unsent letter : Stranger Friend

Dear stranger Friend

Stranger and Friend do they even go together you would ask, oh yes they do. You are a stranger because I do not know you well enough. Friend because I can talk to you without any inhibitions, without worrying about being judged, trusting you with things I have not even shared with myself.

 Its kind of nice how both of us often come to the same point from different directions, one not wanting to listen, the other not wanting to talk or both wanting to talk but willing to bid each other good-bye, isn’t that what bonds two people? But will this happen always, I cannot promise. There may be times I will have things to say, and you may not want to listen. I fear those times. I will stop, of course I will, because that is something I am good at, understanding what you say…and then there may be times you will let me talk even when you are not listening. It is those times I fear more. I hope that never happens. I hope I can pack all these disagreeable moments into a box and bury them someplace and shred the map into pieces, so that you can never find them and neither can I. Without the map I may not find my way back to you, but I will rest assured that the moments of silence we shared were mutual, and that kind of silence is beautiful isn’t it?

I don’t know what to call you though. A friend, may be not, there are too many commitments that come with that name. I would not mind the commitments but I have often felt you would choose otherwise. A stranger, may be not, you already know way too much about me than so many people around me.

Well is it absolutely necessary to find a name though? May be not.

For now I will just let this be the way it is.

For now all I want to say is “thank you” and I mean it.

Few people understand what a heartfelt “thank you” means. I hope you will.

Cheers

Krithya

Romantic Bollywood Songs 2013

Few of the many romantic bollywood songs from my playlist from last year.

• Khamakha (Mathru ki bijlee ka mandola)
• Khamoshiyaan (Inkaar)
• Bas main aur tu (Akaash Vani)
• Tera mera naam (Akaash vani)
• Kaun Mera (Special 26)
• Saajna (I me aur main)
• Ye tune kya kiya (Once upon a time in mumbai dobara)
• Tum tak (Ranjhana)
• Tum hi ho (Aaqhiqui 2)
• Hum mar jayenge (Aashiqui 2)
• Chahoon main ya na (Aashiqui 2)
• Subhanallah (Ye jawaani hai deewani)
• Sawaar Loon  (Lootera)
• Monta re (Lootera)
• Alvida (D-day)
• Titli (Chennai Express)
• Jaise mile ajnabee (Madras Cafe)
• Jaane bhi de (Ishq in Paris)
• Tere mere beech mein kya (Shudh desi romance)
• Gulabi (Shudh desi romance)
• Kaise miloon main piya (Rajjo)
• Poore chand ki ye aadhi raat (Ram-Leela)
• Ang laga de (Ram-Leela)

Though these are just the romantic songs I listed out, I think I must mention some movies where I loved the entire album. – Aashiqui2, Lootera, Ye Jawaani hai deewani .

Weekly Photo Challenge : Reflection

Reflection –  A drop on the flower, and many flowers in the drop. Reminds me of this couplet from saint Kabir : 

“All know that the drop merges into the ocean, but few know that the ocean merges into the drop.”

Another picture I posted a few months back, Real or Reflection which I thought is also apt for this week’s photo challenge. 

Some warmth on a freezing night

Snow fall at this time of the year is perfect for making a snowman. The snow is more moist and binds easily. I did not have the time and energy to make a big one like I usually do, but I could not stop myself from playing around with the little snow on the parapet. 🙂