Good times to you, Peeker (Positivity Seeker).
As regular readers of our humble newsletter know, the strangest
patterns emerge in each of our volumes. This week, we seem to have stumbled
upon stories starring single people, some of whom remind us of more forms of love,
others telling us that Life isn’t incomplete in the absence of romance.
Yes, the theme of the week is not Smug Single People!!! This
week’s plea is to value Life, so that it values us back.
News from the public domain
An atheist who will make you cry
Maurice Sendak held on to his
atheism probably till the very end. He also held on to his ability to love the
world and appreciate its beauty till the very end.
What you will hear in this
memorable interview is this writer’s voice, loaded with emotion, bravely
expressing what he felt within. And what he felt is so beautiful that I mustn’t
spoilt it for you.
Well... in case you are don’t have the five
minutes and five seconds required to hear him speak, well, here are three
things he said:
I’m a happy old man.
I will cry all the way to my
grave.
Live your life, live your life,
live your life!
Who amongst us has not been seduced by the lure of the open road? And who amongst us hasn't simultaneously been admonished by Matron Reality?
Well, here’s what a minimalist experienced when she plunged into open sunshine.
Zohra Sehgal rings out
In Vol
23 of the Positivity Weekly, we celebrated the marvellous life and
personality of Zohra Sehgal as she turned 102. The gifted actor passed away earlier
this week. Time to celebrate her a little more by watching what appears to be a
sad video
of her reciting a poem written by Faiz Ahmed Faiz, but in fact carries a
telling message in the end. The universe has much more to offer than romantic
love. For those who seek, there are other worthwhile battlefields and
blessings. Go forth, explore.
Freedom from certainty
The title of this article certainly
caught my eye. Freedom from certainty. It’s an interview with poet and art
curator Arundhati Subramaniam who describes how her spiritual journey has
guided her following a near-death experience in 1997.
Not many readers will want to
absorb the whole interview. For those, here’s a lovely Sufi text that Arundhati
quotes:
Be in this world as if you are a traveller, a passerby, with your
clothes and shoes full of dust. Sometimes you will sit under the shade of a
tree, sometimes you will walk in the desert. Be a passerby always, for this
world is not your home.
Impermanence, Thy name is Life.
Impermanence. All the more reason to enjoy Life.
This happened to me
Next week, we will hear a
wonderful Wabi Sabi story from our regular reader Sowmya. But for now, let me tell
you about my week.
Well, since last Thursday, I have
been giving all my energy to a client project. The creation of some document
that will be deemed valuable for a brief moment in time. The work is just like
most corporate work. I feel several layers removed from primary stakeholders, I
continuously attempt to pry open implicit expectations of clients, I sidestep office
politics, I work late, I lose sleep. The usual.
The project is still in progress.
But today evening, I decided to give myself a treat. I decided to walk home
from work. It was rush hour. There was more rubber on the road than asphalt –
bumper to bumper. My laptop-carrying bag was being threatened by a gusty rain that
lashed at uneven sidewalks. I walked on.
Soon, the rain stopped. I folded
up the umbrella and smiled at a weak streak of sunshine. I bought myself a
clutch of steamed momos for the road.
I circumvented cows returning to their mysterious urban burroughs. Around a
dozen pandemoniums of parrots flew overhead during my walk. The tearing hurry
of motorists found a counterbalance in the serenity I felt within. Seventy
minutes later, I reached home, all geared up to start writing this volume of
the Positivity Weekly.
For way too long, only one dimension
of my life (work) was getting all the attention. When I shifted my attention
elsewhere, my psyche rewarded me with a feeling of bliss. I suppose I might
find similar relief in work if I laze around too much. Just a thought.
In conclusion
Life happens. Perhaps we can make
it happen our way? Till next time, I wish that you get your favourite Life.
As always, do write in with your
feedback, story ideas and personal anecdotes. You can reach us at positivityweekly@gmail.com
To read the previous volume of Positivity
Weekly, please click
here.
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