Ring out the New, Ring in the Old

Another year has gone. I have been thinking about my new year resolution. Yes, I do believe in making these just like I love my To Do lists … and then to count the tick marks by the yearend!

The transition to the new year was very relaxed this time. We were in India at a family getaway on the kaleidoscopic beaches of Konkan, amidst ruddy winding roads, laterite houses and deep green mountains.

A yearly trip to India , is much like a dip in the Ganga river that strips me off the fake fanciness and frills of modern life. It just makes me grounded and real. Everything that happens throughout the year gets summarized into something spiritual.

I don’t know what exactly it is about the place that just melts away the materialism of a “facebookish” life and challenges you to 'face' it in a real way. Hence my new year resolution is to identify with this 'real' inner beauty of the world and my own self.

I kept asking myself, why meeting with a far off friend does not excite me anymore these days. There is no more mystery left. Because we tend to know too much of the person through social networking sites already and develop an opinion without knowing the true side of the person. That requires a 'real' meeting. And when that happens, things fall back in place.

I admit being guilty to the same offense. To fall in the technological trap. Hot profile pictures and cold hearts, 500 in the friend list but still friendless,fake comments on make-believe lives. Soon this facebook fanaticism turns into facebook depression. No one knows what the reality is. Just paint a pretty picture and keep fooling yourself.

No. Real life is much more sparkling than this. I will continue to seek beauty, but in the realness of everything. With this new approach, I looked at my India trip in a different way.

I valued the “doing nothing” times spent with family being completely committed to the moment. I enjoyed decorating our new place weaving Indianness through scattered IKEA items. I cherished the laid back times with my oldest friends not bothering about the “good girl” mask that I need to put on with new people. My son had the best time exploring the simplest of experiences like opening a pea pod and choosing the best peas from it to eat. The thrill of finding all sweet peas in a pod is much higher than having a bagfull of frozen peas though most of them would be of the best quality!
Much like life itself.

But it’s a good start. Some broken ties are on the way to patch up. Life so gives some rare chances to be the bigger person. I am happy to see my “quietHappiness” touching many more lives, proudly showcased in popular book houses or sitting cozy in sidewalk cafes.My obsession with cleanliness and cold war with dust are forgotten as the walls of my apartment seem too white again .These subtle nuances are evidence to that magical hometown spell.

Happy New Year.

~ all said and done, don’t be surprised to see my new profile picture ;)