So many times in life you feel like things aren't going your way, so many times you just wanna give up - give up on people and give up on yourself and give up on everything else. It's like you have one happy day in your life followed by a million not-so-happy ones. Sounds familiar? I really hope not!!
But what is it that you do on these not so happy, but sad and gloomy days? Well, there's loads that you could. For instance you could sit and cry and howl and bawl about how life isn't fair and how God never bothers to answer your prayers..wow that rhymes!! (I know you didn't notice, so just skim back once more) Or you could go sit in a pub and yank out your sob-story to the least interested bartender and maybe even end up lying in your own puke. Or you could just blow up some smoke upwards, waywardly dreaming and hoping it would puff away your sorrow. Or you could just tie a noose around and say you quit once and for all. Or you could just plan a foolproof way to drop atom bombs on the heads of the ones that caused you pain. And then smile gleefully at your adversary's adversity. There are some people around who secretly hope that Osama would be on their speed-dial. Thank God! Osama's still unreachable to the most of us. But do you really think all this would get the long lost happiness back in your life?? No, it wouldn't. I know, you know.
But then, what do you do in times like these? What do we do when there seems to be a no end to our pains and misery? Well, you could talk to a good friend; or wait - you could talk to your best friend - God. I do both. And then I realized that...
"We're only seeing the ugly underside of the undone tapestry of our lives that God is weaving - from our limited human view. One day, when we're on the other side, we'll see that those weren't just ugly messy threads and loose ends. We just have to wait patiently to get to the other side - God's side to see it from His view. It is beautiful if we don't interfere. Just remember - pray - but don't interfere. You really don't know enough to interfere."
Yes, you really do not know the way that God chooses to work and weave around our lives. What's mess for you could be turned into the most beautiful thing ever in your life! Just wait and be patient. Just stand still and know that God is in control. And remember - have faith in God and know that whatever happens to us is for our own good, it's just that we cannot see it now. And like my friend said, "The clay doesn't ask the potter what are you making?" What makes you think you can? After all, you're smarter than plain clay, no??
Stay Precious and Blessed!
Smile, 'coz God is truly-madly-deeply in love with you, like no one else ever could or would! :)
God Bless.
I had been to God's own country - Kerala for three whole weeks and it would really be so not fair if I dint share my travelogue with you. They say, when in Rome do as the Romans do! I say, when in Kerala, do as the Mallus do! So let me list down a few must do things while in Kerala!
1. Go Fishing! Kerala is blessed with so many rivers, lakes, ponds and marsh lands; that you can go fishing anytime and anywhere! Just pop in your fishing rods and there pops out a fish! Also, if you are 20 something pretty young thing, be prepared to be fished (read hit on) by over enthusiastic, over testosteroned, but cute and harmless Mallu fellas! Sadly, I caught none - no fish and no men!
2. Go Bussing! Whoa! The bus rides in Kerala are nothing short of a thrilling roller coaster ride to hell and back (Err back? Conditions apply!) so much that they put Essel World's Thunder and the likes to shame! The bus driver drives the bus as if he has gas trouble-loose motions-leaky bladder-puke all at once and he is rushing to the nearest loo just around the corner! Go bussing after all its not everyday that you get to enjoy such greater thrills of life at such a cheap price! But those walking on the roads- BEWARE! You'll never know what hit you from where! Don't ever walk on Kerala's roads! It is dangerous for you!
3. Go Walking! Ya! ya! I just warned you about walking on Kerala's roads and now I am telling you to walk? Well! Not on the road you dumbo! I am talking about the woods! Kerala is blessed with so much scenic beauty with the woods and the lakes and the trees that walking around this lap of nature is a MUST! Best place to dance around the trees and woo your soon-to-be! Honeymoon bells ringing in your ears, eh?
4. Go Eating! We Keralites can make food out of anything! Trust ME! Take the humble banana plant for instance. We cook the leaves to make koomblapam, the fruit to make the world famous etheka upperi (=banana chips), the raw fruit to make kaa mezhukavarthi, the trunk to make pindi thoran, the flower to make koomb thoran, the roots to make..err I'm not sure if we eat the roots! Will ask mom and get back to you! So! So now you know why we Mallus are taller, stronger, sharper (just like me!) We eat anything and everything!
5. Go Clicking! There is so much variety an colour in Kerala, that it would make your camera go click-click 24/7. Buxom andies in chatta mundu, pot bellies unggles in nothing but a flowing florescent pinng lungis with green flowers drawn in a typical Mohan Lal stlye! And then? And then, there's elephant poop! Have you ever seen an elephant's poop? OH. MY. GAWD! I saw one and that too right in the middle of the road! It was so huge! Trust me! My jaws dropped! It put my entire digestive system to shame! We, I mean us humans can never compete with the elephant in poop business! Buxom aunties, pot bellied uncles, elephant poop - you can't afford to miss nature's oh-so-colorful collage, can you?
I guess you must be raring to go to Kerala now! And trust me, you should! There is a reason Kerala is called God's Own Country! Once you are there, you'll know it!
P.S. I am a true-blue Malayalee penne kocch and I love my Kerala and my fellow Mallus alike!
P.P.S. And thank God that elephants don't fly!! Phew!!
Seri Appol!
When I first saw you, I saw love.
And the first time you touched me, I felt love.
And after all this time, you're still the one I love.
I have been wanting to play the guitar from a real long, long time - eleven years precisely - if I had to count. And when something is your first love, an eleven-year wait is way too much! Finally after all this time, I got to behold my love in these arms!! My love story is no different. It was love at first sight. I was head over heels in love with my guitar. I used to just keep holding it in my hands, strumming randomly trying to make sweet love (read music) to it!! And then, I got myself enrolled in a music institute, thus solemnizing our wedding. I thought things would be smooth from now on - after all, we were in it together. Then things started getting a little nasty. No, it wasn't me (I am too good to be nasty, no?) It was the guitar! I mean it needed to be dusted, to be tuned, to be strummed, to be what not! And what did I get, huh?? Corns!! My soft fingertips began to harden like those of a blacksmith. There were times we din't see each other for a long, long time (more than anything else - thanks to my hectic schedule). But truly-madly-deeply that I was in love with my guitar, I always went after him; trying to woo him and win his heart just like he won mine! There were times I really missed him so badly. Slowly and steadily the days turned into weeks, weeks into months and at the end of three whole months, my course was over and then came the icing on the cake - a live performance in front of an audience! For someone like me who's never performed before, it was a real dilemma. I started getting thoughts like what if my fingers slipped, what if my chords (both - vocal and guitar) croaked, what if my guitar ran off-tune, and the worst of all - what if my strings just decided to snap all of a sudden?? I had a bunch of what if's before me. Some how, I managed to convince myself to give it a shot and then as the D-day got closer and closer - I fell sick - that too just days before our performance. Could things get worse?? I was running a temperature, had a runny nose, a dry mouth, a spinning head, an aching body and my performance was up in just a few hours!! What was I to do?? Could I just go on stage with the fever, cold, cough, tonsilitis and drowsiness and sing along strumming my guitar, huh?? I had all the reasons to quit. And yet I desperately wanted to be on stage though!! I wanted to prove my love no matter what, against all odds. I din't wanna give up that easily, too soon, not yet!! I drank a few glasses of warm water to soothe my throat, ate something to regain my strength, practised my song over and over again; and finally I went on stage with my guitar. And then, together we forgot our cares and worries and just played and sung together - like one big happy family!! Maybe that is what they mean when they say "in sickness and in health..." we din't give up on each other in our rough times..but we stood by each other and gave it our best shot, against all odds...
"Looks like we made it, look how far we've come my baby!
We mighta took the long, we knew we'd get there someday.
They said, "I bet they'll never make it"; but look at us holding on,
We're still together, still going strong"
