And The Lights Went Out - A Poem

The curtains came down,

The lights went out,

The play had ended

And all were out

The parts were played,

The dialogues said,

The ship had sailed

But later wrecked

All applauded

And cheered aloud

A heart was broken

But not a sound

The play had ended

And all had left

The curtains were down

And the lights were out

The Grass is Greener.... Because It Is!

We all have heard the proverb 'The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence'.  This makes me feel like men (or humans rather) are grasshoppers.  What it actually means is we always feel what we have isn't good enough and others have better.  

Today I was analyzing this proverb and there were questions - Why do we think its greener on the other side? Who put the fence there? Who owns the land where our grass is growing? Why is our grass not as green? or is it?  May be the grass is greener because they are taking better care of it.  The fence could be where our resources end and WE own our piece of land.  

All of us have our own battles to fight, our own dreams and achievement that cannot be compared to anyone else and each one of us come with a  customised set of weaknesses too. Remember nobody is perfect.  There could have been times when we feel  that some people have it easy in life or maybe they could have done things better.  You don't really know every detail and it’s only when you get into a similar situation you realise how things really work. What matters and makes the difference is how well we use our skills and learn to overcome our problems.  It’s even better when we realise what we thought was a weakness can actually turnout to be strength! (Those are life’s mini surprise moments)

 

It may sometimes seem that we are having the worst time in the world but actually it’s the growing pains. We have made it so far and are well now aren't we? A lot of hard work goes into keeping the grass green.  Jumping farms won't do any good if your technique isn't right.  We don't have to regret if we value what we have and manage it when we still have time.  So I think we don't need to jump, the trick is management and tapping better resources.  

The little green patch is our life and we won't get anywhere wishing it should get better.  We can make it better by working at it continuously – remember the only thing constant in life is change?  Do you realise that the grass needs both sunlight and rain? Too much sun will burn it away and too much rain can cause it to rot!  It’s also true that neither lasts forever because it truly is for the best.  Appreciate what you got and take care of it; you never know who is jealous of your green patch. 

Father and Child

The Father extended his fist toward the child – sort of a challenge. If the child was able to pry the fingers open then it would get the chocolate that was locked in.  The child tries its best to open it but fails; the father smiles.  The child isn’t too happy; she stares at her dad and then curls the lower lip outward.  The father’s smile changes to the ‘Uh-Oh’expression.  He has the look on his face as if he just unplugged the pin from the hand grenade and was still holding it. 

The baby’s eyes are starting to well up and looks as if she is gearing up to start crying.  Within seconds a tear trickles down and she starts bawling...  

The father quickly opens his fist and hands the sweet to the child – he is ready to do anything to make the noise stop!  The little one pauses and tries to see through the tears what her dad was keeping from her and if it was what she wanted.  Another tear trickles down as she tries to wipe her face, picks up the chocolate, unwraps it and then starts chewing on it. 

Child 1 – Dad 0

Guess when you’re a child its tricks over strength or size

The Scent of Memory

What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear or read the word 'Time Travel'? Is it an idea about peeking into your future? Or rewinding time and re-living some special moments?  

Given a choice I'd go back to some really amazing days. That is also because I love surprises and if you have heard the phrase 'Curiosity killed the cat'? Don't think the present would be much fun if you knew what was in store in the future.

There is no machine built yet that can enable humans to travel through time but what we do have is Memories.... This is one of the few ways to revisit the past.  But there are also some other things that can remind us of what had been.  It can be pictures, books (remember pages from an old diary), particular kind of flowers, could even be a joke or a song.  But nothing can bring back memories like the smell of something.

Smell of new notebooks always reminds me of the 1st day of school.  The smell of wet hay or cut grass reminds me of the fields that were while I was growing up. The smell of paint - takes me back to the first memory of when our house was getting painted.  It is most unexpected when you get a familiar smell and it takes you back in time in a fraction of a second... to that place and the whole setting.  

Have you noticed that most of our memories are from our childhood and very few from the recent past.  The reason is not that we have grown old but because we stopped absorbing the moments. It comes naturally to kids as the world is new and they have lots to learn. But we can also make memories (aside from capturing pictures/ videos) by living in that moment.  Look around and absorb the people, the setting, the sound and most importantly... the scents around. Nothing can reinforce itself in your memory like the aroma of the moment! :)

 

Merlin the magician from the story 'King Arthur' was cursed that he would know the future like it was yesterday but would struggle to remember the past as if it is tomorrow.  This was a Curse!  Imagine losing your memory and you will find you have lost your identity too. Memory is a testimony of what made us.  Good or bad, memories are definitely for keeps.

Ending this post with two quotes:

The secret of a good memory is attention, and attention to a subject depends upon our interest in it. We rarely forget that which has made a deep impression on our minds.

-Tryon Edwards

A man's real possession is his memory. In nothing else is he rich, in nothing else is he poor

-Alexander Smith

A Shade of Grey

The world is neither good nor bad; it’s what WE choose to see.  I do believe there is good in every human being and all of us have a dark side as well.  What you get to see might be what the person is showing or what You choose to believe.   It’s also about how much time you spent getting to know that person.  Human beings are very complex creatures and not very easily comprehensible.  

Every minute we spend talking, observing and listening to people is like a pixel that is being created in our mind on how we perceive them.  Ever noticed why you are not able to find faults with your closest friends or the ones we love?  Why they seem so perfect? It might be because that picture is very close to us.  If we trying backing up a bit we might be able to see those imperfections, the cracks in the bigger picture.  But friendship does mean accepting people as they are – the imperfections add to their character and that could even be the reason why we love them.  Now trying going back in time and thinking about the time when you first met your friends.  The first few initial encounters might have been pleasant, funny or amusing and you might have come to know about these ‘imperfections’ a little later but by then they were already a part of your life and hence it was accepted with the whole baggage.  It’s not the people were perfect when you met then and something happened later... it’s just that you chose to see the good things and make them a part of your life.  There are also those friends who when you try to think back make it very difficult to really to remember when they transitioned from an acquaintance to a dear friend. These are people who have become a part of your life even without you consciously knowing it, you just realise it someday.

Similarly, we might admire someone from a distance for the way they manage their life and sometimes after getting to know these perfect individuals there are chances you would change your view. (Agree nobody is perfect, but that is not the point here) This is a case where we are looking at a huge canvas from a distance; The big picture looks good but moving a bit closer we see the painting isn’t that great.

So, perceptions and images can change... Depending on the preference of your Grey shade.