Small things matter the most...

Infinite tiny drops of water make a huge ocean....what we appreciate eventually is the vastness of the ocean and are awestruck by its ability to extend till the horizon. The ocean derives this strength and ability from those tiny droplets...who are not given their due importance for being the creators of the ocean. This pretty much applies to our lives as well. We try to focus on only the big things, the end result, and emphasize on rational thinking rather than the journey which leads to the final goal. We need to value those small steps that make up the journey towards your destination.

Love is such a deep emotion with so many layers. These layers have a meaning only if they are defined by small things like a hug every morning before you leave for work or before retiring to bed after a long tiring day, following a ritual to have at least one meal with your loved ones how much ever busy you are, choosing the prettiest gift wrapping paper for that special someone, adding that dash of cream on the cake that you bake for your sweetheart, sipping the coffee to make sure its perfect before you serve it to your hubby, strengthening your bond by warm, loving words, caring gestures or.... just simply being there for your dear ones....and most importantly finding a lot of happiness in doing all of these small things.

I firmly believe in the expression - Home is where the Heart is. It is the place which greets you with its open inviting arms after a long day. It is the place where you find solace and it is the place that helps you in leaving behind all your worries once you step into it. A house is a home when you decorate it with small things. A beautiful painting on an empty wall, a charming vase in a solitary corner, potpourri and a pleasant wicker basket in the bathroom, a cute napkin holder on your dining table, a cozy bed sheet spread out on your bed that makes you look forward to relaxing...a home is not a home without these small things..it is not a home if you do not feel an inner happiness in serenading it with elements that blend it into its beauty, enhancing its appeal.

I just gave a few examples of the ways in which you can make small things a part of your life and how paying attention to detail can bring positivity in your life. In reality, every aspect of your life can be measured in terms of small things and you need to figure out a way to find happiness in those small things. If you haven't had the chance to experience the glory that small things can bring to your life, you are not living your life to the fullest. You are missing out a lot and depriving yourself from the opportunities that life gifts you for being happy.

The art of taking your life not too seriously....

Try to think of the contexts in which the two words - "serious" and "chill" are used, and make a comparison. It won't take too long for you to realize that "serious" makes the smile on your face disappear and "chill" makes you feel relaxed and at peace. Now both the words have their own unique objectives and importance in your thoughts, written or verbal correspondences, but these words take a new meaning when they are prefixed with "too". We all know that it is important to be serious about things that matter to you and it is equally important to take it easy and be chill about certain things in life, so you do not land up feeling stressed. But sometimes we underestimate the effect of a simple addition of "too" to these two words. I am sure most of you will agree that it is not good to be too serious or too chill. But how many of you are actually successful in implementing this thought process? Is it easy to achieve a fine balance between the two? People who suffer from the latter of the two, are too chill to realize the importance of being serious, and people who suffer from the former, are too serious to be chill, even regarding the most mundane things in life. I suffer from the former....

When I was a little girl, I used to feel it is my personal responsibility to clean up the mess created by others. I remember putting my heart and soul in consistently getting good grades, and being in good books of all the teachers. I used to carry an unnecessary burden on my shoulders of excelling in whatever I do. Most of the times the things that I wanted to excel in, were not defined by me. I was so focused on performing well in something that others believed in, that somewhere down the road I lost track in understanding my passions and beliefs. Smallest of things used to find a way to directly reach my heart. Anything and everything that was important to my family, friends, and teachers was infinitely more important to me. It was all about performing, excelling, hard work, perfection, pleasing others and loosing out on a lot of fun. There was no room for exploring what I really wanted to do. In a nutshell, I used to take things too seriously....and I must confess that to an extent I still have that little girl inside me who thinks and over analyzes every situation to perfection. It is tougher to let go of things and move on when you take your life too seriously...it is like an extra baggage that comes with it. You tend to get hurt easily and you also tend to be over sensitive regarding the people whom you love. And this affects not only you, but also to an extent the ones whom you love. I envy those who have an attitude of being chill when it comes to sensitive matters…a more popular and intriguing term for this in Hindi is being 'bindaas'.

I discovered that I have a natural flair for so many things, much later in my life. Unfortunately this discovery was not a self-initiated or a voluntary step; it was only when life put me in a situation in which I was forced to discover other facets of my abilities. I took it as a sign to break away from my zone of constantly competing with life in an attempt to stay ahead of everything, and decided to walk hand in hand with my life to unleash the other gifts that God has given me. I decided to take a chill pill and be bindaas. I believe that for a peaceful and happy life, it is definitely important to master that balance between being too serious and being too chill. At times when I look back at my life, I wonder why I was so hard on myself and really wish that I would not have taken my life too seriously...because life truly is all about having a lot of fun!