Have you met life today?

The thought of this topic came from a tagline of Metlife. I find this line to be so inspirational. For me, “Have you met life today?” is the perfect topic for today.

What is meeting life? Is it just that we are alive so we have met life? Or is it the ‘liveliness’ within that talks to meeting life?

When I think of life, I think of energy and movement. I think of liveliness, laughter and love. I think of breath. I think of the beating heart and I think of warm and tender hugs.

I asked this question to my mom. Her answer was deep. She feels she has met life when she is creating something – a poem, an idea, a song and an exquisite dish or when she hears music or when she meets a friend suddenly or when she is centered and feels His presence. My dad on the other hand feels he has met life when he sees beauty in nature. A beautiful sunrise, the sound of a melodious stream, a blooming lotus or a genuine smile.

I am always intrigued at how people make choices specially in terms of meeting life. How have people around me met life? I have seen a 24-year-old wasting life in drugs and I have seen a 60-year-old taking dialysis every week with a smile and celebrating life. I have seen a 40-year-old, detected with cancer, living each day and meeting life right now, in the present. And I have seen my own 7-year-old celebrating and at times sulking at life.

As I introspect these and many other lives, I hope I can meet life gracefully, graciously and gratefully and I hope I can meet the ‘life-force’ of life in this lifetime.

So, how have you met life today?

Deep eyes

Intense

And mysterious

Loving

And wise

Truthful

And trusting

Passionate

And grateful

The deep eyes

That have met life.

Reset - Reboot - Reformat

The idea of this topic came from a podcast. The speaker was talking about how mentally pressing the reset button helps reset things. I tried it recently. I was having a hard time with a colleague at work and I mentally decided to press reset. I am making a strong effort to restart the relationship on a better and positive note. Reset concept is also helping me when I am stuck in a negative emotion. I tell myself to reset and it works!

Reboot - that to me implies new beginnings. That's when we choose a different profession, different location, a different life. We are rebooting ourselves to something new and exciting! For me, reboot was when I decided to quit my last job and finding something different. Another upcoming reboot will be moving to our new home. Reboot with the right attitude is sure fun!

Reformat is to fully start over - wiping all the memories of the past, cleaning up the junk and starting anew. For most of us in life it's at the time of death. Everything is gone and everything starts over. For some saints, it's when they take 'sanyas' where they willingly give up their past identity, take a new name, take a new lifestyle and work towards their highest goals. The soul is the same, like the hard disc, but everything else changes.

Where have you exercised Reset and Reboot?

I start over

Today

Not bound by any past

Not hurt by any wounds

Forgetting it all

I start over

Now

With a clean slate

To live life

The Listening Tour

This topic was inspired from a radio talk of a person going on a “Listening Tour”. Implying just go and listen to thoughts, concerns, ideas , without finding justifications but with the mindset of reaching out and understanding. I decided I need to go on my own listening tour both intrinsically and extrinsically. Extrinsically it implies listening to my loved ones and intrinsically listening to my body, mind and soul.

As I started my tour, I was reminded of a quote, “The biggest communication problem is we do not listen to understand, we listen to reply”. I made a commitment reminding myself of the principle of listening. I will listen. I will not find reasons or excuses to justify myself. I will simply listen and seek to understand.

The question I asked on my listening tour – starting with my loved one, my husband was “Is there anything I do that annoys you?” My husband’s first reaction was “Is this a trick question? Am I in trouble”? He is funny! As I explained my context, he mentioned that I could pay more attention to cleaning and picking up after myself. I have taken the feedback seriously. Part of the issue is, I don’t even notice it. So now, as I leave a room, I put my “Pranav” cap on to figure out what would he see. I think he will say I have improved!

I have then asked my mom if she notices anything that I need to work on. She responded I need to pay more attention to being gentle. As I get crunched to complete an activity, I start getting edgy and blunt. I sure know that is true! I am still working on it.

The other question I ask on the listening tour is – “Is there any advice you would give me at this moment?” My husband would say “Find your happiness” and I would say “Focus on staying blissful”.

I start my intrinsic journey and ask, what is my body telling me? I do the body scan. I listen. I hear the body wants to be pampered (may be massage is overdue) and pushed (exercising).

On the listening tour with my mind and soul, I hear continue to find your quiet time and continue to listen! Let the tour become a frequent phenomenon.

Being on the listening tour has been fun. How would you feel on embarking on your own listening tour?

I am here

To listen

Attentively

Fully

I am here

To hear

To learn

To improve

I am here

Now

Asking for your advice

To commit

And to grow