The signs the universe threw at me!
It is not often in life that an ordinary person, like myself, gets a chance to transform something as regular as a myriad of thoughts into something as forever as a set of blogs. Granted, there are established writers who have enthralled the masses with their mesmerizing accounts of everyday events, others who have tickled and toyed with our imagination and still others who have laid out the facts in a bid to send out a strong message. In which case, do I even dare?
There are a number of push factors that came together for this latest writing endeavour to materialize and it wouldn’t be fair not to mention them or credit them, lest I forget the value of the secret messages the universe throws at us, almost like a sprinkle of pixie dust, as we go about our daily lives.
Many years ago, I was watching Eat Pray Love, a movie with the actress Julia Roberts as the lead. Her character, in a bid to find herself, travels to Italy, India and then Bali in that order. In India she stayed at an ashram where she was struggling with the idea of getting up early every morning to read the Bhagavad Gita. She took this frustration to her guru who advised her that she should give some meaning to the act, by either dedicating it to someone or by praying for someone else.
She chose to dedicate the prayer to a friend she had made there who was going into an arranged marriage with someone she hadn’t met. This dedication transformed an uncomfortable ritual into one that brought her peace. In other words, the act of reading the Bhagavad Gita became more meaningful when it was attached to a greater purpose, miles beyond just mumbling the words at 5 am every day.
A similar approach, in the form of logotherapy, was made famous by Viktor Frankl in his book, Man’s Search for Meaning. In the book, he talks of finding a purpose to live, and through that purpose, no matter how big or small, you come out of extraneous circumstances; you find the will to fight and succeed against all odds.
So, what does this have to do with me? Well, as part of a team, I was asked to reflect everyday and maintain a journal. A task I found cumbersome because it felt like a diktat, a have-to. My rebellious streak took over for some time till I realised that if I didn’t comply, I would be hurting my own chances at success.
One day, during my reluctant attempts at reflecting, my wandering mind zoned in on that scene between Julia Roberts and her guru in the movie. That’s when I decided that I would convert my reflections into a series of blogs and that will be the reason I reflect. Being able to visualize the completed manuscript, added fuel to the fire and was the big bang moment I so desperately needed to get started. I found my own personal meaning in the act of reflecting and a few years later I find myself typing these words.
A couple of months ago, I was toying with the theme of the blogs, what the title would be and how the chapters would look, even before actually putting pen to paper. One such moment occurred while I was trying to complete a long-standing puzzle, an activity that fills my spare time on weekends. This time the message was disguised, in the form of an Ah Ha moment. At one point, I picked up a piece and intuitively knew where to put it. That accomplishment gave me a sense of pure joy. It was as if, subconsciously, my hand with the cardboard piece was being pulled to where it fit. Another light bulb went on. It occurred to me that the puzzle of the blog would arise from its pieces. Start writing and the bits will find a way to fit themselves.
At the end, you might wonder what was so great; just a collection of random thoughts. Considering that a person can have a gazillion thoughts in a day, what makes these special? Well, what makes these thoughts unique is that they manifested themselves at a time when they held the greatest value in my life. These are the chosen ones, the ones that got written down, the ones that danced around in my brain for so long that they took on the shape of words and became concrete. Energy in thoughts was transformed into matter in my writing. They are special because they are immortal. They are worthy because they speak my truth. They are forever because thoughts lead to action and actions have an impact, which causes a ripple effect.
If, in the end, I convince you to write out your own random thoughts and divergent ideas, no matter how far-fetched, then this endeavour can be laid to rest, never meeting eyes again.