I really thought I had nothing much to say for this month's Gratitude Circle and randomly titled it State of my heart as it seemed pretty apt. Yeah, famous last words. You know, back in the day when I was a corporate hotshot, one of my colleagues said that if I shut up for more than five minutes I would cease to exist. Mean, I know, but to be fair, I did talk nonstop. All that went away when I started working from home. Strange how we adapt to life, no?
But why did I think there wasn't much to say? Half of February went by in travel. It was great even though I was sick most of the time.
Here are the highlights of the state of my heart in February
Love this quote!
Gratitude paints little smiley faces on everything it touches
Met my classmate after 35 years
Truly, in life, relationships are the most precious. And when reconnecting with a classmate one loses touch with is absolutely seamless-it is so wonderful. My college days were a little turbulent, to say the least and I have a special place in my heart for this particular classmate who was really kind to me at the time.
Sadly she moved to a different college after the first year, but we stayed in touch for a few years after that. Then she moved to another town and so did I-and life went on. I often look on Facebook to see if I can find the people I was close to, and one fine day, she popped up in the results.
My physics professor was right, you know. She would say that if we thought about someone long enough it somehow draws them to you. I've experienced that many times. And I was overjoyed when I found that it was indeed my old friend. I sent her a message-and she responded and well, the rest is just fantastic.
Thanks to video calling and phones and emails, and of course WhatsApp, we enjoyed connecting again. Then we decided on this sudden plan to go on a road trip as she was visiting India. We took a trip to Agra and Fatehpur Sikri and had the most enjoyable time, ever. I came back home with treasured memories.
During the four-day trip, we'd keep pausing and look at each other and ask - is this really happening? And of course we were delighted to tell anyone who'd listen that we were meeting after 35 years! So blessed. Yep. Already planning the next trip, thank you. Can you imagine the state of my heart?
Unexpected follow up trip to see my son
Close on the heels of that trip came up an unexpected trip to Punjab and when my husband asked if I would like to join him, I was like 'duh!
We had a fun train ride from Delhi to Chandigarh and stayed on the University campus where my husband was giving a talk. Once done with that, we went to our son's campus and spent a day with him before returning home. So grateful for that!
Grateful that I could travel even though I managed to share my friend's cold and cough-we were simply determined to have a good time!
Work wise, I hardly got anything accomplished. But I experienced a different kind of joy wrapping up some pro bono work. On both counts, state of my heart = joyous and grateful.
Couch potato sessions
I watched The Handmaid's Tale - always good to be down with the 'flu to have a legit excuse to binge on a series. The show was nothing short of stunning-the filming aesthetics, the acting, the characters, the bizarre story line, the narrative-everything was perfect. It is based on Margaret Atwood's book of the same name-and follows the book quite faithfully. But it goes beyond what's in the book to extrapolate the story and makes it really exciting to stay glued to it.
What's funny is that it isn't as if the story is fast-paced or anything, which makes the direction truly outstanding. I really did not expect to enjoy the series so much. In fact, I felt it was better than the book. I watched the three seasons on Amazon Prime-I hear a fourth season is in the works and I'll be eagerly looking forward to that. The state of my heart was definitely pleased!
You can watch it on Amazon Prime - if you aren't a member try the 30-day trial.
Health report
On the crap side, my sugar levels are not what they should be and I am working on getting them back to target levels. Wish me luck, please. I want to think that being sick elevated them, but still, what a shock, especially when I was thinking I am the boss of my diabetes. Sigh. Life happens. And this too shall pass, hopefully. Not really good for the state of my heart.
And as my Mom would ask...what am I DOING about it? Well I started my morning walk again. I am consciously eating healthy. Etc. Etc. Of course, the trick is to plan meals and shop ahead so that everything is available to make the menus. After that it is quite easy to prep in advance and have things ready. Yes, feeling so proud of myself. Just keeping my fingers crossed that the blood sugar levels find their way home safely and soon.
Highlight of the month
Sury and I celebrated our 23 years of marriage. The day was just like any other with us going about our routine, but acutely conscious of how fortunate we are to have the life we have. Joy is in the everyday things-and we're blessed to have our routines besides having so much to look forward to. This is what I was thinking when I titled the post "state of my heart".
We enjoyed sitting and talking about the years go by-starting with how we met and how our families were quite intrigued about how different we were from each other. Goes to show eh? Yes, state of my heart? Happy. But also a little sad, thinking how ten years have passed since my Mom passed away. We reminisced about her and couldn't help smiling at all the wonderful memories she has given us.
Into each life some rain must fall
I am really sad to say we lost a dear, dear neighbor. We are very fond of this family-the parents and two lovely girls. It was a shock to hear about the dad passing away. He had some health issues but...death is so final. We have so many precious memories of them and their daughters whom we've seen growing up. Sigh. And it is so annoying that I am reporting a death or two every month. Life is short and all we have is now. Cherish it, my dears.
Thursday Tree Love
I am also joining Parul for Thursday Tree Love blog hop with this gorgeous tree I spotted while wandering on a campus when I accompanied my son for an exam. I was a little sad that day and had something bothering me. I won't bore you with those details. But going out and spending some time in nature usually helps-to remove ourselves from our situation, get a change of scene and look within for a better perspective. As I tried to calm my somewhat chaotic thoughts, I walked around, noticing all the little things. Then, taking a deep breath, I looked up. And literally, lo and behold - I saw this:
It felt like a soul message to see that leaf shining down at me, as if telling me it will all be okay. Yes, I had to be patient but it filled me with hope. And as if on cue, I saw a woman walking towards me, smiling at me. She had also accompanied her son for the exam. We spent the rest of the time waiting together, talking. Lovely person. State of my heart check? Happy!
Isn't it funny how the little things sort our minds out quickly if we are open to them? A wonderful lesson I learned from my Mother. Worrying simply blocks the flow of energy. When we stop, we clear the path to solutions and fresh things.
And that's it for my February, dear folks.Here's my favorite quote of the day:
"None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an afterthought. Eat the delicious food. Walk in the sunshine. Jump in the ocean. Say the truth you're carrying in your heart like hidden treasure. Be silly. Be kind. Be weird. There's no time for anything else." ― Nanea HoffmanHow was February for you? Tell me about it in your post or in the comments here.
Welcome to the February 2020 Gratitude Circle blog hop
Note: If this is your first time here, a very warm welcome to you! How to participate: To join the Gratitude Circle blog hop, you can write about anything that made you feel good. It is not mandatory to write about your personal life. Or list personal things you are grateful for. You have the freedom to share anything that made you feel good. A happy event. Something you saw. An experience. A place. Something that brought you happiness. A lovely book you read that filled you with joy. Anything. I repeat, it need not be personal at all.- Write your posts.
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