The magic of monsoon

Waiting for the rain to come and being delighted seeing it pour is almost akin to waiting for the beloved to arrive and awake one's senses. Rain is magic to the senses. I like the rain when I am indoors but in Goa being outdoors during the rain is hassle-free and pleasant. Just the thought of hearing the pitter-patter of the rain droplets and falling asleep is heavenly and the feeling continues when one wakes up to the gentle hum of the rain outside. I never complain when my newsfeed bursts with pictures, songs and posts of rain. After all in a place like India, the respite from the heat and sweat is always welcome.

Rain has the ability to bring a smile on the face and a spring to the step. My domestic beams when I open the door. She tells me how cozy and cool the weather is and she finds it difficult to get out of bed. I smile and tell her that when it rains, I tend to get up quite earlier than the summer days. She smiles. Rain gives a light feeling to our senses and every task becomes a pleasant one. Well, sometimes the rain does add to the gloom of the inner mind but that's an occurrence that limits itself to maybe twice or thrice during the complete monsoon season. I guess a lot depends on the place that one lives as well. Rain in Chennai also makes me jubilant but Goa takes the huge chunk of joy quotient. Another happy effect of the monsoon is the appearance of many birds in our yard. I spotted many small birds chirruping and making merry in the rain. After a long time, I put my binoculars to good use by trying to spot birds sitting afar.

Rain is romance and romance is breath of life - Raising a toast to the magic of rain in Goa!

A morning walk

What about a morning walk, you ask. Does it even require a post. Ah, yes. You are right. These days morning walks have become the norm for many people from diverse age groups. Then what is this - A post on morning walk! Well, for starters, I was a regular morning walk person until . . . marriage consumed me! Well, marriage actually did not consume me the way excuses and 'let it bes' consumed me. Today after a very long time, I ventured to do something that I have always liked doing - going for a morning walk.

Today's walk was different and special in many ways: My grandfather and I always enjoyed brisk walks and by the time we came home, we would be drenched in sweat and wonderful stories. He passed on last week and today's walk reminded me of him and the lovely times. I missed him.

Those days (read before marriage), after my morning walk, I could come home, log on to the internet after my morning duties and wait for breakfast to be served. Well, now I don't have such luxury. I have to think and also prepare my own breakfast. This reminds me fondly of my mom whose delicious breakfasts are not a great match with those of mine. I'm not that bad but I'm not that good as well.

After a long time, I felt the cool breeze of the morning brush past me and saw birds of different hues seated neatly on the telephone wires. The green after the rain was a soothing gift to my eyes and if a bit more overwhelmed, I would have danced on the road while walking.

So many things change within and around us and something as a morning walk can remind us of all those memories. Sometimes the very thought that everyone else is asleep but you are outside enjoying the early morning gives a certain vicarious pleasure (So much so, there is even a teeny-weeny voice which calls others 'lazy'). The thought empowers. Hence, a walk is not just a walk. It is many things. It's beauty, it's memories, it's joy, it's love, it's a smile and a dance. But will this be the case every single day? I can't vouch for that. If it is, there's nothing like that but if it's not, then it's upto us to invigorate our walk.

The bottom line is: Keep walking for you never know what each walk will give you.

Leaving you with a song from Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR): Have you ever seen the rain?

Images: Blogger's own

Early risers and compulsive slogs

I do enjoy waking up early before the sun comes up to a quiet and chirpy morning. But alas! I cannot do it every morning or let's say most of the mornings. Well, I can if I want to but I just let myself sleep. I don't much try to make rising early a priority. But, I have seen that early risers always manage to get those Wow! glances and smiles of admiration. Nearly always. When someone rises early and breaks into a run and works out, there is a sense of awe over that individual. It almost seems that people who don't rise early are marginalised and seen as lazy. Every family lauds an early riser and those individuals are always set as shining examples of how life should be lived. Remember the saying: Early to bed and early to rise makes you healthy, wealthy and wise. But don't we all have our own body rhythms and cycles?!?

Now the same applies for those individuals who slog and slog, no matter how tired they are. Now it seems that these sloggers like to slog not because they are wired that way but because certain others are not wired that way. Do you get what I mean. Those who slog endlessly don't know what it means to spend a few minutes without doing something. They abhor idleness and also people who seem to be idle. And almost by default everyone who slogs is an early riser!!!

The world always favours the early risers and compulsive slogs or so it seems. Those who slog always find something to do and are seldom seen taking an afternoon siesta or prolonging a meal. I reckon that the slogging starts off in a very harmless manner and over a period of time becomes an identity. Compliments like, "G is always busy; K always finds something to do; O is never idle" lead the person who slogs to persevere slogging more enthusiastically. Don't they ever relish in just being rather than doing? Sadly, many women are the ones who get into this slogging mode and finally a day comes when they cannot manage and off they snap. But do they have a choice? And sadly, women are also the early risers.

Though I started this post to complain against the unfair means of judging people by the time they rise and the amount of work they do, I went off on a tangent. Well, I forgot to mention chronobiology but then I remember that I had written a post on that a long time ago.

So, are you a proud early riser who flaunts your sleeping habits or are you a poor morning person who sometimes wakes up early? Maybe you slog as well ;)

Image: Internet