I hear the call of the Ibis

I hear the call of the Ibis

I look up to see their silhouettes

Passing across overcast skies

The air is thick with moisture

It creates a cocoon of silence

A weight that isn’t heavy

Invisible rain drops fall

A symphony for bird song

Pulling forth earth’s fragrance

Green surrounds me

Clean and fresh

Soothing my eyes, my heart, my soul

It is early morning

A fleeting moment in time 

Can I hold it for a little longer?

Where Your Focus Goes

We all hear phrases, quotes and the like all the time; but every now and then one will stick itself in your head and will change something about you. It kind of becomes a driving force, a talisman almost.

This happened to me again a couple of days ago when I heard a song called Energy (by a band called Disclosure) - the main sentence in the song goes like this “WHERE YOUR FOCUS GOES, YOUR ENERGY FLOWS". I heard this while I was walking (naturally) and my gosh, it made sense to me..

I’ve always maintained that your focus should be on doing what you are doing - mindfully and completely. Yes, of course you must have an ultimate goal that you want to achieve, but it is very important to understand this is not an end point. The entire process, the experiences, the learning, the disappointments, and the achievements are all as important. If you chase the wrong thing, it just becomes that much harder to get where you want.

In my context, I have a desired weight I would like to reach, but if that is my sole focus, then I am going to be disappointed and ineffective in my process to get there. Instead, I choose to focus on strength, endurance, fitness, inches and eventually weight. I focus on making myself feel good and proud. And I never forget to applaud my achievements along the way.

Here's to a 550 day streak of working hard

Interlude

 

In my mind I see the ocean below me and the sky above.

The ocean feels like memories and days past. The calm seas of good times and the occasional stormy ones. They wash over me periodically, embrace me, then recede back to their own ever moving cycle. Leaving me a little changed each time.

The sky is filled with infinite possibilities, of endless dreams and a future unseen. It’s a clean slate of new ideas, of novel experiences and forever chances. It shows me how much more there can be if I just step into it. 

At the edge of these two beautiful worlds, lies a horizon, that is there and yet isn’t. As if it is made up of both the ocean & the sky and yet it is an entity of its own. 

I realise, this is me. I live in moments between nostalgia and fantasy. My life is but an interlude!

Gratitude

When the light is soft and a fragrant flower blooms,

When the breeze is gentle and the birds are singing,

When humans are silent.

Close your eyes. 

Reach out with your soul.

Take it all in and then give it back. 

Heal with every breath,

Absorb the peace,

And open your eyes with Gratitude!

Sigh..

The sun has vanished and the light is soft. A gentle breeze has picked up bringing the scent of wet earth with it. 

It isn’t raining yet but the promise of it fills the atmosphere. 

It makes me pause what I’m doing to look out of the window and take it all in, to experience it with all my senses! 

And just like that a sigh escapes my throat.. 

What Next!

Today someone spoke to me about achievement. Having reached a personal milestone in his life, the ‘what next’ is playing on his mind. I know exactly what he is talking about because years ago, I was in the same place he is today. This got me thinking about how I did it and how today I apply the same principles to my walking / health journey. 

Like all addictions, the push to give up something that is bad for you, comes from within. It is a belief that by making this change, life will be better - that’s what makes you want to do it and that’s what keeps you going. 

Don’t let what you did in the past or any stereotypes define you. Look at yourself in the mirror and be honest - no one knows what you need better than you. You are your best coach! Listen to yourself, trust yourself and be true to yourself. 

And as importantly, don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Each morning just try and do a little better than you did yesterday. Achievements and milestones are yours alone. So name them and crush them. For yourself. Be proud of yourself.

Celebrating 15 Years

Today is Day 1

We watched from afar as the world changed, we heard stories and read statistics, yet could not fathom the impact. Then it came closer! 

The last few weeks have seen the cautions become real, the concern and confusion too. One by one things were shut down, people started to stay home, stay away from crowded places. I myself stocked up on some staples thinking it will make things a little easier. A hand sanitiser has taken permanent residence at the entrance of my house. 

The past weekend saw an experiment like no other. Our nation was asked to voluntarily stay at home and it did! People were told to go out only to get essentials and most of them listened. But it wasn’t enough and it isn’t enough. Drastic times call for drastic measures. Starting today our entire country barring basic essentials and medical services goes on a complete lockdown. When this was announced I had a moment (okay a little more than a moment) of panic and disbelief. 

How? How are we going to do this, how will we manage? What will happen over the next three weeks? What will happen after? When will life come back to normal? Will it ever actually be normal again? The questions in my head just don’t seem to end. 

Today is Day 1!

A thought occurred to me - could today be the first day of the rest of our lives? A chance to start things anew, to create the lifestyle and habits we have wanted to for the longest time. An actual opportunity to get out of the vicious cycle most of us have found our selves in. 

If we consider this a mental and physical reboot, we could use these three weeks to contemplate, strategise, research, and learn. To make an action plan that will allow us to enrich our lives. 

Things are bad right now, but we as human beings are resilient and we will find a way out of it eventually. Our actions and attitudes today will go a long way to improving ourselves as people and as citizens. This experience is going to change us all, let’s make sure the changes are good ones. 

I remind myself today to send up a prayer of gratitude for the comforts I am fortunate to have and more importantly to the thousands of people behind the scenes who will be working through this crisis to keep us comfortable and safe.