Adding life to years…

Am I adding life to years or just adding years to life?
This question has started bothering me lately.
I guess now it’s just that years are adding to life.

Need to bootstrap. Get things together. Perhaps I am taking the life as it comes and do nothing much to change the course to the way I want it to be.

Today I will take one step towards changing things the way I want them to be rather than accepting the way they are. I know one step towards this would be a giant leap towards adding life to years!!!

Mommy-To-Bee

" Our family is growing by two feet

We will have a bundle of good fortune come to us in Feb

Tiny fingers, Tiny toes

Boy or girl nobody knows! "

Check out my new blog "Joys Of Motherhood" where I share my experiences of a mommy to be !

Back into Action!!!

Hey I have been missing blogging for a long time. Staying out of the action was due to personal and professional reasons.
Nevertheless I am back and will try to keep up with my blog :-)

Cheers!!!

The 11 Rules To Change Our World

This is a nice article I came across on Robin Sharma's blog.

Thought of sharing it with you all as well.

The 11 Rules To Change Our World

1. You be the change you dream of seeing (Thanks Mahatma Gandhi). "If everyone of us would sweep their own doorstep, the whole world would be clean," observed Mother Teresa. She was right.

2. Make time every day to reconnect to your highest ideals and boldest dreams. Without hope, people perish.

3. Leave every person you meet better than you found them. Life's too short to withhold encouragement and kindness.

4. As I wrote in 'The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari", see every setback as a stepping stone and every problem as a blessing in disguise. Contrary to what critics might say, these are NOT corny aphorisms. They are timeless truths of humanity. (And critics are just people too scared to grow their dreams anyway - pay no attention to them. The world needs more people lifting people up rather than putting people down).

5. Go the extra mile in everything you do - you don't need a title to be a leader. And on your deathbed, you'll never regret expressing the best within you

6. Do what's right rather than what's easy. Being a great person isn't a popularity contest. Many of the greatest leaders were disliked because they refused to bend to the winds of public opinion. That's called Strength of Character

7. Care for your health. You elevate the world by elevating yourself and your health really matters. Why be the richest person in the graveyard?

8. Tell your kids they are geniuses - and how much you adore them. Each of us are born geniuses but lose that gift within the first 6 years of our lives as we adopt the fears and limiting beliefs of those around us. Your kids are the leaders of the future. Grow their potential. Now.

9. Learn something new every day. As you grow, you begin to see possibilities you didn't have the eyes to see before. Read from an inspiring book, listen to an audio program, visit a good blog, go to a powerful workshop or have a conversation with an elder. One idea is all it takes to transform your life.

10. Keep your life simple. Please. The secret to success and happiness is building your life around a few important things. The person who tries to do everything accomplishes nothing. As I recently mentioned on my blog, "What's the point in being busy doing the wrong things?"

11. Remember that life is a mirror and we receive what we give out. To get more joy, give more joy. To have more respect, give more respect. To realize your dreams, help others realize theirs.

P.S. I've written these lessons to help you make this year the single best year of your life yet. And to do my part to improve things. I need your help!

If you were inspired by The 11 Rules To Change Our World, you can inspire others - and do YOUR part to improve our world. My goal is to circulate this list across the world via The Net within the next few hours. TOGETHER we can touch so many people. Just circulate The 11 Rules to all those you know. Let's change the world by spreading good ideals rather than celebrating negative ones. Thank you.

I am so much caught up with the work at my office that I didn't get enough time to tell you people about my refreshing break in Ramgarh. I am not one of those who believe that promises are meant to be broken. I will keep my word, but we would need to be a little more patient.

Cheers!

Ramgarh - A Himalayan Hideaway

Sharing the delights of a refreshing break that we relished in December 2008 ...

The guests are here.
The feeling has settled in.
The days are drifting by like some aimless cloud on a summer day. (Well this is a metaphor coz it is already Winters here in Delhi)
The year is about to end and it has been almost 6 months that we haven’t set our travel feet to a quest.

But the biggest question was – where should we go for that just purrfect, deliciously refreshing break.

A thought flickered in my mind like a lonely firefly on a dark night. Why don’t we go to Ramagarh - a wonderful retreat tucked away in the Kumaon Hills which lie in the northeastern parts of Uttaranchal, or more precisely in the western-central Himalayan region. Ramgarh, despite its very 'filmi' allusion (recollect the small town in record-breaking flick Sholay?) is a small and lesser-known destination blessed with the bounties of nature, perfect for a 'far from the madding crowd' holiday.

Thought was like a sapling. Some water from my husband and then again some more sunshine from an imminent trip to Kashipur (which is 120 KM away from Ramgarh) and it became a tree. It was time to do something about it. Choosing the place to stay wasn’t a problem. We hooked on to the internet for places to stay. Based on the recommendations of a colleague of my hubby we zeroed on ‘The Cedar Lodge’. A few phone calls later the trip was on. My hubby’s two cousins also accompanied us on this refreshing journey.

We set out on the journey to Ramgarh. All agog! This trip like the many others I'd made was wild. Just as I'd loved them. I like the outdoors. The vast clean aired roads lined with trees. They weren’t lesser greener than they would have been in the monsoon, these trees. We covered these roads on a rented Innova.

A Quick Fact File On Getting There-

• By Air: The nearest airports are Pant Nagar in Nainital 25 kms. away
• By Rail: Kathgodam 50 kms. away is the nearest station.
• By Road: Ramgarh is 318 kms. and a six-hour drive from Delhi.

For more on Ramgarh, which huddles sleepily in the green creases of the lower Kumaon Hills, be sure to drop in again. I will be back soon to share with you the delights of this trip.

To Be Continued...

My First Blog Award Ever!!!

What a wonderful surprise I had on this New Year Day.Pretty Me awarded Me Versus My Soul with “you touched my heart with your words“ blog award.

This is absolutely awesome, fantabulous and an overwhelming experience for me. I mean every single letter of it. Really!
I haven’t received any nominations or any awards prior to this. And to top it all I got this award of appreciation on December 31, 2008.

What a cool way to embark on the New Year 2009!


Pretty cool wouldn’t you say?

I am grateful and humbled for the acknowledgement and the opportunity for my ramblings to be shared by a larger audience.
Thanks Pretty Me!

A Great Week Start

Generally (read it 'Always') Mondays are painted B L U E for me.

Last Sunday night was no different. I was feeling miserable that the weekend is over and tomorrow I would have to throw myself neck deep into the work; hectic schedule. Man, it is a very bad feeling when the good times are about to end. With a heavy heart I resigned to the bed remarking to my husband -
Dear, the weekend’s gone, Sigh!

I knew I had to get up the next morning at 6.30 AM (if I intend to prepare the breakfast). Sacrificing the breakfast I can push the time by twenty more minutes. Which means that I cannot enjoy the comforts of my bed beyond 6:50 AM. My company bus comes at 7.25 AM to pick me up at a bus-stop which is (not less than) 10 minutes walking distance from my home. So I have to leave the house by 7.15 AM. I cannot afford to lose another minute; otherwise I would have to run all the way to the bus-stop to make it in time. It’s chilly in the morning so that naturally affects the rate at which I get ready for work. Sunday night, I had put on the alarm at 6.30 AM for the next morning.
The alarm obediently shrieked at 6.30 AM in the morning. I snoozed off the alarm several times not wanting to sacrifice the comforts of my warm and cozy bed. Finally when I woke up it was already 7‘O clock.

Oh Man, I need to rush!

I quickly brushed my teeth, had a shower and arranged my purse. Just before leaving I again checked the time. It was 7:17 AM.

Now how am I gonna make for the bus on time.

I nudged my husband and woke him up. He was in a deep slumber. I kept nudging him and constantly told him to drop me to the bus-stop since I was late already. That was pretty uncomfortable for him. I knew it was way too much on my part to expect him to jump out of the bed instantaneously. But I was getting terribly late.
Boy, it took him two precious minutes to finally get out of the bed. Sleepily, he wrapped himself up in his jacket, wore thermocot pants and then his shoes. He tried to hurry up but it was difficult to switch his mode on such a short notice. Watching him get ready seemed to be an eternity; when every second was precious. By the time he started his motor cycle it was already 7.25 AM.

Oh no, my bus would be arriving at the stop any moment.

I called up my bus-mate to make the bus wait for me. My husband whish –whooshed his way to the stop. We made it to the stop in less than a minute. Kudos to him! There I saw my bus waiting for me. I thanked hubby dear for making it just in time and quickly jumped into the bus. When I settled I discovered the pair of steel keys hanging in my fingers.

OMG! I forgot to hand the keys to hubby dear.

I called his mobile to inform him. Alas, in this hotchpotch he didn’t pick his mobile while leaving. Left with no other choice I got down on the next stop. Everybody in the bus was wondering and rolling their eyes. I caught a rick to my place and saw my flustered husband sitting on his bike. I ran up to him with the steel keys still hanging in my fingers. His face lit up and a smile ran across his sleepy face the moment he saw me.
Hubby dear, how can you expect me to run away with the keys leaving you in a misery?

To make to the office I was obviously left with a single option - hubby dear would drop me to my office on his motor cycle. I generally avoid going with him because riding the motor cycle on a chilly wintry morning is quite a daunting task. My hubby dear knew I detest taking a ride on his motor cycle on a winter morning.

Phew! do we have any other choice?

We had one hour in hand before we start for the dreadful journey to the office. So we decided to snatch some sleep. We both are sleep-freaks. Great snuggle bugs ;-) And I have tales to tell you about those forty winks. But let me save them for some other time. The alarm was ringing at 8.30 AM (I had put another alarm to make sure we're on time). I woke him up telling him its time now. He said he wants to sleep a little more. I was happy on hearing the postponement of the discomforting ride for some more time; and I again slept off.

Later he woke me up. I checked the time, it was 10:30 AM. I was shocked. We had over slept. I cursed myself for making him late for the office. But I found him pretty relaxed. I asked him wasn’t he late for the office. He smiled at me and said that he delayed it on purpose. He knew that it would be very chilly in the morning and since I am not used to face the wintry weather he delayed going to office till it was warm and sunny. When we stepped out of our home it was sunny and I found the ride pretty warm and pleasant. OMG I was so happy and ecstatic. He cares for me so much. He made my day. Whoopee!

At times, I wonder why he does not do things in ways I want him to do. Ways I feel are better to go with the ones he takes. Doesn’t he care for me?

To all these thoughts and many more, I got my answer on this Monday morning.
Care is not showering gifts on me or planning holidays or doing those lovey-dovey things. Care is not to put too much stock into all that mushy stuff. Care is making late for his office so that my journey is more comfortable. What’s really important is how he treats me in general. A husband who’s supportive and caring is worth a lot more than a surprise trip to Jamaica.
Happiness lies in the small details of life!

Indeed, on a pleasant and comfortable note I had a great start for the week.