My Blog
Wrote a poem today, inspired when 64 becomes me.
30th March 2022 1 min read
Ah, the bane of aging
Sometimes l feel the flicker of my wick
As it waxes and wanes
About to be extinguished by fatigue, worry, and activity
Ah, the boon of aging
Many times, I am able to overcome all negativity
By wisdom, endurance, and humor
Yes, I would rant on, rave on, and rage on
Till the flame dims.
Let me count the ways….
26th March 2022 1 min read
It is a mind that does not waver from its aim
It is a mind that does not distract
It is a mind that sees the positive in every negative circumstance
It is a mind that expects the best of every situation
It is a mind that accepts fate if it is so
It is a mind that can endure all imaginings
It is a mind that will always draw good outcomes
It is a mind that is kind and brave
It is a mind that overcomes adversity
It is a mind that thinks critically and carefully
It is a mind that knows when to rest and when to let go.
It is a strong mind that will enable you to love purposefully and happily.
Seek it, Savour it
26th March 2022 1 min read
What a delightful moment to be
When this cappuccino landed in front of me
My eyes lighted up
At the coffee cup
Just the aroma, color, and its phrase
Made me go into a daze
Thank God for this coffee thrill
Life I find will always fulfill
Any chance for coffee time
To stay sane, splendid, and sublime.
The powerful slogan behind NIKE’s brand helped me in my writing.
Everything looks difficult until you keep trying and it gets easier. This is from my personal experience. Nothing comes easy in life.
Living meaningfully is about savoring the wonders of life through its challenges. Nothing is insurmountable. Even if you give up midway trying, you would have gained some insights, experience, and lessons from your attempts.
Some effort when pushed to the limit yields results and if pushed further, yields excellence. I can recall my own cases in point.
Something, anything appears difficult at first due to unfamiliarity, even in building relationships. It takes time, effort, and persistence.
Like writing for example. There were so many instances initially when I would stare at the blank screen and wondered what to write. After a few sentences, I grounded to a halt and was in despair.
What helped was that I am quite persistent and believe in myself. I believed that I could go on, maybe later when my mind became less clouded? I would go for a walk, a coffee, or a short rest. Especially, walks. They spark new ideas in me, churned my creative juices, and awakened my spirit.
Never force anything out of yourself, be in a natural flow with your own pace and rhythm.
I came back during many moments of mental blocks while writing, to continue my article. Some articles may even take a few days of intervals to complete, some may be finished instantly.
Recently, I was able to pen some poetry, almost instantaneously. It might not be the standard acceptable to others but that was a start to my spontaneity in writing. My self-confidence was boosted. My hopes were fired. My dreams were intensified.
Currently, I am fascinated by indoor rock climbing. The first time, I did it, it was challenging. First, I have to overcome the stigma of joining this sport at the registration counter when I would get asked about my age, medical history and the eyes gave away some doubt about me trying the sport.
But I persisted, knowing that slights are always part of human nature. After all, the climbers are mostly young people and a senior is unlikely to engage in this activity. But Nike says, “ Just Do It” so there I was.
It turned out to be an exhilarating experience since I managed to make it to the top of the basic walls. I deliberately looked downwards to overcome my fear of heights. I trusted that the auto-belay system would deliver me safely as I descended and that was a confidence booster as well. The rest is history and I am hooked on this sport.
“Just Do It” was applied to my other interests like scuba-diving and skiing.
For years, the fear of the unknown sea and the falling on the slippery snow slopes needed to be overcome. I found out after repeated failures that it was about following rules, staying relaxed, and just do it!
From scuba-diving, it took me repeated attempts making mistakes, correcting them, and trying again and again that after 300 dives( which were many dives), I could say that I am quite comfortable with the sport and managing myself well in unfavorable conditions like current situations and poor visibility.
Aside from that, the joys of enjoying the beautiful marine life and the acquired health benefits of scuba-diving were rewarding. The ability to maintain buoyancy, and keep score of one’s safety issues as well as one’s buddy instilled a sense of friendship and responsibility in us.
From skiing, it took me repeated falls, analyses as well as a good coach to fine-tune myself to be calm and balanced and understand the mechanics and dynamics of the sport. As a reasonable skier on the beginner slopes, I have the good fortune to build up more self-confidence and enjoy the views from the top of the station. This activity has laid the challenge for intermediate slopes which would provide a greater sense of adventure and learning.
“Just Do It” continues to ring in my mind. No venture, no gain. There is always a treasure to discover, a gem to uncover. Life is to be cherished and relished.
Let that be everyone’s slogan when confronted with a challenge.
“Decide what you want to do. Then decide to do it. Then do it.”
― William Knowlton Zinsser
13th March 2022 1 min read
I bought a puppy for my brother because he was sad
His dog had died in the hands of a careless, overconfident vet
My brother had a hard time as the puppy was active
as he is a senior who has become passive
So I took over the puppy to train his ways
It was not easy as it would take many, many days
The playful puppy kept me in a bind
However, I became patient, loving, and kind
Together with my brother and our puppy, Crystal
We now take turns to train and develop her,
One day, she will become this beautiful dog
That patience, love, and kindness have brought.
For my lovely, active puppy
13th March 2022 1 min read
I have a dream
That my pet dog will listen
And listen intently
To all my commands
Use her toilet faithfully, wipe her feet on the mat, sit, stay, down, stay, rollover, handstand, downward dog, hum along with my songs…
This is not preposterous.
Dogs are highly intelligent otherwise how did we end up serving them?