Look out and see

On the journey to the place I felt I had to be,

I choose to look out of the window and see...

The magnanimous, glittering snow clad mountains in the distance,

formidability & grace in peaceful concurrence.

The narrow brook that finds its way around every obstacle,

playfully twisting and turning to reach its destination below.

The ravines with steep mountain sides diving into darkness,

small rocks tumble down, disappearing into the mysterious unknown.

I watch, I wonder, I introspect...

On the journey to place I felt I had to be.

The birds sing songs, flying free in the blue skies,

gliding and swerving at the intoxicating rhythms played by life.

The tiny goat tries to balance and make its way,

bravely to the juiciest grass on the vertiginous cliff.

The autumn leaves on the trees dance in the breeze,

a burst of colors & life, a carnival comes alive.

I connect, I cherish, I admire...

On the journey to the place I felt I had to be.

The child sleeps tucked in the arms of her mother,

engulfed in the innocence and purity of the dawn.

A man sits alone on the station bench, looks lost into the distance,

the scars, the wisdom, the memories, tears from his eyes flow no more.

The youth is excited, waiting expectantly for the journey up ahead,

the exhilaration, the ambition, he is ready to discover, explore & know.

I pray, I smile, I fear...

On the journey to the place I felt I had to be.

I see the world passing by, the marvels around us that we fail to see,

my mind is full of questions, some for myself & some for the rest...

I try to look for answers, I seek for a hint, a signal perhaps.

Peace and restlessness jostle with each other for space.

I wish the journey never ends, but the clock ticks on.

I take a deep breath and decide...at least for the moment,

On the journey to the place I felt I had to be,

I choose to look out of the window and see.

What's in the name?

Recently someone inquired as to why my blog is named the way it is..a pinch of salt and a dash of sugar..It seemed like a good idea to explain it on the blog itself... so here it goes. 

Have you ever tasted food without salt? Yes.... exactly, the one that you put in your mouth and then squirm because of the tastelessness and the blandness. It just makes me realize the importance of that tiny pinch of salt in our food, the primary source of taste. If extended to our lives, we all have come across the phrase "take it with a pinch of salt". Do we sometimes end up giving ourselves and things around us too much importance? I'm not saying that we all give up what we are doing and be careless fools, but take life with a pinch of salt I say. Lead your regular lives, focus on your goals, work towards them but don't stress about them. When faced with challenges, don't brood on them but look for the way out, look at the positives. We need to learn not to give ourselves, the lives we lead, the things we do as much seriousness and importance to make them a burden for ourselves. Every now and then, we come across situations when we feel like we have hit a major low and a few weeks/months/years down when the situation has passed, it is then that we realise that us getting upset, being shattered did not make any difference to the change that came along subsequently. It only worsened the situation further. Situations come, situations go, things happen, it's all part and parcel of life. Live every moment of life in a joyful manner, have fun, fool around, explore, discover, live life positively. It shall all be good at the end!  That is what is summarized in my mind in the phrase "A pinch of salt" in my title. 

Coming to the second part, have you ever tried adding a dash of sugar to your food? It doesn't make the food sweet... the sugar caramelizes to bring out hidden flavours of the food which you don't realize but come from that sugar which you had added. This was a trick that my grandmother used to use and people never got to know what was the magic behind her cooking while the family, friends and beyond lapped it up. A small amount of sugar can make such a difference, even in our lives. Be nice to yourself, be nice to others, a bit of sweetness and world is a different place altogether. I believe the way you are with others, your actions, your deeds, they always come back. So add that dash of sweetness in your lives and see the difference. That is what I mean as "A dash of sugar".

While you might have understood from the food connection in both the explanations that I love cooking, I just wanted to explain the meaning the title has underneath. Be positive, be light-hearted and be nice. It is the apt title for me and for what I want to write in this blog. Hope I overcome the horrible trend of writing and end up writing more frequently in future. Cheers!!

The Breath of Life

A whiff of new air, 
a sweet, fragrant breeze swirled all around me.
It was so refreshing, so pleasant...
"Should I step beyond and embrace it with all my soul?"
In the intoxication of the moment, out I ran.
My arms wide open, I could feel the wind on every inch of me.
Blowing through my hair, hitting my face gently, caressing me with love.
A whirlwind ensued, things flew to heights never before, 
Oh the rush! The high! The euphoria! 
The wind settled, and time passes on as a gentle breeze,
as refreshing as before, discovering new nooks and corners, 
Lifting me high into the sky, the whole world beneath, just us above it all.
It plays with me, tosses me around, it teases me, it makes me smile.
It stays with me all along now,
every moment, every second, 
It is in every moment I live, it keeps my soul alive, 
it's my breath of life.

Written after a really long time... Feels nice! For Joop.