A pinch of sugar in this salty sea.

Before you all speculate the topic of my first blogpost I would like to say hope you are keeping safe and staying healthy. This post doesn't aim to engage you in some 'panglossian' affair because uncle Voltaire  (Candide) has already advised us that optimism is important but only 'swaad anusaar'. Heeding to his priceless advice I would begin my post with simple positive things that I think can keep you going.

1. Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra:             

  ॐ त्र्य॑म्बकं यजामहे सु॒गन्धिं॑ पुष्टि॒वर्ध॑नम् ।

उ॒र्वा॒रु॒कमि॑व॒ बन्ध॑नान् मृ॒त्योर्मु॑क्षीय॒ माऽमृता॑॑त् ।।

"We worship the three eyed one who is fragrant and who nourishes all. Like the fruit falls off from the bondage of the stem, may we be liberated from death, from mortality."

The mantra helps in turning on the healing process that is always at work within us. It helps in maintaining our physical and mental well-being.

2. Wabi Sabi: It is a Japanese philosophy that propounds accepting ourselves as we are in all our glory and imperfections and acknowledging the decaying process of life and death.

3. Kintsugi: The Japanese used gold to rejoin the pieces of broken pot or any other similar kind of a utensil. It shows that there is beauty in healing as well. Times might challenge you and break you but you always have a choice how to look at those broken parts. As someone said, "with every falling apart there is a coming together".

4. Tea: There is tea in beau-tea! So bless yourself with warm tea and for a few moments become aware of your awareness and be grateful for your awareness. Pandemic is tragic but if you are at your home and have time in your hands then for a moment reflect on those small little things that go unnoticed, your favorite cup, your half-filled diary, your own profound being when you look in the mirror, do not just stare rather look and look till you realize the process of this realization (Don't be a 'Narcissus' though).

There are an innumerable things I can write about but I believe that unprecedented

 times like these demand our silence, reflection and introspection much more. More than the virus it is the limbo, uncertainty and the absurdity of our one big life that needs to be addressed. Fret not. You are not alone. 

The biggest source of assurance for me till now has been the acknowledgement of the power within. The power of this positive thinking should not be conditional though. It is high time we develop faith and not infatuation for positivity. Faith remains forever. Infatuation dies. 

Faith is strong, everlasting and dynamic. It adapts. Infatuation is small and meek.

Faith is different from blind belief. Faith in our capacity, in our limitless powers and in our genuine willingness to live through all odds is what will help us sail through these testing times. With faith comes acceptance, infatuation is stubborn.

As Justin Bieber and Jaden Smith told our teenage selves: Never Say Never!

Love and Warmth.

Picture Credits: theculturetrip.com