A day in life

 An atypical day in my life makes for perfection, efficiency and super productivity but a rarity, thinking of the ass whipping exercise to achieve this feat.   Confession: For quite some time, haven't done it but when it does happen. high on fulfillment.

1. Lie on bed and meditate for five minutes, closing the eyes, palm open, breathe in and out to seek calm.

2. Drink a glass of warm water which is the best way to start the day for it removes all toxcins.

3. A cup of chai to start the day while coffee makes for the second or third beverage. ,

4. Read materials online and FB is used as a diary for I keep sharing a few stuffs so that get to read them or else they are lost in the feed.

5. Check office emails, Twitter and other Linkedin notiifications.

6. Sit in the room or alternately travel by bus to office for a couple of hours to sort out stuffs and work. Yes! I am a freelancer with a company and got this facility of hanging at home for the daily tasks.

7. Hit the coffee shop where time is spent reading on the I-pad, a book or magazine that one will normally find in my bag.

8. Back home for a nap, jogging twice a week and 30 minutes of yoga practice done either in the morning or evening.

9. Reading, blogging and attempt to write, fiction or non-fiction.

10.  Watch Netflix and Amazon Prime. Just finished Sacred Games and still on Mirzapur, both kick-ass sitcoms.

Five ways to kick the morning alive

 1. Drink a warm glass of water

Warm water carries multiple health benefits such as weight loss, melting excess fat taken in the body and help improving blood circulation or metabolism. Make it a daily routine to stay in good health and match the waves of the mind and body at a regular frequency by gulping warm water, first thing in the morning.

2. Meditation

You don't need to do penance to attain moksha but find a comfortable corner in the house or room. Settle yourself and gently close the eyes for five minutes, go blank or visualize nature, birds, sky and stars. It helps in listening to the signs conveyed by the body, listen to them and be one with yourself for the small exercise reign in peace for the day. Calm is one amazing application that you can install if you are an i-phone user and it's pure bliss which takes you on an adventure spree, with the gentle music like tapping of rain, river or story narration making you travel the world, adding to the beauty of meditation.

3. Reading

There is no better way to start the morning than reading pages from a book, poetry or good news on the internet which is rare nowadays in mediums pocked with fake and negative news. One has to be choosy and pick good stuff that soothe or magically cures the soul. Take your pick for reading healthy or productive stuff is the best mental morning exercise for the brain.

4. Practice yoga

I don't practice yoga every single day but it would be ideal to devote 20 to 30 minutes a day which helps in shaping one's mind and body to flush out the inner demons of negativity on which we have no control. Yoga has multiple benefits that restore balance in a person and bring stillness, combat stress or guard against various ailments such as pain, diabetes or cholesterol. Yoga takes you into a magical universe where there is no ground for complaint and lifestyle can't get better than that.

5. Talk to a friend

Close friends are our therapy. We need no medication but the bond of friendship forged over time is the love syrup in the form of a hearty conversation send us into high spirit and makes us gleam like a teen, about anything right from past memory, moment of joy, silly jokes, dude talk, babe talk, sharing naughty jokes or going on an intense philosophy terrain. There is no limit among friends who are our world.

Love
V

July: The Gratitude Diary

Hello, August! It's winter in the part of the world where I am nestled. Evening time is the worst when the forces conspire to hit you the hardest and the body's immunity takes a toll. I have been unprepared for it and backed out to find my way in the shell, cozying to the thick blankets to keep me warm.

Image sourced from Google.

How did I fare during the month that flew past like the thick mound of earth? It's the gratitude for July which is now like a lost and past lover gone into oblivion. I like things skittish, good or bad. But, one should be content with what is on the plate. I am grateful that I am able to afford my cappuccino in the regular coffee shop.  The good news is that it is for the first time that I am able to attend my yoga class for seven months without fail. The only time that I missed a session was when a cousin passed away this month but made up for it by attending in the Saturday batch in the same week. My Guru told me that I have made good progress this time and there has been a marked improvement in the stamina. Yoga is empowering and brings so much comfort as well as peace to the mind.


There are things that I wish that my mind and body could do without, the depression and unwanted thoughts. But, I am learning to live and deal with it. To be able to take things in my stride is something that I am grateful to and it no longer affects me like it used to earlier. There are plenty of opportunities on the work front to explore the self by taking on public speaking in front of a small audience. It happened last week. I did make a mess because of the lack of practice and fear where I wobbled and stammered. The students must be thinking, how boring! That's alright. It's a blessing in disguise. We all learn by honing our craft.


The fees for the extra project of running interviews and cover story for our corporate client's magazine finally came and as directed to the company, has been credited to my alternate bank account. Grateful for all extra money coming my way that will be saved for travel. Time to curb expenses and start saving for my holiday that I've been longing since a year. It's the moment to connect to my roots. The small things and everything that I am forever thankful for come in a package. To be able to wake up in the morning, facing the challenges of the day, writing and being in good health are some of the stuff that I am grateful to. The friends that I make and who have been there for me for a decade or year are what make my life a blessing. Or, the amazing books that I am getting to read, from KJO's An Unsuitable Boy to Jhumpa Lahiri's In Other Words or re-discovering Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things.

Grateful for being able to meet the right kind of people and friends who matter makes it a life-long bond. Over time, we have been able to weather the storms and click through thick and thin. I couldn't imagine what I'd do without them. Yesterday only, it came to my realization that I missed the best friend's birthday and while rummaging through the old papers, it struck me of the amazing times during the college days. The crazy days and we were quite a gang who would get drunk like a fish, indulging into the extreme of life's silliness. We breathed every moment of life. For me, it's gratitude in all its forms. It feels like yesterday only. I thank my stars that the pictures over the years are treasured and the captured moments make me shed a tear of happiness every time that I glean through them. It empowers the soul and reminds of every moment of bliss. Truly blessed I've been.  It was awesome to share the pics from another era on Facebook yesterday and was able to connect with another friend after more than a decade. I am grateful for the small joys of life.

I was having a conversation with an online friend and good buddy Mayura just now who shared how grateful she is for the people who are part of her life. Grateful I am to have her in my life as a friend and she is the cell of gravity that lights up the bulb every time we speak.  It tastes like the mouth watering bite of Pure Magic biscuit that you crunch. Spread the love and be grateful for everything that comes your way.

Love N Forever Grateful
Vishal