ઘણાએ હતા નાનપણમાં મને, English ના અભરખા,
કેટલાક વર્ષો રહ્યા, બહુ English બોલવાના ચસરકા…
પણ ક્યારેક, ક્યારેક, Father મા પપ્પા જેવો વટ ના પડ્યો,
અને Granny થી બા જેવો હેત કદી એ ના મળ્યો…
ભાઈ શબ્દ જેટલી મસ્તી, Brother મા સમાણીજ નહીં ,
અને sister તો દીદી સામે સાવ ફિક્કી પડી ગઈ…
To- Do- Go નું કોકડું તો હજી ઉકેલયું નથી, ત્યાં તો,
સાલું આ silent letters એ આવીને, રમણે ચડાવ્યા …
અરે જે English શબ્દો ને ન્યાય ન આપી શકી,
એ ભાવનાઓ ને કેમ કરી પહોંચે?
મન ની વાતો , “English Express” મા,
ક્યારેક ચડે ઉતરે, ક્યારેક છુટી જાય…
પણ ગુજરાતી મા વિચારો ને પ્રેમ થી, કહેવાય અને સમજાય …
હશે ભલે School, કોલેજ, Office, ઇન્ટરનેટ નું માધ્યમ English, પણ…
મેણા ટોણા ની તીખાશ હોય કે અશ્રુઓ ની ભીનાશ,
કે પછી હોય હૈયુ ઠાલવ્યાની હળવાશ…
સાહેબ, પ્રેમ નો રસ , સપના ની પાંખો, અને,
અને, જિંદગી ના તાણા- વાણા,
એ તો આપણી ગુજરાતી માં જ છે ,
એ તો આપણી ગુજરાતી માં જ છે…

• પૂર્વી ગોકાણી

Gratitude is such a small yet heavy thing. It’s such a rich word- it’s like the proverbial ocean that we amass by gathering water droplets!
Forget about how important it is to be grateful and how it will attract more into your life …
Instead… Think of it like this- how does it instantly feel to be grateful? Definitely makes you happier and lighter! Makes you smile at that moment…. now build that same excercise at every step of the day- for hot tea, cool water, safe home, healthy kids, beautiful sunrise, spectacular sunset, fresh meals, your car and a parking for it, and your ocean of gratitude is already filling up!
So, tell me, how many droplets of happiness did you add to your ocean today?

#gratitude #wisdomoftheday #begrateful #thankful #simplethoughts #life #lifeisbeautiful

If it’s a morning, there’s Sunshine,
If it’s a morning, and you’ve woken up Alive,
If it’s a morning, and you have a cup of tea,
It’s not only a morning, it’s a Good Morning!”
Rejoice, be Grateful, You’re already blessed !

We have all probably gone through a phase when we feel lonely , maybe even unwanted and unaccepted at times.
I went through that stage myself, spending time with, and emptying my own baggage of pity on my ‘lonely self’…
Until, that is, I realised that I’m enjoying my own company- that the voices in my head that always debated any event or person, have become my mechanism of analyzing them.
Until staying within myself made me realise how peaceful it seems not to be called for sometime- even if from family.
Until I realised that it was one of the rare times when there is real peace in my heart.
Don’t mistake me for not liking company- I love my family to death and I’m very happy around my friends. It’s just that I’m happiest around my own self! It’s like needing icecream (family) with whipped cream and nuts (friends), but a cherry on top is what makes it fancy the! Like, I’ve been to desert camping trips with close friends, loved sitting with them till 3 am, but after everyone retires, I love sitting alone in the desert for an hour later!
I’ve started listening to music or mantras or relaxing sounds in my empty time, Binge watching Netflix series without having to pause a million times in between, catching up with news, sometimes scrolling mindlessly on fb or Twitter – without registering much of the content.
And sometimes,  just gazing out the window, enjoying the breeze… that is the time when I’m most inspired, motivated and I realise that the world is infact so gracious, and that there is so much abundance to be grateful for ! I can sit like that till my eyes can no longer stay open, and then fall asleep like a baby!
So that- spending time alone, with myself, is my kick!

What’s yours?

You are Enough.
What you stand for is enough.
Your belief in yourself is enough.
Your love for yourself is enough.
Your validation for yourself is enough.
You donot need constant validation, permission and mercy love from other people – you donot need to change, bend or upgrade to get approval or love from others, either.
Simply put, love others, but love yourself the most !

So my kids (and some kiddish adults), ask me this question- ” How do I still have Faith?”
Here’s the thing- 2020 has been rough, yes..
Almost everything that we took for granted , came to a standstill. Flights, trains, Roads – borders of countries, even states and cities were closed.
Going out to movies- to parks- even grocery shopping- all was restricted. And who can believe that after hundreds of years of medical research and advancement, we weren’t allowed to even go to hospitals unless in urgent need!
Even getting out on roads has warranted fines and lathis!
The incomes stopped- the visits from friends dried up, Even visiting Family was not allowed!
But , amidst all these restrictions- something still didn’t change-
There was a bright, hopeful sunrise each morning and a stunning, soothing sunset each Evening! As usual, even on shutdown days!
The clouds did come out as expected each winter, and brought along with them the cool breezes… not affected by curfew times!
The parrots still sqwak on the rooftops and the pigeons still nibble at my balcony plants …
The sand is still soft in the desert and the flowers are still colorfully blooming!
And that, is why me, “and I hope we” , still have, and retain the faith.
Faith, in whatever we choose to call it- Bhagwan, Allah or Lord , (or even Universe in today’s trend). Just hold onto it!

#faith #sunset #sunrise #2020 #universe #havefaith #cloudyskies #life