Write your chapter wisely in 2017. . .
\”New Year — a new chapter, new verse or just the same old story? Ultimately we write it. The choice is ours\” –Alex Moritt
A New Year brings infinite new possibilities. A clean slate. A reason to erase past mistakes and start afresh. We all know that resolutions don\’t always stick. But for a shot at real happiness, try penning a set of personal commandments (an idea borrowed from best-selling author Gretchen Rubin).
I would suggest writing them down and keeping them handy. This may make you laugh, but I have mine scribbled on a post-it note stuck to an ancient, long-expired Bed & Bath coupon. Anytime I\’m stuck in traffic, listening to Justin Beiber’s \’Love Yourself\’ repeat itself for the 4th time in a 60-minute window, I find myself pulling out my handy-dandy list and ruminating on what\’s important.
Here\’s my list. . .to help you get started on your own:
- More adventures.
- More creating.
LOOKING BACK . . .
The memories of my family outings are still a source of strength to me. I remember we’d all pile into the car – I forget what kind it was – and drive and drive. I’m not sure where we’d go, but I think there were some trees there. The smell of something was strong in the air as we played whatever sport we played. I remember a bigger, older guy we called “Dad.” We’d eat some stuff, or not, and then I think we went home. I guess some things never leave you.
– Saturday Night Live “Deep Thoughts”
There was a time in my 20’s; that was America in the 1990s.
NEVER ANY END TO DELHI. . .
My girlfriend and I have been on a whirlwind trip covering three countries; Spain, London, and a hop, skip and jump to New Delhi, India, where my folks live. When you go back to your hometown almost every year as I do, how do you keep the visit fresh and novel? No problem, there. . .Delhi is a vibrant city known for providing visitors exactly what they\’re looking for.
Nightlife
After partying non-stop in Tenerife and London (think Novikov; Sexy Fish; Annabel’s) we thought we’d hit a road bump when we reached Delhi. Not so.
Is the use of racial slurs more than a year before? Navigating Trump\’s America. . .
The unanimous response among blacks, Latinas and women is: Yes, people have become more fearless about using racial slurs than they were a year prior. Facebook and Twitter was alive with incidents of harassment after Trump got elected. See below: My Sikh friend who is a second generation immigrant reports that her 18-year-old son who […]
APPLYING FOR A NEW JOB. . .
Now that my home is an empty nest, and the Mr. is gone all the time on business trips or golfing with the guys, I find myself perusing the Linkedin job postings. \”Merill-Lynch and The State Bar of California are looking for candidates just like you.\” The Linkedin notification in my inbox promises productivity and […]
Why I keep Karva Chauth . . .
At the end of the day, it\’s the rituals you embrace and make your own that matter. I didn\’t grow up keeping Karva Chauth or seeing my mother hold the fast. (Karva Chauth is a one-day festival celebrated by Hindu women in many countries in which married women fast from sunrise to moonrise for the longevity of their husbands; ref; Wikipedia.) We were raised in a conservative Sikh household, and all rituals were frowned upon. (Sikhism is a breakaway religion from Hinduism and is founded on the belief that the worship of one God be simple and free of the traditions and superstitions that had riddled Hinduism in the 15th century.)
The apparent history of this \”auspicious\” day is associated with the tale of Queen Veervati and her penance to keep her husband alive. The legend goes that Veervati held innumerable fasts as a married woman while living at her parents\’ home. She would begin fasting at sunrise and end it at moonrise. Her seven brothers couldn\’t bear her condition. So, one day they tricked her into breaking the fast earlier. The moment she ate, word arrived that her husband was dead.
Heartbroken, Veervati turned towards God to seek solace. Goddess Parvati appeared before her and suggested her to repeat the \”Karva Chauth\” with full devotion. This would bring her dead husband back to life.
She held the fast. He came back to life.
With a nod to Election Day. . .
The ballot envelope for sending in your votes by proxy arrives in the mail today and triggers a memory dating some 20-odd years back that I\’d thought buried forever. Constitutional Law class, John F. Kennedy University, circa 1993. The class of 20-odd students engages in a passionate, vociferous debate about citizenship. I was the only […]
You\’re Invited!
My (mis)adventure in a convertible!
Growing up middle class in New Delhi, I lived on a diet of old-time Hollywood movies and English magazines borrowed from the bookstore in the alleyway down my house at 12 Rajouri Garden Lane. The dim-lit bookstore, barely bigger than the 500-feet walk-in closet I now call my own had wire-strung Hindi dailies, romance novels […]
EMPTY NESTER . . .I\’m counting the days until Thanksgiving!
All through the summer, it seems, I\’ve done nothing but attend graduation parties .. .high-school seniors leaving to go to college. My own daughter joins Santa Clara University this weekend. The excitement is high, but the reality is also bittersweet. Why? Because, come Monday, I\’m left with an empty house.
For starters, I\’m pouring my emotions on the page so that I don\’t have to slobber all over her chest when it\’s time to say goodbye. . .