Category: Attitude
My Amazing Wife
Today is Anjali’s birthday. In our family, we celebrate happy events, but on our terms. We went out to dinner a couple of times last week, and to a comedy show in New York, and decided that they were all part of the birthday celebration. Today there won’t be any special plans because it is also Karva Chauth. This means Anjali is fasting. She won’t eat a morsel until the moon shows up at night.
I would hardly classify our family as religious or ritualistic. Karva Chauth is the only ritual that Anjali follows diligently each year.
What is remarkable is her equanimity. It is one thing to read about and preach an evenness of spirit, calmness in demeanor, and a non-judgmental attitude, it is a whole different thing to implement all of this.
Anjali Kumar does this effortlessly, every day of her life,… Continue Reading →
Lessons from a Mango Tree
I grew up in Chembur, Mumbai in a rented one room and kitchen apartment, with my parents and two sisters. My extracurricular life revolved around a giant rectangular play area (we called it “the compound”) surrounded by buildings on three sides and a street up front. There was a huge mango tree smack in the middle of the compound, which belonged to the landlord. Each summer the tree would be laden with delicious green mangoes. Not unlike a plot from Mission Impossible, we did our groundwork. We timed the landlord’s afternoon siesta, and struck with unpredictable frequency. The rocks and stones we threw at the stems to dislodge the mangoes would rustle the leaves, but we managed to get away before he could find his bearings.
On one occasion my Dad caught us in the act. “I know we are not rich, son” he said, “but we can afford to buy mangoes from the market.”… Continue Reading →
What happened to Jack?
There are many “good old days” that I do not miss. Like sitting in a class in primary (elementary and middle) and secondary school (9th & 10th grade). I can count the classes I enjoyed with one hand – 9th & 10th grade English, Math and Physics. Only because the teachers seemed to care and knew how to mix some fun into the process. I have never particularly cared for a daily repetitive routine that feels like a rut, be it school or a job. I was christened “junglee” on the first day of pre-school (nursery) by the teacher in response to my ferocious protests to being carried into a class by force by a concerned mother and aunt. As a side note, the English word jungle comes from the Hindi word jangal which has a Sanskrit origin. A junglee would be an anglicized Hindi version of belonging to the jungle as in Tarzan,… Continue Reading →
There is always a Silver Lining
I grew up in a building named “Tilakwadi” in Chembur, Mumbai. There was a huge quadrangle with a building on each of three sides, and the fourth was open to the street. This was the the heart of the community, cricket and soccer ground, community theater at night (Chakyar Koothu), cultural activities, seven stones (Lagori) venue, Diwali & Holi celebration space and a hot spot for a score of other activities.
I missed a lot of the late afternoon action during the week because I was the only one on the afternoon school shift in the building. The rest of them went to OLPS, Saraswathi Vidyalaya and SIES. I was the only one in GEA- the only school that let me start 1st grade a year early. As I reached home in the evening, dragging my school bag and water bottle,… Continue Reading →
Attitude, Gratitude and other freebies
“Free Stuff” usually has a cheap connotation. However, the most important things in life do not cost any money. Like love, forgiveness, gratitude, positive attitude, dreams.
Waking up grateful each day with a happy attitude does not cost anything. I believe that gratitude is a perfect foundation for great expectations. We are grateful about – Health (emotional, spiritual, relational, physical, financial), Peace of mind, family & friends, joy & laughter, dreams and goals). Then we find specific things to be grateful for each day. For instance, today I am grateful to Shekar Raman, who suggested a name for this website- “My Words My Life”. The “.com” url was unavailable, and this led me into a quest for names, and I ended up with “My Words My World” and I quite like the alliteration. Very grateful for that…. Continue Reading →