Nov 13, 2016
True reflection
These thoughts, I ask of them to just let me be. They push and probe, they pull and hold. I try to ponder on these incessant thoughts running through my mind. When I prod them long enough, I am caught staring at myself, in a room full of mirrors that show me a myriad of my reflections. Where am I? I try to find the real me, the reflection that should be me. But alas, I realize, I am seeing the different me, that each thought of mine portrays. Which thought is true? Which is false? In the search for my reflection, I study each of them, to help me understand - the cause behind them. Some thoughts, I say, are difficult to fathom. They rage maddeningly, whirling through a sandstorm, spiraling me out of control and when realization hits, that I am caught in a spiral, I force myself to calm down, to be still. In this constant struggle to be me and to be some version of me, I see myself losing the plot, becoming a chameleon that I don't want to be. I am still searching, still probing. Hopefully, some day, I can see the true reflection of me....
Brain Krans in his 'A Constant Suicide' says:
"All I know is that I have no idea where I am right now. I feel like I am in training for something, making progress with every step I take. I fear standing still. It is my greatest weakness.
I talk big, but often don't follow through. That's my biggest problem. I don't even know what to think right now. It's about time I start to take a jump. Fuck starting to take. Just jump-over everything. Leap.
It's time to be aggressive. You've started to speak your mind, now keep going with it, but not with the intention of sparking controversy or picking a germane fight. Get your gloves on, it's time for rebirth. There IS no room for the nice guys in the history books.
THIS IS THE START OF A REVOLUTION. THE REVOLUTION IS YOUR LIFE. THE GOAL IS IMMORTALITY. LET'S LIVE, BABY. LET'S FEEL ALIVE AT ALL TIMES. TAKE NO PRISONERS. HOLD NO SOUL UNACCOUNTABLE, ESPECIALLY NOT YOUR OWN. IF SOMETHING DOESN'T HAPPEN, IT'S YOUR FAULT.
Make this moment your reckoning. Your head has been held under water for too long and now it is time to rise up and take your first true breath.
Do everything with exact calculation, nothing without meaning. Do not make careful your words, but make no excuses for what you say. Fuck em' all. Set a goal for everyday and never be tired."
Seems apt, for the state of my mind!!
Jul 14, 2016
Witnessing the Blackswan
Aye! I did! I surely did! Metaphorically, at least! It took me a while to process it, embrace it and perhaps form an explanation about it.
Wimbledon 2016 semi-finals between mortal and God seemed to have shocked the expectations of every one, particularly since the said mortal was ordinary in the finals. So, having seen God losing the plot when he served a double fault, yeah! I have to say, I saw the unpredictable, unforeseen, unimaginable event in the history of said God and that is such a rare and freak occurrence, that it compelled me to say that I have seen a black swan!
I thought Roger Federer will cruise to the title. But that did not happen. He is quickly losing his God Persona, but tennis has become more fun now. Watching him play and toy and raise the bar beyond the opponents comprehension when needed, made him the God of Tennis. And now, these youngsters are envisioning his play and matching his greatness with grit, yet he still seemed to have something up his sleeve, until recently. Now, the tricks seem to have gotten a little old.
Raonic played brilliant tennis. He was positive, pushed Federer all over the court, had awesome second serve and finally, just believed he could win. It showed in the game. Federer, on the other hand, seemed to struggle to find the right gear for the match.
I enjoyed the hither-tither of the ball all over the court, particularly Federer’s returns and Raonic placements. For a moment there, I was just enjoying the game. Is that not what sport is supposed to do? To help you enjoy the battle of stalwarts, stepping up their game with every shot and like the fierce warriors they are, never giving up and toiling on, putting up a performance that is laudable even for an amateur sports buff. And they gave that in plenty to me. But, in the fourth set, Federer did the unthinkable. I was thinking this would go to a tie break, both holding their respective serves. But Federer and double fault – two words as unlikely an event as him not winning a single game in a match and it all ended there, for me.
Post-match, my husband and I were arguing, his prediction that Raonic looks more positive irked me to enough to banish him from the living room. In hindsight, I should have saved my heartache and just watched something else, but then, I would have missed the metaphorical Black Swan! I hope I won’t have to watch another!!
Mar 19, 2016
Goodbye Granma!!
March 19, 2016.
There are moments in life where logic has no meaning. And one such moments is death, the absolute certainty of it and the finality of it.
Gran ma passed away on March 19, 2016. And when I heard the news, the despair was all consuming. At that point, it was not about coping or standing strong, it was about mourning the loss of a person who had a significant impact on my life.
Right at this moment, twelve days after her demise, I am not really sure if I processed the pain. I feel a bit numb, with my brain functioning on and off. I keep going back to seeing her in the ice box, the look of peace on her face, one I had not seen, even in her sleep in as long as I remember. Death has finally given her peace, that which eluded her for quite sometime. While she rests in peace, her loved ones are dangling between relief and sorrow. One moment, it is a relief that her suffering is done and the other moment, is about questioning the sanity of that thought. The first couple of days have been overwhelming, the thought of not having a loved one around. After that, it was coping with the reality, accepting it and finding ways to overcome the despair that wants to drown me.
Every person has a different way of coping. I tend to relive the emotion that threatens to cripple me, over and over again, until I am numb. I get on with my day, focusing on what needs to be done, moving from one task to another, ignoring the longing for a quiet place to wallow. Most of the time, I cope quite well, but sometimes, I feel like I am standing on the precipice of a bottomless abyss. I stare at it long enough with no thought or feeling. It is like time has come to a standstill. I feel the conversations bouncing off me and the monotonous drone of everyday hustle in the background. And then, I realize the need to hold on to the sanity in me, and force myself to participate, to feel.
I should have been used to accepting death, having watched enough loved ones embrace it, to understand that death is as much a part of life as life itself. Yet, every loss brings the feelings of despair anew and threatens to whirl me like a tornado. For now, I cannot seem to overcome the grief. Amidst all the distractions, it hovers in the background, ready to pounce on me.
I would like to think that she has not suffered a lot of pain, for she did not complain about any. For over a period of ten years, she endured the loss of husband and son, both the losses depleting her and the rest of the family, the joy of a fully functioning family. While the loss of husband is acceptable, the loss of son has pushed her through unspeakable agony. She endured the suffering silently, losing one sense after the other - the sense of taste, the sense of hearing, the sense of clear sight and yet, she pushed for seven years, before the body finally gave up.
For me, watching her wither away was difficult to accept. She brought me up. She picked me up from school and endured my tantrums for silly nothings on our way home. She, who fed me sweet rotis before my evening hours of play and cooked my favorite foods, most of the time I turned up to see her, could not eat a whole meal in over two years and could not savor a meal for over three years. It was a slow, painful slip into a life of an invalid and watching her embrace death was crippling and relieving at the same time. While I can accept the death and even welcome it, the grief that accompanied it was like a blow to the shins. It is an extremely painful experience. Time will heal the grief, but the memory of the pain will remain.
Goodbye grand ma, rest in peace!! I love you very very much. Though your physical presence is no longer there, you are very much a part of me. I will miss you, very much.
There are moments in life where logic has no meaning. And one such moments is death, the absolute certainty of it and the finality of it.
Gran ma passed away on March 19, 2016. And when I heard the news, the despair was all consuming. At that point, it was not about coping or standing strong, it was about mourning the loss of a person who had a significant impact on my life.
Right at this moment, twelve days after her demise, I am not really sure if I processed the pain. I feel a bit numb, with my brain functioning on and off. I keep going back to seeing her in the ice box, the look of peace on her face, one I had not seen, even in her sleep in as long as I remember. Death has finally given her peace, that which eluded her for quite sometime. While she rests in peace, her loved ones are dangling between relief and sorrow. One moment, it is a relief that her suffering is done and the other moment, is about questioning the sanity of that thought. The first couple of days have been overwhelming, the thought of not having a loved one around. After that, it was coping with the reality, accepting it and finding ways to overcome the despair that wants to drown me.
Every person has a different way of coping. I tend to relive the emotion that threatens to cripple me, over and over again, until I am numb. I get on with my day, focusing on what needs to be done, moving from one task to another, ignoring the longing for a quiet place to wallow. Most of the time, I cope quite well, but sometimes, I feel like I am standing on the precipice of a bottomless abyss. I stare at it long enough with no thought or feeling. It is like time has come to a standstill. I feel the conversations bouncing off me and the monotonous drone of everyday hustle in the background. And then, I realize the need to hold on to the sanity in me, and force myself to participate, to feel.
I should have been used to accepting death, having watched enough loved ones embrace it, to understand that death is as much a part of life as life itself. Yet, every loss brings the feelings of despair anew and threatens to whirl me like a tornado. For now, I cannot seem to overcome the grief. Amidst all the distractions, it hovers in the background, ready to pounce on me.
I would like to think that she has not suffered a lot of pain, for she did not complain about any. For over a period of ten years, she endured the loss of husband and son, both the losses depleting her and the rest of the family, the joy of a fully functioning family. While the loss of husband is acceptable, the loss of son has pushed her through unspeakable agony. She endured the suffering silently, losing one sense after the other - the sense of taste, the sense of hearing, the sense of clear sight and yet, she pushed for seven years, before the body finally gave up.
For me, watching her wither away was difficult to accept. She brought me up. She picked me up from school and endured my tantrums for silly nothings on our way home. She, who fed me sweet rotis before my evening hours of play and cooked my favorite foods, most of the time I turned up to see her, could not eat a whole meal in over two years and could not savor a meal for over three years. It was a slow, painful slip into a life of an invalid and watching her embrace death was crippling and relieving at the same time. While I can accept the death and even welcome it, the grief that accompanied it was like a blow to the shins. It is an extremely painful experience. Time will heal the grief, but the memory of the pain will remain.
Goodbye grand ma, rest in peace!! I love you very very much. Though your physical presence is no longer there, you are very much a part of me. I will miss you, very much.
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