– Aparna
The year 2020, a year that will remain afresh in our memories always. Everything sounded okay for us during the first two months until the third month arrived and the horror sank in, for India.
Cases were discovered, people were asked to stay indoors, use masks, sanitize themselves. The patients were required to isolate themselves so that they don’t spread the deadly virus to others. As a result of all these, new words were being etched to our lives.
The word that dug me deep was isolation because this word has been a part of all of us but only now it is coming to the surface.
Isolation during times of Covid-19 means complete separation from anyone else around you. Isolation is for symptomatic patients. Isolation means you cut off any contacts ( physical) from those around you so that they are safe from getting the virus from you. You separate yourself from other people for the sake of their safety.
Haven’t we been like this always? Not that we want to protect others but very often when we feel no one understands us, we isolate ourselves (mentally, emotionally) from those around us. Sometimes we do not want to burden others with our yokes, other times we feel no one really understands us. We succumb to our pains, our sorrows, inner conflicts by isolating ourselves and not opening up. And that leads to a whole new mental phase which is technically termed depression. I don’t think I need to get started with depression and the effects it can have. But I do want to focus that the tiny spark caused in the first place is because we have isolated ourselves.
Isolation is important for those who have the coronavirus. But generally speaking, is it good for yourself if you isolate yourself and allow the monsters within to slowly overpower you? What do you think?
I am sure all of us will have someone in our contacts we have given into self-isolation. What have we done about it? It’s so sad that most of us let such people remain isolated and deal with their problems themselves.
In conclusion, I want to express myself through a poem on isolation:
Numbed was I in a world so chaotic
Silence and fear had taken its deep roots
Scorn and shame had covered the rim
Of my eyes and my dreams
Where shall I go?
I gazed and gazed
Alas, there was none
Who could share my pain
My sorrow that had begun
Numbed was I in a world that has its rules –
You give and give till its all exhausted
You are happy till you walk the pace of others
You are fine till you pretend you can
So was I numbed
So I chose, I chose to withdraw
I chose to hide, I chose to be on my own
I chose, I had to choose to isolate
Did anyone notice where is she?
Did anyone care what is she up to?
Did anyone take note of the change?
Alas! The world and all that swipes them over
Alas! The rules that are so demanding
Alas! No one cares for a soul that is isolated
Oh look, there is something new
It’s not just me but others too
See they have followed my solo path
But have they felt what I feel?
No, they are on to protect their sinew
And the life of their kins
I wonder is there any parallels
They locked up in their rooms and me in my mind
How does it change when things for them will be fine?
Will they in their sanity lookout for those still shut on their minds?
Or will they trade all carefree, leaving all learnings behind?
Something which is hidden ought to be discovered and put to some use, because you never know the hidden jewel might be the brightest of all!
We all have talents inside us and some of us have a package of talents in them. Discovering them and putting them into some good use is the ultimate goal.
When I was about 11 or 12, i.e. during my ‘tween’ years I started watching people closely just as all other kids do during this age. My closed circle included only my family because my friends shared the same position. So I used to watch my family members closely. My older brother was at his teens and he already had developed his interests on various things. Singing was one of them. He would play loud music and sing along and he would write down the lyrics. He was pretty good at that. Watching him do this I started singing too and within no time I fell in love with music. I would listen to the beats and try to sing along and wished that my voice would someday be like one of those singers whom I used to listen. The passion developed and with time I started singing at the church on Sundays. Later when I went to college, I joined the college choir and had one of the most amazing experiences visiting other colleges and churches and singing in front of them. I count those moments very precious in life.
But the sailing was not always smooth. There were times I did not justify songs (as I am not a trained singer)and was depreciated. I felt I am not a professional and I should quit singing in front of the crowd but some things give us so much pleasure that quitting them makes our lives void. So no matter how bad a singer I am or how good I am I choose to follow it and I still sing at the church and am appreciated by my family and friends. Over the years I have learnt more about music and singing and I thank God I didn’t give up just because at times I sounded off beat.
So here’s the message for you guys out there, “You might be good at something but you might not be sure about it. Don’t hide it! Let go and see where it takes you. Of course the initial stages where your talent is just developing, it will be difficult but with time it will all fit in and not just fit in, but bloom if you give it a chance. May it be cooking, sewing, singing, dancing, writing or anything else, don’t hide them within you!”
“Your talent is God’s gift to you, what you do with it is your gift back to God.”
I look at her once and can’t withdraw my eyes,
From beholding her yet again.
The smile with which she’d display her affection,
Revives before my eyes within seconds of ten.
Her embrace resurrects so vividly before me,
The warmth of her arms,
That would so lovingly hug me in glee.
I look at her and smile away in profound bliss,
Recollecting the memories,
When my forehead had been blessed with her kiss.
And the words of care,
That would proceed out of her mouth.
When next will I be privileged to receive that,
I doubt . . .
I look at her, at her picture – that’s all I have with me now.
I see it and remember the times,
Wherein desires for my happiness had bowed.
I miss all of her gestures which now to my heart brings,
An unspoken sorrow of detachment,
From you my mother, which now I hopelessly drink.
(P.S. Written when I was away from home and missed my mother badly.)
He would sit at one corner with his mother and try to equalize with other people’s gesture. I was very small at that time. I had never encountered anyone like him before.
Every Sunday when I would go to church, I would see him. He would come with his mother. He would sit and see things around him quietly. I used to find it very strange. In the church, we all sing songs to praise God. He would try to sing too, or at least utter ‘hmm’, to match with others singing around him.
After the service, when we all would greet each other by shaking hands, he would do that too. Whenever he wanted anything, he would gesture with his hands and try to speak things with an unsuccessful attempt. Of course, his mother would understand every action of his. There was one more thing about him that caught my attention. Actually not about him, but about the people around him. They would give him extra attention, extra care. And he would be happy; he would try to retaliate too. By observing him for few weeks, I realized that he wasn’t so much like us and this would make him quiet. Perhaps he realized it. And whenever anyone would show their attention to him or try to talk to him, he would grin with joy.
Around the globe, about 15% of people are born with disability, out of whom 2-4% experience significant difficulties in functioning. There is nothing that we can do about it, except for approaching them positively. I wonder what they go through inside them, thinking themselves to be different from rest of the world and wishing to fit in the default zone. The rest of the 85% of us, it becomes our duty to accept them the way they are and never make them feel any less. In doing that, we will be creating some legends that this world is awaiting for.
There are some really famous and successful people around the world who didn’t allow their disability to crush their dreams and desires but used it as a catalyst to achieve their aspirations. Nothing is perfect in this world. Even the rest 85% suffers with flaws. It’s a perception, how we choose to see and accept. These special people need acceptance and our attention. Instead of merely sympathizing, we need to be more accepting and encouraging because even they have the right to live happy lives.
I am not much of a photographer. So it took me quite some time to search through the pictures and get this one. This picture was captured by my brother almost 5 years back. He gave me the idea to pose this way and just look at the background doesn’t it make a beautiful picture?
Yesterday when I was scanning through the pictures I got struck in this one for some time and I was reminded of a beautiful verse from the Bible written by the great poet King David.
“I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore”
Life on Earth is never a smooth sailing. The storms rise high above us at times, waiting to crush us down, to leave us with no hope. Our problems stand against us as giants to break us down. And even though sometimes I have no courage to face them and I simply want to quit, those verses above give me hope and the courage to rise and get my armour on and face the challenge. My help comes from GOD who will not let my foot be moved which means He will not let me be defeated. He will never sleep but will protect me from all evil and guard my life.
If anyone of you reading this article is going through some tough times, take it to God, the creator of Heaven and Earth, He will not fail you but will keep you and exalt you above your problems.
God bless you through this article!
What if the word ‘selfish’ didn’t exist?
What if EGO was not in the list?
What if people’s love were without condition?
Without compromise, and without adulteration?
Then we would know for sure Euphoria existed
In that, a tinge of heaven we had tasted!
But we still can get a glimpse
If only we cure our attitude’s limps
And give beyond what is required of us
With a cheerful heart, without making any fuss!
When your friends ask you a helping hand
Don’t just help for the sake of it
Go the extra mile with self sacrifice
So that their heart strings are hit
And wonder they of the love you have shown
Such that the same love in them would lit!
When you are angry with your loved ones
Don’t let your ego take control
But go the extra mile, show your love,
Show your care and play well your role!
Hold no grudge, forgive quickly
Because harmony is the ultimate goal.
We often speak about big changes to bring
But the key lies in altering those small things
Go the extra mile, take the pain!
I guarantee, there’s nothing to lose but everything to gain!
While we are at an attempt to achieve the big things in life, we often put aside those things which create bigger differences. We end up earning titles of being ‘selfish’, ’arrogant’, ‘rude’ and so on. Let us defeat the self-centeredness inside us and take the extra mile, may it be for a friend or relative or a random stranger. Go beyond what is expected of you and create the difference. With the advancement in every area, this is the only zone where we are lagging behind. Let’s outrace this one too. Let’s take the extra mile!
Candles Online 