Another year already?!

I cant believe the last time I wrote here was almost a year ago. Not because I dint have ideas or thing to write about. Technology, for better or worse, gave me more mediums to express. Shorter, easier mediums. And I took the bait. But I did miss the deep retrospection that comes with writing a longer piece. Writing for me was always about unlocking doors within myself. Even if I'm talking about toilets, it made me delve a little more in a moment I had dismissed in the bustle of life to glean another insight. No, this post is not on the insights I glean on the toilet (though trust me, they are quite interesting too!).

This is on the incredible journey that has been 2013. And my hopes for 2014.

Mumbai and it's hidden corners:
 http://bit.ly/1a0nMlG

2013.. what a bag of the 'good, bad and ugly'. A year of living in a new city. One that makes me squeal in delight just when I'm fed up with it's cramped spaces and crowded places and ready to go back home. A year of missing friends and family and realising how genuinely blessed I had been all this while to have such mad yet beautiful people in my life. A year of adding more people to the family and it's been all the more merrier coz of it.

A year of working in an office.. something I had been dreading.. and enjoying it like crazy. Crazy, talented people who makes coming to office easier and fun are not always a given and I've been incredibly lucky.

And a fantabulous wedding. After all the crazy things that was stressing everyone out (we still have not concluded the blue vs red argument :-P ), I did not expect to enjoy it so much. It was not without it's controversies I guess.. just the way I like it ;) All in all, I'm happy to spout the cliche and mean it - It was the happiest day of my life!
And a South Africa trip which has set the bar so high I'm afraid to go on another trip for the fear of being disappointed. People and places so beautiful that it truly pales everything you have seen in magazines and other photo-shopped articles.

The street play team!

And there were smaller moments which brought in a sense of pride and the realisation that an act no matter how small if bright is enough to light up some purpose into your life. That way I'm thankful to Alex for taking the initiative, and to Akanksha for letting us be a part of Come Alive 2013. It was a 15 min impromptu street play with strangers yet it remains as one of the highlights of the year for me. Something I have to keep reminding myself, " An act no matter how small..."

Thankfully, my personal life has been mostly good and wee bit of the bad (Mostly self made drama, but hey, a girl's gotta have a little drama!). But it has been a truly ugly year to be an Indian. People and events which have shaken up the very psyche of the nation. And I like to think (or rather hope) a twinge of our conscience as well. I'm just really scared that with the new year we'll forget everything 2013 was and repeat ourselves. Honestly, I don't want any more candle lit marches. The year past is worth examining for the fact that things went so grotesquely wrong and we should all look into ourselves for setting it right. It's not easy. Nothing worth having ever is.

And though it pained me and I wanted to write, I never did. Because I thought, "It'll be yet another blog, read and forgotten". It all seemed so purposeless, harnessing all that anger and helplessness on to paper. Then I read this quote by Anne Lamott and it made sense.

Image courtesy: Artemis Wilde Illustration

It truly did. I dont have to change the world; I can just help in the tiniest way possible to feel not alone. It gave me a reason to get back to the blank page, to dirty the pristine white with the black ink of my thoughts. Anyways, why am I tell you this? Well, that's just my way of warning you that you could be subjected to a lot more of this blog business this year from my side.

Anyways,I don't believe in new year resolutions. But there seems to be a lot of positive energy around in the world right now (all that hope still bright I guess) and seems like a good idea to harness that. So here's wishing all of you a passionate and meaningful year ahead. Here's to new experiences, good bad and ugly, and growing from them! And making a change, no matter how small and seemingly invisible. Cheers all!

Love,

Me and my muse!