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Is there any substitute for freedom?

The past few months have been very emotional for most of us with the ongoing pandemic. With businesses and jobs impacted worldwide, those lucky enough to remain employed have a deeper sense of gratitude and appreciation for their job. But all of us have gone through mental and emotional challenges, including anxiety, depression, exhaustion, and helplessness as we navigate through the ‘new normal’.    Personally, the pandemic has been a significant learning experience. With the internet flooded with perspectives and strategies to deal with these challenges, I believe that we as a community, are more united in supporting each other.  On the same lines of sharing one's lessons, I want to bring up one issue that has been on my mind from past time and in my opinion, it is among the top striking lessons that this pandemic is trying to tell us.  It is the value of freedom that each living species on this planet is entitled to it, not just the humans .   Ironically, as the biggest propone

Pretty or Beautiful?

You look pretty, or You look beautiful. What should I say?  And is there even a difference? It depends on the context and what you really intend to say. Both are flattering, compliments for a good appearance. But beauty runs deeper than the looks. Pretty being the outward appearance, Beautiful describes us inside out. A combination of our inner core, thoughts, attitude, actions, character.  One can be pretty but not beautiful and vice-versa.  How many people care about this subtle difference, I ask? Even when the other side does not pay attention, Recognizing the difference will make you conscious about your own thinking and outlook. What matters to you, what is it that you get drawn to. Would you like to keep it the same way or change? Know that, there's no right or wrong here. And the same person can be pretty at one time and come across as beautiful at another. What's important is to recognize that while the words are similar but they vary in their depths of assessing us as

Rating a hiking experience on a fun scale

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Hiking - the word brings forth the therapeutic power of nature, the magnificent mountain views, lakes, human attributes of strength, vulnerability, a sense of community where nothing but kindness prevails, and feelings of joy and accomplishment.  Heather Maple Pass Loop, 2021                                 Sheep Lake and Sourdough Gap, 2021 I started hiking after moving to Seattle in 2017 and the bulk of my hikes happened to be in 2019 when I signed up in multiple hiking groups on meetup.com . While I continued to go on hikes with friends ( Twin Falls , Wallace Falls , Rattlesnake Ledge , Little Si , Beckler Peak in Mt. Baker Snoqualmie Region, one other in Mt. Rainier), I did five hikes with different meetups that year including Lake 22 , Ira Spring Trail , Burroughs Mountain in Mt. Rainier, Easy Pass (anything but easy), and Maple Pass Loop .  I only have fond memories of all those hikes except the last two, particularly the maple pass loop where I struggled the most. The first

Hold your ground

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I recently bought a new car. I had been driving my old car for about a decade now and it was a second-hand car. It was going very well (being Toyota) and I would be lying if I try to justify my new purchase by citing any major issues with my old car. The reality is I needed a change and there are few features that I had started looking forward to, especially after having started a full-time job and knowing that I can afford them now. Earlier being in graduate school, it was a luxury to even have a nice, reliable car. Also, having driven my old car for a while now, I had the satisfaction that I have enjoyed my old ride and was making an informed decision about the change now.  So, what is it that I am trying to get to by sharing these details here, you may ask? Well, I want to share one principle that got reinforced in my mind as I reflect on a decision I took based on it. And as you might guess, the decision is related to my car buying experience.  I was being nudged frequently by frie

Hobbies and leisure time - a catch 22 situation?

Let me start by directly asking your opinion on the title. Agree or not really?  In my opinion, these two concepts of hobby and leisure time can present themselves as a chicken and egg scenario for some of us amid our busy schedules. In other words, should you have hobbies and then figure out some time to enjoy them OR the other way around where if you get some free time, only then you can think of following some hobby?  While I find myself naturally inclined to the first case where I already have hobbies and I try to make room for them from time to time (just like writing that I am doing now), I also know that many of us struggle with our busy schedules. I have heard from friends and family on how sometimes 24 hours are not even enough for the core tasks, leave aside hobbies. But here's one perspective I would like to share with those of you who may not be able to dedicate time for hobbies in their current lives.  In your current routine, you may not feel that you are missing out

The power of perspective and right thinking

Let me share a personal story of something that happened very recently to me. Starting with something that I am sure each one of you reading this would be able to relate with. All this past year, I have kept it pretty much to myself when it comes to in-person meetings. I am fortunate to have a few deep relationships with whom I can talk out aloud and be myself. Other than connecting with them over long phone calls every day, I have been in my own company enjoying reading, exploring new hobbies, or going on short drives.  At the workplace, we started working from home starting March and while I have been going for daily walks up until September but after that, the frequency started gradually decreasing coming to almost a halt by the end of the year. It must have been a handful of times only when I met friends 1:1 and that too outdoors during summer. Despite this secluded life, by God's grace, I have been able to keep myself quite busy and stay positive.  However, despite this sense

Challenges make you real

If you were to ask me of the first few words that come to mind as I think of this term - challenges, you would hear me saying - hard, inevitable, lonely, vulnerable. And these are the very reasons that hold us from embracing them. We are unsure if we will be able to move past the hard times and even if we do, how long will it take us to get there. It is truly hard to mine and dig deep into what lies beneath or ahead of the challenge when you are actually going through it. Then comes the popular advice that we should see these challenges as opportunities for growth and how they help us emerge stronger than before. As true as this advice is, why is it still hard to put it into practice when it is needed?  I believe one of the reasons is that the benefit seems intangible for a long time until we run into a situation where we recognize how one of the past experiences is being helpful. Over the past some time, I have found another way to highlight the value of challenges to myself. Somethi

Gifts, feelings, and occasions

I  enjoy receiving and giving gifts. Who doesn't? The moment I say gifts, our mind draws pictures of birthdays, weddings, or major cultural festivals where we exchange gifts with our loved ones. Sharing presents has become a tradition for these occasions.  While this is all great and fun but I prefer to practice another model of sharing presents, which is driven more by thoughtfulness. This is the model where you not only recognize the conventional moments such as birthdays or graduation but are also mindful of the other occasions. These other occasions may not necessarily come wrapped with a tag of celebration or an explicit call reaching out for something, but you know that those occasions hold a special meaning in the other person's life. When you follow the latter case, you are giving (or receiving) purely out of your care for the other person and not out of any give and take protocol or bound by any tradition. And to add to that, the surprise element. If you are on the re