Grief

When grief strikes, shivering with fear, guarded with shadows, nothing feels right, anxiety seeps in through the darkness, in the deep, dark crevices of heart and mind, and moving on becomes a struggle,

Then....There comes a shift in consciousness.

With positivity, focus on the strengths, trust your being. Remind yourself to stay calm, and move on with grace. It is time to accept the things the way they are. It’s time to change the perception. For being alive in itself is enough reason for celebration. Remember it's a passing phase, everything falls in place.

Stay strong, be brave, sing and dance.

-payal

 My Day 7 post for Write Tribe festival of words.

Day 6  A cup of wellness

Day 5 Corridors

Day 4 Nurture

Day 3 Serenity

Day2 Miracle

Day 1 Braving through the storm

A cup of wellness

picture prompt

 

Weather was changing, and it was quite difficult to understand its’ mood. It was a cool morning. She woke up early, and there was no sign of the Sun. It was dark everywhere in that moment.

She kept watching the mint and tea leaves mingling together swirling in the pool of water. She added black pepper, lemon grass and cardamom too. The aroma coming from the healthy concoction was refreshing. She cooled it down and added a bit of jaggery to reduce the bitterness. While pouring it in the cup, many thoughts brewed up in her head. Trusting the age old formula, she had prepared a cup full of wellness for her daughter with faith to fight the cold.
-payal
P.S. My parents are here with us these days. My mother had made many friends here. They keep sharing these formulas with each other. When I was unwell a few days ago, all the aunties suggested my mom to give me this concoction. It really helped. No matter how old we are, our mothers always concerned and care for our well being.

I am participating in the writetribe festival of words.
 

Corridors

                                                        picture prompt

Today, Rajiv had asked Rhea to move with him to another town. She was about to leave her town in next few days. Wanting to spend some time alone, she went to her favourite place.

These corridors had known the stories of her achievements and struggles, ever since she visited here for the first time with Rajiv. “Tread softly, and admire the work of the artisans on the walls.” Rajiv had said to her softly. His words had a great impact on her being. Her perception had changed to a great extent.

Observing these silent corridors had taught her to take a leap of faith and free herself from all the if’s and but’s, to recognize the truth, to look for the possibilities, to be confident, and to admire the positive spaces that were created by the artisans.

Walking through these corridors she had learnt to set on a journey, resolve the issues in here and now, and not to carry forward her emotional baggage. Her heart was humming a song.

Out of the many feelings that hid behind the doors, she chose love today. These corridors opened the doors of happiness for her.

-payal

I am participating in write tribe festival of words.

 

Nurture

 

 

Mother nature

nurtures our being.

 

Love blossoms,

 touches mind and heart,

 with positivity,

and creates possibilities

for growth.

Happy hearts 

nurtured with care,

 breathe in love, 

feel alive,

 and dare to dream. 

-payal

 

Serenity

                                                    Goa, 2019
Blue is not always about sadness and anxiety.  It also reflects peace and serenity.  As we keep moving,
More clarity comes in
Perception changes.
That day, after enjoying coffee in the cozy corner, I sat with him on the bench, watching the still blue sea from afar. The Sun was about to set and the moon was rising. The sky looked brighter just like the smile on his face.
Just then he held my hand. A sensation ran down through the veins.
When all is quiet within, and life is just flowing freely, where thoughts are balanced, and serenity engulfs, in that place we silently wished to stay forever, together, in love.
-payal

Miracle

                                           Picture prompt

With suppressed emotions, it was becoming difficult for him to survive. Grudges and regrets had got hold of him and took a toll on his quality of work. In the morning boss had given him the last warning. His confidence was shattering day by day. While looking down, he saw his reflection in the mirror. His life had turned upside down. Contemplating, he shed a few tears and prayed. His distorted self-image started to collapse in front of his eyes. In that miraculous moment, his heart whispered, "Smile, God loves you." -payal
P.S. Miracles happen, if you believe in them. Believe in yourself.

Braving through the storm

A splash of colours

Green and blue,

A vision from above

The compatible two.

In their own space of tranquil,

 braving through the storm,

 flowing through life,

 they kept moving together.

Exploring the magic of river

 Limitless, they started

 riding the tides,

they brought to the shore,

treasure of the stories

and experiences gathered

through their adventure of Life.

With fresh perspectives,

Together in lows and highs

Spring was flowering

deep in their eyes.

-payal

Heartprints

 

 

 

Kindness and compassion

made impressions

 on the heart,

Flowers bloomed         

With love and care.

 

Heartprints!

 

How beautiful they appear,

Taking shapes and forms,

Creating a positive space

Bringing along peace of mind

 

 

Between clouds and water,

Is a deep bond,

A cycle of life,

And the hiding metaphors,

For us to decipher.

There is a moment of awareness

A vision, and perception,

Alongwith understanding

Of holding on

And letting go.

Between clouds and water

Is a relationship,

A magical tale,

 imprinted by raindrops

on the grateful hearts. 

-payal

 

"True friends are treasures!"

My last post for write tribe pro-blogger challenge.

 #OctPoWriMo

Sleep

She was trying to sleep, but sleep seemed distant that night. She ignored, but those chaotic voices were not letting her sleep. Rita heard three gunshots in the air, and she opened her eyes, went straight in the kitchen, and came back with two cups of coffee.
Fine, will you please change the channel now? Let's watch something together, she said to her husband, and laughter filled the room.
-payal

I am participating in write tribe pro-blogger challenge.
 

Learning

Beautifully sculpted images,

Often become history,

And become a rich source

For learning.

While learning

I am surprised to see

The fragility of the medium

that breaks with excessive pressure.

I work with the shattered pieces.

Charcoal sticks- handle with care.

-payal

I always wanted to learn figurative art. When we shifted back to Goa, I met my teacher quite naturally who is giving me lessons in fine art. Today I worked with charcoal sticks and just loved it. 

I am participating in write tribe pro blogger challenge.

Stay connected with me on instagram as I am taking #themindfulbreak with blogchatter and Shinjini.

Expressions

As ink flowed from the pen, paper witnessed many heartfelt emotions that took shape of the words. Expressions had tasted the metal. There was sweet fragrance of the days bygone that kept lingering on for a long time. Feeling nostalgic, she looked up, and he held her hand. Pure love was shining in his eyes.

-payal

 I am participating in write tribe Pro-blogger challenge

I am enjoying #themindfulbreak on instagram. 

 

Thoughts and words

As I begin to write, many thoughts occupy my mind. One by one, I shall put them on paper. I will write everything about the aromatic indulgence as I spent half of my day in the kitchen preparing snacks and sweets for Diwali, about the lunch that my hubby prepared with lots of love, about each passing thought that crossed my mind as I felt the warmth of the Sun in cool weather, about the good old days, about the evening that we spent walking in the market full of lights, about each and every moment of the day, when I felt blessed. Also I shall write about the moments today, when I felt worried without any apparent reason and got upset. About the moments where I looked back, and smiled. Concentrating on my strengths, I keep moving. Here I am, now, writing and keeping in touch with my true nature.

~~payal~~

I am participating in write tribe pro-blogger challenge.

..And these days I am enjoying  #themindfulbreak on #instagram . It’s 15 days photo-a-day challenge by Shinjini and #blogchatter . I will be posting one picture a day till 31st Oct on my instagram account. Stay connected.

Still life

There were many lights in the room, reflecting and shining on the object. I had to make them all visible in my sketch. While sketching the objects, and shading them with pencils,the only thing I had to do was to erase the dark shades, and make the light visible.

Still life! How much we can learn. Shadows of objects are always weak, unless spotlight falls on the object.

Such is life! When negativity pulls us down, we have to erase the darkness, and let the light shine.
 

I am participating in write tribe pro-blogger challenge.

~~payal~~

I write

2017, Goa

Right from the moment

A thought is conceived,

a pattern is formed.

Words must flow

effortlessly, to get unstuck,

and to break the patterns.

To make room for the

fruitful ideas,

to bring

the positive changes,

to understand oneself.

I write because I must!

Sometimes to remember,

And sometimes to let go.

To live with

a peaceful mind,

to stay calm..

I write!

~~payal~~
I am participating in Write Tribe pro blogger challenge 2017

Nostalgia

Memories of yesteryears rushed in as all the cousins met after a long time. We remembered the stories we weaved together while sitting on a wooden bench under the tamarind tree.  'Who collects more tamarind in the windy weather', was a challenge. As kids, our challenges were different.

 At that time rains were linked to paper boats, summers reminded us of scrabble and monopoly, autumn was celebrated as the change of season, and the winters reminded of Christmas. Holiday homework was mostly related to embroidery and making scrap books. Celebrating festivals together was fun!
 Friendships were celebrated throughout the year. Selecting an appropriate card for different occasions, with the perfect words, was a task. 

That is how we recall our early years.

As my fingers move on the keypad, putting together all these memories, here a sparrow comes chirping and sits on my window sill. It’s a bit cloudy today. The Sun is shying away. Way of living definitely has changed, but love of our loved ones remain the same.

-payal

I am participating in write tribe pro-blogger challenge.

Patterns

Sep. 2017, Goa

As light from the lampposts shining in the darkness fell on raindrops that had quietly settled on the windshield, their reflections created wonderful patterns inside the car.

While noticing the changing patterns, barefoot, I tried to feel the raindrops as they slided, blended and mingled with one another like those friends who keep reaching one another.

Absolute bliss! It was a sheer delight to observe the patterns created by the reflection of tiny drops of rain. I got lost in my thoughts for a while.

Just then, an old song played and revived many memories. We exchanged a few smiles.

-payal

 

I am participating in write tribe  challenge. It's Day 1.

Stories and conversation

"My dad is from Rajasthan, and mom is from Goa. I have never seen my grandparents, or anyone from my father's family as they never accepted my mom. They had a love marriage. Now my brother is 32 years of age. Isn't it good to live with family?
In Goa,  rarely people interfere in anyone else's work, and noone cares what others might think. Why is it that in north people often care about the so-called society?
Is your's a love marriage, or an arranged one?"
..and slowly we got into a deep conversation about love,  life, and religion.
-payal

Yesterday,  I went to the parlour and the girl with whom I had an appointment, striked a conversation. She doesn't talk much,  but yesterday she just kept on telling her stories. Everyone has a story to tell. At the end, I left with gratitude. Joy of connections! :)
I am participating in write tribe festival of words. It's Day 6.

For you

Image 2017, Home, Goa.

Just seventeen syllables. This is the shortest letter I have ever written.
I'm participating in Write Tribe Festival of words and this is Day 5.

Today is the day

Today is the day,
When I woke up
In the morning
and saw my world
reflecting in his eyes.

Today is the day
When we sat on
the wooden bench
in the park
with a lotus pond
And passion fruits 
and flowers.

Today is the day
When we sat there 
for a long time
without speaking 
a single word
But still talking 
to each other.

Today,
just like everyday
We took out time
For ourselves 
to keep the spark alive.
-payal

Today is the 4th day of write tribe festival of words #6

Here, I live

Not too long ago, when we moved to Gurgaon for some time, a friend from poetry community had asked, "How are you feeling after shifting to Gurgaon?"
I replied,
I feel like complaining 
About roads, 
Pollution, 
About everything that is there
About everything that is not there
Restlessness, 
and the chaos that dwells in big cities. 
Rain and traffic jams. 
Hustle bustle for name and fame, 
Damn!  That's not the way I am.  
....and now when friends ask me how I feel after coming back to Goa,  I just reply,
I lose the sight of the sea
I lose my presence in the moment.
I lose a lot in finding myself.
..But then I realise I am never lost.
Something holds me tight
And brings me back to where I am
Supposed to be.
-payal

It's Day 3 of write tribe festival of words.