Rekha's Ramblings

 Writing has always held a special place in my heart. I find the act of putting thoughts and emotions into words truly liberating. But except for posting a little here and there on Facebook, I didn’t publish much. One of the reasons I hesitated to publish my writings was the fear of judgment and criticism.   So, you may ask, why now? Firstly, Now, I have come to realize that perfection is not my goal, authenticity is. Secondly, I was inspired. For years, I kept my writings hidden, unsure if they were ready to be seen. But encouraged by my sister’s gentle words and moved by a friend’s successful blog, I finally understood it’s never too late to begin. This blog will be my platform to share my unfiltered ramblings—without worrying about who reads them or what they think.  As the Hindi saying goes:  " कल करे सो आज कर , आज करे सो अब " ( Do tomorrow’s work today, and today’s work now. ) So, without further delay, I embark on this writing journey with a...

This is what was reflected through the windows of a local gym. Needless to say, I made it there but did not go inside today. I stood there and soaked it all in. Then walked around the neighborhood and soaked it all in even more. And while I was doing that, my daughter called to show me the fall from her window, at her college campus. Then my son texted me pictures of what he was looking at, fall from his viewpoint at his campus. I'm proud of myself today that I paused and taught them too, to pause and to appreciate little things in life. I hope you can pause, take a moment to appreciate little things around you. 

  Not too long ago, someone I deeply care about was going through a rough phase, feelings of loneliness and didn't know what to do, how to cope with it. Of course, we talked about seeing a therapist, counseling. While we were on the subject, he said “what do you know about loneliness, you always seem happy, I see all your pictures, you are always busy doing something. You are always smiling and happy." Hmmm, long pause.... What do I know about loneliness??? I know  plenty about being lonely, especially now, recent empty nester. My world revolved around my children and their activities. Now that they are gone, all the running around is gone. Sometimes it's very rough, especially on a weekend when everyone else seems to be busy but I am not. I wish I could show you how often I was sad and lonely....  I go through those days of loneliness, a lot. It was very rough and difficult at first. Now, I try to not be "alone" when I am lonely. I force myself to go out, be w...

  They said invoke the child within, go for a walk, nature can heal, nature is the best therapy. Until I got there, I mean at that stage of a woman's life, I had no idea, I am sure every woman who is there now is saying the same. I have laughed, mocked the women who were there and my sincere apologies to them. Until I got there, I thought everything was exaggerated, who puts their head in the freezer? And I am a healthcare professional, but it was all a hearsay until I myself was there. I failed to understand the gravity of this thing called MENOPAUSE. That is me now. I am that woman, my whole-body hurts, my joints ache, my head is in the freezer, a lot. And sleep, what is that??? I once took pride in my ability to remember things. But what is that now?? That is part of the reason everything gets posted on Facebook, it is sort of my memory book. I feel like I am a different person, I do not recognize myself in the mirror. But surprisingly when you reach that stage, ...

 October is a FALL month. October is also "Marching Band" month. If you ever had a child in the school/ college band, you would know what I am talking about. The school Marching Bands all over the country are busy this month with competitions and playing at school football games. Marching Band is not considered a sport and hence it does not get the recognition it deserves unlike a lot of fall sports. I am a self-proclaimed Band Mom, inside out. All three of my children participated in the school band and two of them continued to their university band. Ya, proud mom.  After School activities were all new to me. I did not have access to any extracurricular activities when and where I grew up. When my first born was in eighth grade, I saw his future high school band perform at a community event and it was instant love; love at first sight. So, when he joined his high school marching band as a first-year student, and even though I had two elementary grade children at that time,...

A day out with girlfriends = giggles, goofing and good times. Every woman should be able to experience this pure, unadulterated joy every now and then. I did not then, I was busy raising my kids but looking forward to it now. Better late than never. Today is  World Mental Health Day  . It is easy to lose yourself in the rut, in the grind. I grew up with the phrase "ask and you shall receive." You oversee your own wellbeing, and I have learnt that one must ask, one must find out the resources available to them. It can be simple things like walking outside, visiting a local library or watching something you like or listening to the music you like. In this case, I had to ask my friends if I could join them and glad, I did. We had such a wonderful time that I am still smiling thinking about it. Hope you can figure out what it is that makes you happy, brings you joy. My ramblings on this World Mental Health Day!!    

  Very recently visited this place, Devil's bridge, as its name suggests, it was a strenuous hike, towards the end, it was very rough, bear climbing. I'm afraid of heights and almost gave up.  My husband went up to the bridge while I waited down, the last 1/10th of the way away. He came back down with some pictures as he knows it's the pictures that motivate me and that is why I had picked the hike to begin with. He held my hand and guided me all the way up and back down again.  We were not rushed; we took our time, and he made sure that I got to see what I wanted to see. The breathtaking vista it offered was priceless and worth it.  And folks, that's what it was all about, some motivation, some guidance, some hand holding.  Sometimes that's what we need. That's exactly what he did for me. Hope you have one such person in your life. My ramblings on a Monday morning! Have a great day and a great week ahead.