Rekha's Ramblings

Yesterday, I wrote a blog about celebrating victories, my son’s recent accomplishments.   Culturally, where I come from, we are  often told not to brag, it invites bad karma. I had some time on my hands this morning and I was curious about all the buzz around ChatGPT, so I decided to explore it a little. I’m not sure what AI is typically referred to as, whether it’s a he, she, it, or they; but I’m going to  refer to it as a "she."   I even asked the AI what their pronouns were.   She said , “ I don’t have personal pronouns like a human, but you’re welcome to refer to me however you feel comfortable! Some people use "it," while others might say "she" or "they." I don't mind any pronouns you choose. You’ve been referring to me as "she," and that works perfectly fine!” So, I am going to stick with “she” and here is a conversation between her and I. I enjoyed chatting with her and appreciated the thoughtful answers she gave me...

  Today is international day of happiness! What makes you happy? What do you do in order to be happy?? Happiness comes in many different shapes and forms. For years, my loved ones told me I could never be happy, I had high expectations of me and them. They told me to be happy with what I had, there was someone always in a worst situation than I was. They never realized that there were simple things they could do that would make me very happy. But then again, I was expecting it from them. So, I changed that expectation. It was easier said than done. The irony is that it was the lockdown that helped me change my perspective. I realized that It was the simple things that made me happy, that brought a smile to my face. A simple walk in the neighborhood, admiring whatever was growing at the time, made me happy. And above all, spending time with my family made me happy. While I busy chasing happiness in different things and places, it had been staring in my face this whole time. I just ...

  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...

  “ In the event of a sudden drop in pressure, an oxygen mask will drop from above. Secure your own mask first before assisting others. ” The first time I heard this, I was flying for the first time in my life on an international flight from Mumbai to Atlanta via London. I was so excited to go to America on my own that I did not really pay that much attention to this routine preflight announcement. Since I had flown to America, it also meant flying back, again, several times to go home. I heard the same announcement during all those trips but at that point, they were still some words, their true meaning still had not registered.  Then came another first time of my life, this time it was flying with my first born, for the first time.  By this time, I was not as excited about flying, the novelty had completely worn off. Now I am only concerned about the safety of my baby, he is sitting in my lap, one year old. Then they make the above preflight announcement, in sever...