Life to me, seems like this flexible thing, ever-changing under the pressure of our dreams, hopes and sometimes under sheer will.

What it although is, a Sarcastic B**** with a dry wit. It doesn’t complain against our efforts of constantly changing its course, It awaits, almost silently, till the moment you have it all exactly how you once wished  it to be and then gloats watching you suffer and wishing for the things to be different again.

Grown ups knew every thing!

They were not afraid of anyone and neither did they lie!

Grown ups didn’t make mistakes and best of all they didn’t have to do the homework!

Truth ironically, turned out to be way different than I thought (just like most things!).

Grown ups don’t have it easy in any thing!

Sure they don’t have to worry about pety homework, but their entire life is defined by the work they have to do most part of their day. They constantly lie. They make mistakes that probably have higher impacts then they themselves are aware of and without even knowing they are creating a new world for us every single day.

Take parents for example, I have cribbed for years for the mistakes my parents have made in bringing me up, from the frailty of my body to the constant emotional upheaval of my mind. The choices I have made or basically who I am, is impacted so much by who my parents are.

Aren’t parents suppose to know it all?

Yet, they and yes, I do mean all of them (good or bad) scar their children for life. Some with the abuses the child didn’t deserve, others  with love that child got without working hard.

But then, whatever I am today, it is because of where I have been and who have raised me. All my scares, good  or bad, make me an individual. Individual, my parents are proud of.

Now a days every thing I do, I keep in mind, its My job, to let go of  things that pull me down and polish the goodness my elders have worked so hard to instill in me.

So if I could go back in time, I would give my parents a break from all the silly complaints and tell them, what a fine job they have done in raising us all. (I do it now as often as I can)

We all do that, on day to day basis, don’t we? and mostly there is no harm done. However in my case, I made my situation worse and took another friend down along with me. While the experience itself was painful, shattering and stained with lots of guilty tears, It helped me shape into who I am today and that ways it ended well for me. But in the process I lost a friend and  felt really bad for hurting a nice soul.

No matter how hard I tried to make the mends, it always resulted in exchange of harsh words. Some how this person was capable of bringing the worst out of me. I could lash out with insults I never knew existed and in result ended up being wounded even more. I was somehow convinced that I was the bad one and the other person was the victim here.

Till about last year, after another failed attempt at reconciliation, I took a step back and finally decided to let it all go. May be I was not the only one to be blamed and may be not every bridge can be mended again. I vowed to not make things any worse and prayed every day for the strength to carry on.

While it worked for me, it seems this dear friend of mine is still not able to let go. Every couple of months I get insults swinged at me, and unlike in the past, I am easily able to dodge.  I don’t feel the need to prove a point or hurt back any more.

Just the other day I got another note, wishing for me to burn in Hell and So intense was the need of this person to hurt me hard, that the poor soul couldn’t even frame the words right. I always used to get so hurt reading the words addressed to me that no decent person deserves to hear, and today all I feel is compassion for the person, who must be so overwhelmed with feelings that couldn’t even wait to get the note straight.

Every day lived, especially the ones I feel were unnecessarily hard, seem to bring out the best in me. Every minute, I am given a choice to take it easy or work hard for all its worth and I try not to forget the fallen moments and work hard to make it count, even if, its just for a day.

If you just read the above line and thought I must be the ungrateful kinds who has forgotten GOD and all his blessings, read again. If it made you think that its my arrogance that i speak such words I insist that you give it a second thought. If you think I am blaming others for belittling my hard work, am afraid you may have to reconsider.

Let me explain…

The above statement is neither a challenge nor a blame, its a mere reflection on how we all think on an average given day. I, for instance, have rejected my failures on the name of bad luck for years. I have been jealous of those who achieved the goals while I sat there cursing my stars. But if I was to poke a little deeper and pick on each action taken by those ‘lucky ones’, in comparison to my own, the only difference found was the lack of any such action at my end.

While I do believe, that being born and perishing away are the sheer play of God, every thing that happens in between is driven by us all. There is always a choice between, easy or hard, right or wrong, now or later, yes or no and we pick our cards. While most of us do it blindly, taking the easier option whenever they can,there do exist a few, very few, who do play by the rules. They know right from wrong, they face their fears, they work till dawn and only God knows after how many nights spent without sleep, result in that one ‘lucky’ strike, that one hand of ‘fate’, that changes it all.

To access his work you would need to step away from the comforts of word press and visit him either on Flikr or on FB. 

https://www.facebook.com/vic.smarty

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vic_smarty/

I stumbled upon this artist by accident but falling in love with his work was no fate. Each shot shared makes you imagine the amount of work that must have gone into it….His videos on street photography are worth the share,  great read for anyone who cares to carry a third eye!

http://subodhshetty.com/

Mere Aks, is a Digital Art Studio, where I am currently working and producing photographic art for the collectors across the globe.  Since its just a beginning, I will fine tune the details later (the website, the FB page and more), right this moment I just want to share the news with the bunch of nicest people I have (actually never met!) ever known. There have been moments when my blogging buddies have been more real than the real world out there…

PS. – If any of you are ever interested in any of the work, Please don’t forget to ask for Family discount!

http://piyasinghphotography.wordpress.com/

Saturdays are generally not the days I go online, as hubby is home on weekends and  I love to stay in real world for at least a day or two with him by my side. However today I couldn’t wait to sneak out of my bed to find some amazing blogs. While I read a few blogs on different topics, what I really wanted to find was some amazing pictures and after an hour and a half, I am glad to say, I did not waste my day. Here is my pick of the day, laced with beautiful shots and a story to go with each, a photography blog from Philippines, I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

“Arh! This is just wrong”, I hear her say, but I continue to peel any way.

I dig in my  sharp steel knife into the hardness of much awaited life. The fumes are sharp and flavor is bitter, I don’t notice when I begin to cry. I am done with hard sunny shell of becoming a baby and I can see the sweet layer of tiny steps.  I am getting impatient as I hear her snickering behind my back, I peel away the childhood and all the growing up days.

Oh dear lord!

Comes the rotten layer,  of lies, deceits and all the ugly things that come with college affairs. I wash my hands in lonely tears and get right back on my pealing race. There are sweet flavors of love, motherhood and growing old, but I am too busy getting to the core.  With every layer gone, the silence deepens,  I can’t guess why, she is no longer speaking. I feel the sadness grow, as I am left with nothing more. Surrounded by the shells and layers,  I went through life, like a chore. As I turn around, I see her sad face.  My life, looking up, as if to say,

“Yes, you are done,

but it wasn’t a race,

whatever happened to living and taking a moment to embrace?”

Finding Vincent was the highlight of my day yesterday, In the matter of reading a few posts, I absolutely fell in love with his amazing words. An avid reader, a furious writer and yet so young in years. A must read for every one who cares.