I will live the years ahead with more gratitude and thankfulness.
Infected by Covid, I so much wished that no one else suffered from this sickness. I guess I had built a good fitness regime before I was bitten, and post the infection, I lost all my strength. The tiredness was so severe that it couldn’t be born.
The community, friends, and family are the ones who helped us during the challenging situation. We had shifted to our new home, and our landlords, Madhusudan and Sudha, helped us with food, medicines, and moral support. The side effects of the illness remained for months. Looking at the worse things that happened around me, I’m happy and thankful that I could recover. I hope and wish that nothing worse happens and everyone stays safe. I now look at life with more gratitude and value it at most.
I have found the joy of reading a book.
I always wanted to read books. Read till the end of it. I had always heard people talk about how good it feels to read a book. I had multiple failed attempts to start reading one. The movie “Seven Years in Tibet” triggered my interest to read the story in March 2021, which later hooked me to reading. I have read about 13 books (the number doesn’t mean anything), and I have found myself enjoying travelogue, adventure, novels, and short stories (we can be friends on GoodReads). Reading a book is joyous. I get time to reflect, understand a different perspective, and think. I have turned hundreds of pages on the bench under the tree at the park near my home. I will carry this newfound love.
I have discovered the secret of doing 108 Suryanamaskara.
I’m a novice yoga (asana) practitioner. I’m as new as six months, and I can barely name a few postures. And with that little of experience, I have found my benefits -
- The occasional mild migraine and the bad sinusitis have disappeared. I have become more confident, can shift my concentration on what I wish to do, and have a positive approach to things apart from the obvious benefits of flexibility, endurance, and strength.
- My partner, Manasa, has overcome her extreme hormonal discomforts and mood swings. We both now hike and trek together, and she is more confident with her each step.
I have completed six sessions of 108 Suryanamaskara (54 sets)(the numbers don’t mean anything here too), and the secret is to do five sets at once and do that five sets 11 times, and you have one extra above 54. No, I’m not kidding; it is doable!
Yoga is probably the best thing to happen to us in 2021. Our trainers, Suman and Latha, are friendly and knowledgeable. But strict and stubborn when training. They stand with a stick and whistle behind the camera.
I restarted a hobby.
After shifting to Bengaluru, my camera and lens had gone hibernating. That is roughly three years now. Birds were my subject; I could only spot crows and a bunch of BulBuls around the place I lived. I was shy towards other subjects and only opened my custom dehumidifier to dust the gear. A few months ago, I started venturing out; it didn’t matter if I had forgotten to remove the lens cap when shooting.
If you really wish to see my photographs head to Flickr. We also occasionally post our work on our page — The Art Duet here and here.
I’m becoming a better traveler now.
I do not want to tag myself as a traveler (yet). I have only explored some corners but always dream of going out. I follow a bunch of travelers and droll over their stories. I have a bucket list too.
We both have toured out 40 odd times in the last six years, out of which 11 are from this year (again, the numbers do not mean anything). I have enjoyed every outing. I have learned to live every moment. The uncertainties and those unplanned detours while we travel are now OK. I accept and respect the differences that I find between people. I see myself as a sensible traveler (yes, I have taken care of during the pandemic).
We look forward to experiencing new places.
The new year
I do not have a resolution yet, at least not the one that vanishes after the first week of the new year. Somehow a new year resolution does not make sense to me. If I have to do something, I can start any day without waiting for the earth to complete one circle around the sun. However, I have a list of things I wish to do and continue doing; I will stick with that.
And I have found my soul thought -
“If I’m not happy with what I have, I will never be happy with what I want.”
I wish you a good year ahead. May staying healthy and safe be the resolution of this year.
