joy of giving

These days I am quite excited about a very interesting pan India campaign coming up from 27th sept to 3rd Oct. It's called the Joy of Giving Week, when the entire country, decides to celebrate the happiness one gets when you do something for another without expecting anything in return. here's the link, www.giveindia.org and www.goonj. So have you ever felt this joy, would you like to share it ? The giving can be anything, your time, your ideas, your kindness, your material, anything.. promise to write in some more and jaldi...

for the past 2-3 days I have been grappling with an interesting problem. Without boring anyone with the details, the root cause is to do with how much does one get involved when trying to do good for another person. Does helping only qualify if one goes all out or if one were to help 'within one's own limitations' , would that still qualify as help... The other more complex problem is that I may think that the help should be given in a certain way but the reciever of help has a different perception of how he/she should be helped. In that case even if one knows that their own path is more sensible does it make sense to take the receiver's path, would that really be helping in the right spirit... any answers in the blogosphere???

Its funny how things come back to you from different directions of the universe. Only today I felt as if somone somwhere was trying to tell me something, just the means were changing but the message was loud and clear... In my earlier post with some thought ful lists, one point said something about if all of us were to throw our troubles in a collective basket, we would end up picking back our own troubles only causes the others seem that much more heavier to bear. Today again something beautiful arrived in my mail.. Funnily it has Paul Coehelo, the famous writer of the Alchemist saying the exact same thing.. check it out http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=3715

Now call that a coincidence or whatever you may.. but its right there.. has that ever happened to you... that you have the answers before you even start thinking of the questions..

till i write in again, signing off for now.

Today seems to be a day for lists.. not to do lists... but to live by kind of list.. those are the ones we mostly forget. here goes the first from http://www.windowseatdesign.blogspot.com/

*Go away for a weekend, but don't decide on a destination beforehand. Just get in the car and see where it takes you.

* Go and watch 2 movies in 1 day and have some pizzas and some wine in between.

* Read all your old love letters.

* Get up early and watch the sun rise.

* Go to a concert.

* Phone an old friend you have not spoken to for ages.

* Wear something different to what you usually wear.

* Buy a lottery ticket.

* Reread your 3 favorite poems and books-Preferably in bed.

* Go for a long walk next to the sea.

* Swim when its raining.

* Buy something you don't need at all, but would like to have it anyway.

* Phone an old boyfriend on his birthday. :-)

* Talk through the night to someone you really care about only to go to sleep when the birds starts chirping.

* Eat Oranges and chocolate fudge for dinner - Just because thats what you feel like.

* Have a picnic.

* Become a child once again.

* Go to a restaurant you have never been to before.

* Go for that long massage therapy.

* Watch the sunset.

* Ask your hairdresser what he would like to do with your hair.

* Learn to let the dishes stand for a day.

* Sign up for singing lessons, dancing lessons or kick boxing classes, or live drawing or Tai-Chi.

* Put in suddenly for a day's leave and go trekking or in a nature reserve for a long weekend.

* Buy some plants and some flowers for yourself.

* Go out for the evening and say 'Expect me when you see me' as you leave.

Thanks so much Ashwiny for sharing this..

The second one I read today on my favourite Rang blog.

here it goes..

1.Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first pay cheque.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you no one else.

20. When it to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion, today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?

'27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

How true. Life is a gift every day..

this must be the longest gap in the history of blogging. the last I wrote was in decemeber, 2008. funnily I am still a little lost about what to write. Guess I am still a little self conscious, actually make that very self conscious. like in real life I guess introducing me self will make for a good beginning. I am right now living in several worlds simuntaneously. At one level I am an at home mom to my nine going on ten daughter plus I do some bit for an NGO my husband and I started some years ago. There is the day dreamer me plus a daughter me as well as a sister me not to forget a low profile daughter in law me as well. All these bits are me and yet there are some bits that are left out unspoken... That's the bit that is getting defined each day of my life.

The things close to my heart.. the things that will keep coming up in my posts time and again...

design; home, architecture, furniture

spiritual/self development/life/literature

and yes offcourse people... special people...