Is it a 'Blah!' or 'Blah, Blah, Blah!' Situation !!

The word 'blah' refers to something which is boring or without meaningful content...I don't even know if such content exists, why should they? if they have no meaning....but I am very wrong, they do exist, adding on to the boredom of some, every second as the clock ticks on. The word 'blah' can be traced to the 1800s and as fortunate as we can be its usage has been going up. Today we can find books titled 'Blah! Blah! Blah! there is one by a British author and several others as I googled the word "blah' and there were some gag gifts too, several others promoting the blah', blah', blah' moments which I choose not to mention, because of the ongoing blah, blah, blah content.

      Sometime or somewhere we have all found ourselves, placed in a whirlwind or tornado of a blah, blah, blah, blah situation....It could be of  our own making or people around us, who knows even circumstances, we humans are prey to all these. We might have walked on our tippy toes around it, or even done marathons, jumped or simply drowned ourselves in it. The blah, blah, blah, might have been hurled at us or we opted for it or for some strange reason the blah just walked beside us whistling or groaning. It is one of those boring situations which hardly makes sense, not miserable but hardly tolerable! It is only a triviality but nobody wants to be in the blah situation and it brings on the enormous task of getting out of it armorless jargon. If you are fortunate enough, a knight or dame in shining armor could rescue you from the unwanted boring situation. You think you are not destined to stand by a fast running blah, blah, train and enjoy the speed and boredom it causes but you are wrong, you will often get caught in its snares and wait it out. We all have been in that situation...I know you have been there, you are smirking and smiling..but we all know that we have time and time again devoted our productive hours and literally watched it go waste in the garbage bin without mercy. 

     At times, we all feel the 'blah' with the 'blah, blah, blah, of the world but my Dockers pants (an old one) has an inspiring quote for me. It was bold and bright and held a megaphone in my face this morning and it said, " Stop the "Blah!Blah!Blah! and bring on the wow." I have never seen pants have quotes on them or stop me in my way and inspire me but this one did! We usually look for quotes on books and

apps...or even bags or totes but pants, what are the odds. How do I bring on the "wow" we are in a swamp of blahs as we go with our daily routine...the television, social media you name it, has a fishing line, a hook and bait ready to draw us in. 

    How can ordinary, regular and mellowed people like me bring on the wow in life. There are millions of us still searching but where is the splendor and wow of life? I think it lies in the little moments, a spark amidst the blah of daily routines, a song, a quote, a smile, a thank you, a kind word, a flower blooming, a raindrop stuck on a petal, a sunrise, a sunset, a pet, a cuddle, a wink, appreciation, maybe these are the wows of life. 

    I think the beauty of a created world gives us hope and positivity and when the blah comes along we take it in our stride. I do think now that I have deliberately dragged you in the blah, blah, blah,

situation and will definitely entertain myself at the boomerang of this blah. If you are reading this, the last line or so, I have got you gripped in my blah, blah, blah, better find your "wow" to get out of the snare!!

A Summer Song

If Flowers were my punctuation

I would pause with a pansy,

A lily, my semicolon;

I would haste to gather all the "petunias" to be my quotation marks,

While the geraniums! my exclamations!

My thoughts, like bees,

My verse, grown in mud.

Asking the world, a simple question,

With the tulips standing in an array.

If the garden was a hidden book,

Which I could read all day long.

My words would be silence,

Kept in my notebook, invisible, 

Yet there, waiting to sprout,

Inspiring and legible

With punctuation,

So Bright!

Spring

We are almost on the threshold of warmer weather but the cold claws of winter keeps showing up, reminding us of the grip not yet loosened. The weather gives us a taste of that warmth now and then which we have been eagerly waiting for. Spring signals the renewal of life, the radiance of emotions and the rejoicing of the spirit. The brilliance of spring has started trickling in with early sunrise and late sunsets, as if the sun assures the earth of its closeness to keep her warm. The birds have returned to their abode and we can hear them merry making, while they prepare to gather twigs for nesting. 

The ground is still cold and rough with winter but yields to the warmth of the bright sun and melts in a stupor of clayey softness. Some perennials have started to peep through dirt and bring forth colors of joy and hope. The trees are still bare but there are branches ready to be clothed with blooms and buds. Waiting for hope and renewal is exciting as well as joyful but patience is short lived in human nature, always wanting immediate results but the wait should and is always rewarding.

What do you do during spring? I am always busy planting flowers, sowing seeds and watching it grow and bloom.

"The two most powerful warriors are patience and time." Leo Tolstoy

If you have these two warriors by your side you are sure to step into spring with victory.

 The Pause

The evening sky all aglow with an orange hue, makes one feel rested, a day done and some of it kept on the memory shelf. The setting sun on the horizon is very captivating and mesmerizing. I am often tempted to take photos of the shimmering sky all lit up, signaling a closure. The birds come home to  roost so do we....rest, that is necessary to step into another day. Pause, is important for renewal, to carry over to another day. It strengthens the mind and body and we are ready for tomorrow. 

The sky was aglow with the day's burden,

   Ready to pause and rest,

The setting sun, told today's story,

While the world kept spinning;

To add adventures to memories

On the other side of the horizon!

Have you ever spent an evening by the ocean? It is mesmerizing and leaves you transfixed. It takes you into that realm of pause and rest, where there are no thoughts, no tiredness, no struggling negatives but pure relaxation and peace. It adds beauty to life and gives you hope for another 'tomorrow'.

The Blizzard Outside

The howling wind can be heard inside. It creeps through the tiniest space, though the glass panes as it fights a battle to keep it at bay. A morning in March and it's cold.  The mighty wind carries the snowflakes and tosses them throughout the landscape but some of them adhere themselves to the barren branches of trees, clinging for a breath. It is freezing and frightful as the hours advance with the pine trees swaying in the gusty wind unable to shake the snow of its branches. The scene outside, as I look through my window, reminds me that some days are just tough to deal with, yet there is something magnetic and a spot of beauty in it. Tough times, trials, coping days are also part of our lives they drive us towards hope and better days. I do find a spot of beauty even today, as the cold, blizzard continues. The brushes in my front yard resemble huge frosted cupcakes and the snow filled branches wave at me tousled by the wind. The day gave me time to relax and breathe my own tune....as I move around the house without looking at the clock. It's a day with the beauty of leisure, no schedule, no time. It flows on its own like a sparkling river regardless  of the drastic conditions outside. There is a sense of pleasure when I don't pause to be on time and schedule, time sails by and the day is done. Moments in life, when you have time to stand and stare, or recline on the couch bring out the beauty of the day, even if there is a blizzard raging outside. 

"Maybe it's not about having a beautiful day, but finding beautiful moments. Maybe a whole day is just too much to ask. I could choose to believe that in everyday, in all things, no matter how dark and ugly, there are shards of beauty if I look for them."

......Anna White

Humor the Spice of life.

Laughter makes you comfortable in an instant. Life flows with laughter. It is a good source of stress relief,  (according to a Mayo Clinic article) if you are laughing, giggling, or guffawing you are in fact stimulating your vital organs like the heart, lungs and at the same time you are also increasing endorphins in your brain. Laughter makes you feel good, comfortable and stress free. 

You will be surprised that laughter has long term effects on your immune system, relieving pain and improving your mood. Laughter is medicinal and this is no joke! It recharges the body, increasing energy levels while stopping negative emotions like anger, sadness, and anxiety. If you and your buddy are laughing at a joke or a comic strip, you can't be anxious or angry. 

Laughter also brings people together. We humans are social beings, we share our thoughts, ideas, emotions and of course laughter. When we share laughter together we are inevitably bonding. When we share laughter, we are engaging with people and maybe it can get some of us out of stressful situations. It is the key to bonding and togetherness. The social aspect of laughter can lengthen your life span. 

So dear friends, go forward and share a joke, a funny video or whatever made you laugh today. Begin a healthy journey of bonding with people leaving aside negativity and remain stress free, looking towards life with joyfulness.

 

What about Literature!!

Written words in prose. poetry, essay or any other literary form takes us into the author's world of imagination or truth, bare facts, dreams and ideas. His or her words, thoughts, mingle with your own and a journey of togetherness begins. The books which make you halt for a while, the poem which had you teary eyed or the essay which made you think of your worthiness is all literature interacting with you as a human being. The value of communicating thoughts and ideas in print, digital or orally passed down from one generation to the other is literature which throws light on the different perspectives of both the reader and the author. It is a wonderful world of thrill, personal messages giving purpose and meaning to humankind. 

Through literature we meet life walked by a diverse set of footsteps laid bare before us so skillfully and uniquely, that we find ourselves traversing the same paths, adorning diverse cultures though we might be a world apart or living in the same neighborhood. Nothing makes a difference when you are reading and the sole purpose of literature is recognized, as the togetherness emerges bit by bit. 

Literature also explores the truth of being a human. The very projection of communication through various languages and reaching out to the masses is awesome. The author and the reader have a special bond. Literature helps us to understand things that are abstract, feelings that cannot be seen....they are like the mysteries which refuse to be comprehended, like pain, love, hate, war and of course human nature. A fictional character created by an author might remind you of some person you knew or know, the plot of a novel might delve deep into your own soul. A setting might look familiar or you might relate to a dream like situation or journey but then literature always bounces back to the human spirit. It involves mankind through entertainment, information, instruction and persuasion. 

Finally, literature also portrays our past, present and future by linking stories together like a bead necklace. We perceive new ways of thinking and living. Literature creates a wonderment of creativity while thinking critically but first and foremost it links us together as humans and comforts us that we are not alone in this world. It is a cause for togetherness.