The Earth graced the Sky- the power of thoughts

I was on a short holiday to Goa, yet the timing was not that perfect I should confess. It was a quick plan just before the monsoons in Southern India, but it had kissed the shores of Goa already. It was not alarming so I took the chance to go anyways.

The homestay was close to Baga beach and I could easily breeze my way to the shacks in 15 minutes. Carrying an umbrella seemed like an extra luggage. Since it wasn't very sunny so I did not get to flaunt my classy hat, meant for the beach. Never mind.

I was seated on one of the shacks that gave a good view of the mountains capped with cottony clouds. Even when the rain brought a drop in the temperature outside, I was still sweltering because of the humidity. It was an obvious feel for people residing in a concrete jungle.

I noticed an old lady, seemed like in her mid 40s, standing very close to the sea, with her eyes fixed on the waves. She was clad in a konkani attire and had a cloth scarf covering her head. She had put on the normal walking slippers. It seemed as if she is waiting for someone to ferry through. I ignored watching her and went to get a tender coconut for myself. When I returned, she was still there.

The curious writer's instinct wanted to walk upto her and start a chat but then I wasn't sure. There was a peddler selling peanuts and salted mango. He seemed approachable and I asked him in Hindi if he had any clue about that lady.

Achcha, bhaiyya, woh jo wahan samandar kinare khadi hain, kya aap jaante ho unhe, pata nai kuch alag si hain. ( Brother do you know the woman standing near to the shore, don't know why she seems a bit unique)

To my advantage, he was more than happy to converse. He said that she was a very bold lady and lived near to the beach. She had lost her husband and her son to the sea during the cyclone that had hit the place the previous year. The strangest part is she had tried stopping them from venturing into the sea. There was no prior warning as such until it just engulfed the shore, while the fishermen were out in the deep sea. Her words, ever since are taken with utmost importance. She is able to predict the weather well before the designated so- called educated authorities ring the safety alarm.

She is our Asha Maii,as she saved so many lives, she knows the wind and the sea like nobody else does, and during the monsoons, she studies the shore frequently. She lost everything precious in her life out there yet never gave up the hope and verve of saving others lives.

By the time he finished the story, she was not to be seen. It was nearly going to be dusk and then time for me to go back too. I didn't see her the next day. I thought I should have clicked a photograph of hers, then my soul said, not every aura can be captured in the lens. She was an angelic one. The one through whom the earth graced the sky with divinity.

 

Day 21 - Be Prudent - 21 Days. 21 Virtues for Life .

As I walk on to complete my journey of life's best virtues, one of the most valuable ones is prudence.

When we use our diligence with the right measure of knowledge, research and experience, knowing what is absolutely right in a given situation in our daily life and make the good choice for the benefit of all.
In corporates, the mark of a good leader or manager can be seen through their strength of prudence that reflects in the overall performance of the team. People who are prudent are not just listeners, they are doers who make things happen giving value to others opinions.

In life, we come across so many situations, this is when the quality of prudence comes into practice. When we are aligned with a lot of cardinal virtues of life such as being just, knowledgeful, kind, selfless, willing to change and many more, we can be calm and diligent while making a decision. This may not necessarily be what the world perceives as right, but then this would be the best because everyone has a unique journey and purpose. Prudence comes with ease for mentors and leaders as they know how best to tap at the right talent to resolve a in situation. It comes with wisdom and practice.

🌹🌼Wish you the best in leading a virtuous life leading to a rainbow of wonderful experiences and most cherished relationships for life. After all virtues keep us all divinely connected for a reason. Let that be worthwhile.🌼🌹

 

Day 20 - Be Willing : 21 Days. 21 Virtues for Life .

 

Why do you have to set limitations, when you have the universe out there opening up a magnificent world of opportunities? All you have to do is to be willing to embrace life as it happens and have a strong intent to take the step forward, in order to bring a positive change in your life.

Robin Sharma quotes, ' Change is hard at first,messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end.' One cannot agree more because the process begins with the powerful thought of willingness.

The virtue calls for taking responsibility of any choice that you make and taking charge of the process of self transformation as a director and actor. The journey of accepting change and being open to a new way of life, with courage, actually leads to doors leading to infinite opportunities.

Day 19 - Be Forgiving : 21 Days. 21 Virtues for Life .

Let go the mistake, take it not as personal. Learn and grow wiser because it teaches each one to elevate their thoughts and create beautiful spaces in the future.
Few years back, there was a workshop as part of my spiritual journey. One of the exercise was to practice forgiveness every morning for certain number of days, consistently. Even though I have read extensively on psychology and scientific reasoning behind spiritual practices, much to my surprise, this was a new experience all together.

To forgive as easy it may seem, at times, the pain or the scar of the impact created by someone's mistake to people around might be deep seated. Forgiveness is a very pure virtue that has been preached by noble kings and the monks. It would come naturally, as it may seem to us. But when we set on our own journey, it shows up characters, who probably do not have existence in our lives in the present day at all, yet the forgiveness routine liberates us from all negative ties to make way for peace. This is very essential because at times mistakes are not intentional yet they cannot be left unattended or taken as granted.

The art of forgiveness leads to graceful culmination of any damage done, whether quantitative or emotional to liberate completely. The learnings from any mistake big or small, helps the doer be mindful and never to repeat the same. While mistakes are quite human, forgiveness adds a new meaning to perceive situations and people the right way. It is about accepting and reviewing the cause and effect, with light and might.
 

Day 18 - Be a Risk Taker : 21 Days. 21 Virtues for Life .

 

When life gives you lemons, and the obvious suggestion says, you focus making lemonade. The idea is to instill the thoughts around looking at the positive side of life and exercise optimism, come what may. There comes a point in time when certain challenges are not meant to signal you to go on and make lemonades, rather you need to understand whether it is the right time to do so. The lemons can be used for a long term purpose such as pickles too.

While the fact of this virtue is that one is clearly able to measure the pros and cons while making a decision, which would at times mean risking it all at the moment.

The greatest risk takers are those who try to make the most of their low times in life with a faith in their path chosen, even when the road seems rugged to all. Eventually while moving along this route, they learn new things and get a new perception about life. They might not be part of the bigger picture of recognition yet they are blending the best virtues within and focusing on inner engineering. They know that lemons when used efficiently will help them look at the myriads of opportunities ahead of them than just lemonade.

Risk takers believe in their gut feeling and never jitters from the solution chosen to confront a situation with focus on their courage and patience to allow the best.

Day 17 - Be Patient : 21 Days. 21 Virtues for Life .

There is a famous saying in most Indian households, that the fruit of patience is always sweet. We have all grown up hearing this from our elders, teachers or anyone who really wanted us to understand the importance of this virtue.

The art of patience does not come easily to all. This can be acquired with mindfulness and from one's own experience. There are few things to be kept in mind in order to get the benefit of this virtue in every walk of life.
1. Good things take time, and they come at the perfect time as a blessing to those who wait.
2. There are no short cuts in life. When you want to manifest something really worthwhile, trust the progress even if it is slow.
3. Patience cannot be replaced with any quick mantra. Instant gratification may be applicable for certain things that are based on needs but not for life goals.
4. When patience is the only way out, meditation and mindfulness practice helps to stay calm and focused.
5. Patience is what the ancient monks and saints had in abundance which helped them with other virtues of peace, happiness, kindness and compassion.

While you prepare yourself for the next big, remember to be light and believe in the best with all might. Patience keeps you grounded all along this process of wait, with a great sense of achievement in the end with perseverance.
 

Day 16 - Be Knowledgeable : 21 Days. 21 Virtues for Life .

 

It is said that those who read a lot carry a treasure trove of knowledge in most aspects of life. Scholars and researchers are those who dedicate their live diving in the ocean of knowledge in a topic that they are inclined to, the most.

Successful businessmen have a very good routine wherein they balance their finance and knowledge bank efficiently. I have been blessed to interact with humans who have different lifestyles and professions, they belong to different age group too, the connecting chord with each one has been a powerful experience of knowledge transfer.

The concept of being aligned becomes imperative because then the giver is happy to share as much as the receiver is glad to learn something.

Knowledge is like rowing a ferry like a sailor, wherever you en route to, there is a learning or an experience. It's so wonderful isn't it while we do not know what is it that we tap on the very next moment in life.

Knowledge is the biggest virtue in the universe and there is no dearth of it as much. It is out there in abundance. There is something for every soul to understand, apply to help move on in life as a winner. The ancient kings, queens and warriors inherited it as part of their upbringing or guidance under an able scholar, the knowledge then was pure and profound. Later on, these were documented in scriptures, books and recordings. Technological innovations have made it so easy to explore on things and get information, those which took time for knowledge seekers during ancient times.

Right knowledge through right decipher, stays deep and brings a big change in the world. There's a saying, so much can happen over a cup of coffee, flip the pages and share thoughts that matter to bring a radiant ripple of idea exchange.

Being knowledgeful and humble is what makes a person's aura very powerful!