Tuesdays with Morrie : Afterglow

I’m getting fond of Mitch Albom now. He befriended me one fine day as I was surfing through Amazon. He just came by and flashed himself by offering me faith, just when I needed. I spent some good days with him, soaking in all that he had experienced, only to see me start walking on my experiential journey. I gathered faith, through essence and in spirit. I think the beauty of special friends is that you keep re-visiting them, even if it seems like eternities passed between you and them. Every meeting is like a beautiful chapter, written in conversations, added to the book of life. If this metaphor was to come true any day, I would randomly open a page and start reminiscing along the pages.

Few days back Mitch called me. He knew Buddhism is what I had found my calling in. Funny, isn’t it? After all these years of wait and wonder for a Guru I could believe in, I found that the faith was no where outside but with-in me. I could see the power of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo reach my soul, cleansing my spirit with every chant. He asked me to spend some time with his favourite teacher and coach Morrie. I was all for it. Pages after pages wisdom overflowed, making me think of the person I have been, the values I stand for, the culture that imposes itself on me and the love I feel for my loved ones. All through this journey, not once Mitch conversed with me and yet he did. He let me in his world of ‘lessons learnt’ with Morrie. When people are so beautiful inside you are head over heels in love with them. Isn’t it? Ah! I’m glad to have fallen in love with such people in my life!

There’s something I feel going up and down inside my chest. I don’t know what it is. My spirit or the warm fuzzy afterglow of Tuesdays with Morrie?

A memory: The other day I shared with my brother that I’m working on publishing something these days.

He said “I hope not fiction or something like Do this, do that?”

 “You mean self help books?”

“Yeah”

“Oh! Not at all”

“Thank God”

“Haha! Cum’on I know I’m not good at writing fiction. All I want is my book of poems to get published someday”.

Amen.

P.S: I purposely didn’t add “book review” in the title. A book so sacred as this one deserves beautiful words, not clichéd ones!

For the solemn times to come

Dear Sad heart out there,

I write to you, for the solemn days that are yet to come by, in the near future or far beyond. I read today about mood- dependent memory. While Rhonda Byrne talks of “laws of attraction”, our brains have a way of recalling sad moments when we are sad and pleasant ones when we are joyous. It’s called “the mood congruent effect”.

Remember the gorgeous smile you had as you walked from library to your room? The gorgeous rainy breeze, as it soothed your skin, enwrapping your soul and lifting your spirits. You heard a voice inside, it whispered “And when things go bad, good days won’t be behind!” I remember your gaze at the lush green trees, like a child you were all in awe of nature. The steps of yours felt like a melody played on the piano. You know why? Because you were simply mindful of your walk on your way back. You soaked in, your soul, every little particle of the wet earth and cool breeze.

When everything seems broken, when hours wash away like minutes and your shoulders droop with work, remember, that you’ve’ crossed hundreds of obstacles in the past. “This too shall pass”.

When you wish to cry out loud for no reason at all, be yourself, but at the same time, understand that tears, like always have been precious! Question, if the reason for your tears, is worth the transparent pearls?

When you wish to give up, rise, for few more steps and you shall be done! Rise! Not because it’s hard from there on, but because you’ve come that far and if you give up now, it shall make no sense!

When thoughts become blurred and you come across fork in the road, pause! Stop! And close your eyes, feel and hear what your heart says! Listen to it, coz nothing in life shall matter more!

When there are days you wish you weren’t ill and cursed your aches and pains, remember, that you are human and not a machine! The very reason that makes you feel shall also help your pains heal! When your body cries, listen to it. Rest! No matter how dire the work is! The adage “Health is wealth” doesn’t goes without its meaning!

For now, relax. Life was never meant to run; we re-invented the meaning to suit our own needs!

Listen to what you speak

Touch that fears

In which your mind believes.

Talk to strangers

For they are not as strange as they seem

Live in the present

Smell the true flavours

For life if lived fully

Even once shall do you good!

Let the peace inside come alive....

When the harp inside

Me glides over the heart, the

Music breathes of peace