Our very own Guardian Angels

I'm a firm believer in the fact that we all have 'Guardian angels' who watch over us and look after us.Sometimes even to the extent of helping us in choosing the right path  when things seem to be going terribly wrong or when we are in a state of confusion about the lines that can be drawn separating black from white, or then  the other way around...

But even more than me, its my mother who has particularly identified her personal guardian angel.

It's none other than her own mother 'Mataji' as we fondly called her and  who passed away almost nineteen years ago.Mummy has told me at least ten instances during the course of this period when Mataji has appeared in her dreams and told her exactly what she should do in order to resolve matters or deal with that particular quandry that she might have found herself in at that point in time.(and these are incidents or situations that she had not discussed with anyone, sometimes not even with my father)

This evening I happened to call my parents after a gap of about a  week and learnt that Mummy had been down with the 'stomach viral' that seems to be going araound in Delhi. It had been a tough three days  and extremely weakening to boot. Day before, she had even  been able to keep down a cup of tea, and that itself was her dilemma as tea is almost mandatory for her.

Then it happened ...during that time when she was in the nether regions of sleeping and waking. As she described it, I felt the hair rise up my arms for it was so very real.And exactly as Mataji would have done.

Mummy says that she was sitting at the dining table of a large bungalow (Haveli) and that was when Mataji walked in.Sitting a little distance away from her at the table, she patted the seat next to her and said, "Beta you haven't even had a cup of tea the whole of yesterday. I really think that you should. And Mummy listened to her, immediately helping herself to the tea  that was all set up at that table itself.

And then the dream faded away and she was awake..in her very own bedroom.

It was early morning and guess what she did next?
Asked my father for a cup of tea and was actually able to drink it up peacefully. From then on, she got better through the day and today she has actually eaten her first meal at lunch, after a gap of almost four days.

So that's really what Guardian angels do...help us when we need it the most.. 

Ramadan nights in the Gulf

It is that time of the year again, here in the Gulf. Ramadan the month of abstinence and fasting.

A time when people test their limits of endurance and do so happily, staying without water and food from dawn to dusk.

Then meeting up with friends and family to break the fast in the evening. This is something that children sometimes as young as ten years of age, undertake and that too...voluntarily...

A true time for reflection, prayer and following the path  that is the defined one.

Personally, while I appreciate all that happens during the course of the day, what I really like best are the Ramadan nights.

Evenings which are just beautiful and the nights which seem to go on far longer than normal.

There really is something fascinating about this whole month and something that has taught me a lot about the spirit of endurance as well.

Seven days and nights are over and three more weeks to go.

Here's wishing all Ramadan Kareem

Diets are notoriously hard to handle

"The toughest part of a diet isn't watching what you eat. It's watching what other people eat!"

This was a line that I posted on my FB profile today and was amazed at the number of comments that it generated. To cut the long story short, most of them were in complete agreement with the line and ruefully acknowledged that that that it was 'oh so true'.

As someone who has been through the Yo Yo syndrome myself, I consider myself as somewhat of an authority to talk about it. Diets are indeed a hard act to follow through and it is the easiest thing in the world to fall off the wagon.

You gain some, then decide to lose it, Which you do upto a point then get fed up, or just plain bored And then the cycle starts all over again.

So at this point in my life, this is where I'm at.

I eat all that I want to for a few days, then do the balancing act for the next few. That way I'm able to successfully maintain at least the semblance of a status quo.

But for all that I do/dont do, what I definitely try and do is walk off some of it away.At least 5 evenings a week I set out and try and do about 30-45 minutes at as brisk a pace that I'm able to manage on that given day.

It works for me and I'm fairly sure that it will for you as well