EF

Mark Zuckerberg got it when his girlfriend ditched him!

Gandhiji on a train to Durban!

Archimedes – when he jumped into a bathtub!

When blood rushes to the brain and we lose consciousness of where we are- and the only awareness which remains is the feeling that overwhelms the whole body. This feeling elevates our sense of being to a new level.

This Euphoric Feeling……hereafter known as EF………becomes a turning point in our life!

What can trigger the EF?

There are many ways- the conventional ones being reading inspirational books, although I’m not sure how much self help books help, hearing good teachers explaining their philosophy…….etc. these I feel are good ways to kick start the process.

What can sustain this feeling---- a life changing experience –which teaches us to look at life in a new manner, or an unexpected achievement which inspires us to continue on that track- only if this is really close to our heart will it make a real difference.

Achievers have an awakening which drives them to excel. Their idea propels them forward. The trick is in recognizing the right moment and using the momentum as fuel to fire the passion

Talking about myself – my run in Delhi was one of these-when I took it as a turning point and am going to take life head on now……it has shown me what it takes to gather courage and fly!

Talking about my son, he ran his first 10k race on last Sunday- 28^th November- it was a rather grueling run- but he completed it- quite an accomplishment if I say so myself. He could learn a lot from this race-but whether he has or not only time will tell!

High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation.

delhi 2010

The commitment to a half marathon is not major……..so registering for the Delhi 2010 run did not take too much thought. Training started much earlier this year than the previous years – and I was in quite good shape towards race day. …the excitement of running outside of Bombay-away from the known and familiar was high. There would be no crowds cheering and no comfort of knowing the track and no telling from before which parts would be difficult where I would need to push myself.

The weekend of the run turned out to be a city hopping-really hectic one!

I was visualizing a quiet weekend in Delhi-but I reached the venue only late in the evening.

Most of the group was already there and then the atmosphere really built up. The advantage of running in with a group I know now-it’s my first year where I am with a trainer – and I can already feel the difference. We meet twice a week and encourage each other and strive to achieve our personal best- running is truly the most competitive sport as we compete with ourselves- it works well for someone who likes to better themselves-constantly-when we see others doing better times we also aspire to get there-of course some are in a league of their own-but seeing them go is a real pleasure.

Except one girl, nimisha, whom I know from before-she, is rima’s friend- I haven’t interacted on a personal level with any of the people who were running in Delhi with me. It was a varied group- a couple of people in their late fifties-whose timing is 15 mins faster than mine-a couple of banker types- and these two young girls-who were running their first half marathon- and one of whom will attempting the full marathon in Bombay in Jan 2011. The most important discussion turned out to be about where to eat! Dinner !breakfast! lunch! Indian! Pasta! Veg! non veg! it was hilarious! How fanatical some people can be about their meals!!

We spent a full 24 hours together and were a part of quite a grueling event- this created quite a bond- we ate together and suffered the aftermath too!!!! Some of us experiencing knee pain-cramping-and general exhaustion-whereas others were fresh!!

The run was fantastic - it began at 7.30-which is incredibly late for us-but even at that hour it was cold in Delhi. I layered up and the buzz was keeping me warm. It was a small crowd-as I believe delhiites are supremely lazy……and there was a large number of foreign runners- who must with the consulates or such. We began with a bang- there were 3 of us keeping pace- we breezed along until I hit a panic button and thought that this pace is too fast for me……thought that I needed to slow down- so I let the others get ahead and t slowed down- I enjoyed the shady avenues….the beautiful stretch along the India gate as well the backdrop if the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The route was flat-with only one small incline- As I approached the 15 km mark I realized I was not tired at all……so decided to step it up…16 km and I was in full flow-and so it went on until the end when I sprinted towards the finish!!!!

It was an exhilarating finish! My best ever-I wasn’t tired at all!

I clocked 2.17.24

Am really happy with this timing!

But have learnt a few lessons- primarily that I should push harder-drive myself faster- I was cruising along enjoying my music, while others were finishing- so need to wake up and smell the coffee!

down the rabbit hole

The Bible. The Koran. Shakespeare. Alice in Wonderland. This is, in order, the most widely read/translated and quoted books of all time. Much touted as a children’s classic-written in Victorian England in 1850s-it broke the shackles of the stiff English society and offered children a whole new world –a WONDERLAND. There was no moral in the story-and it allowed the mind to wander. The famous tea party scene-with the Mad Hatter-all a reflection of the absurd rules of the “high tea” parties.

But, I haven’t read this book-and I think safe to assume a lot of us haven’t.

So I saw the movie on last Sunday-with children in tow-as it was 3D-animation etc etc.

Turns out-the kids hated it, but I loved it. The movie is about life and finding ones self-It has thought provoking dialogues and clever characterizations-the wise caterpillar-who is much maligned and believed to be on drugs-and the red queen with a personality disorder.

To think that this book was written so long ago-along with Shakespeare –also written around then-I have come to realize that they are classics as they hold the answers to the eternal truths-they open our mind to new ways of thinking and offer infinite wisdom on dealing with difficult situations.

It depends upon us, as reader to be able to grasp the full meaning and intent of the author.

But with the absence of a good teacher to show us the path-we need to rely on the internet to solve some of the riddles-

From the book:

Caterpillar: Who are YOU?
Alice: This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. I -- I hardly know, sir, just at present -- at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.

"'I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think: was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is 'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle!'"

"'I can't explain myself, I'm afraid, Sir,' said Alice, 'because I'm not myself you see.'"

'And how many hours a day did you do lessons?' said Alice, in a hurry to change the subject.
'Ten hours the first day,' said the Mock Turtle: 'nine the next, and so on.'
'What a curious plan!' exclaimed Alice.
'That's the reason they're called lessons,' the Gryphon remarked: 'because they lessen from day to day.'

So on my way back from the movie-I was trying to explain why it is a good movie. In the middle of our debate-I gave them a googly-that truth and reality are different-they were flummoxed-and so I was I!!!!! In my attempt to explain further I got lost in a maze –so decided to leave it at that –and say that you will understand you are older!

Truth is absolute and reality is a perception.

What is really amazing- for me- is Alice exploring a whole new world on her own-gathering strength from within and moving ahead –to be able to venture into the unknown-to be able to leave the comforts of her own secure world-and thus embarking on a soul searching journey-only to emerge richer-and a more complete person.

Very rarely do movies evoke suck a response in me-and Johnny Depp being the crazy hatter certainly helped.

So I am on my way to find a complete unabridged Alice in Wonderland.

for more on alice:

http://www.shmoop.com/alice-in-wonderland-looking-glass/symbolism-imagery.html

Short trips-short meetings

After a brief trip of my aunt and uncle- I think of the impact of their trip on my life.

These trips are now a common feature in most of our lives-with friends and families living abroad-with hectic schedules.

Typically my interaction with the visitors boils down to a meal-and some snatched conversation over a shopping trip. Considering the short time span, how we chose to spend the few precious moments that we have with them becomes critical. The luxury of talking about riff-raff, then warming up to the main topic doesn’t exist. We need to get to the crux of the matter right away. The essence of a minimum of half a dozen months needs to be encapsulated in a few minutes. We need to bond and bond quickly. Else the answer to the question, “hey, how is you?” will be a cursory, “fine”.

The time to savour the flavour of the moment, the time to feel the comfort of silence is simply not there. What exists is the joy of being there, together in the moment-to quickly absorb all what’s happening around you in a matter of seconds.

Meeting a friend with whom you have been in touch with-several times a day-or a couple of times a week allows us to see the lighter side of life-as we share jokes, as well as matters which are irrelevant-which you need to let go of, but cant , and hence only need to be vented about! And instead of constantly looking at the larger picture which benefits ALL of us- we can actually voice our grouses, not looking for a solution-but just that they exist!

Bottom line is, in today’s day and age its not difficult to stay in touch with the people whom we chose to make a part of pour lives-email, facebook, twitter, chat, whathaveyou! And for those who are technologically challenged there is the old fashioned telephone-which allows us to hear the familiar voice-with all its inflections!

So lets stay in touch-show that we care-and

CONNECT ! CONNECT ! CONNECT!

it takes a long time to grow an old friend-so let's keep at it!

wisdom everyday

How do I count my blessings?

Its one thing to know that we have to be thankful for what we have –and another to actually feel it.

I think I feel lucky in bits and pieces. Unfortunately its more so when i see the differently abled-or the lesser privileged I begin to thank my stars-for the wonderful kids that I have, and my friends, my work, et al.

This feeling-I think, most of us get……….

The important thing is in remembering it day after day-in fair weather as well as rainy days.

When I wake up in the morning-it feels like a “good morning” and I look forward to the day. The day full of its ups and downs, a day packed with work and errands, with kids and cooking. Mundane things.

BUT in between all this we find time-not consciously, to feel good about ourselves, and we smile at a stranger, do a good deed, and feel content.

Meeting a long lost friend, and talking about where I am today, helps me to reflect on my current place in the world…….

That’s when I say –yes….things are great……and I look at all of life’s faces, some good, some bad, but all accepted. We need more moments of introspection to bring this realization into a part of our everyday being.

To be able to sleep in peace-looking forward to another daybreak, the pink of dawn turning into a full blown sunny day-with all its joys and sorrows.

its just another day for you and me in paradise.......

travails on train travels

To be able to accept a handicapped child-to love him, and to ensure that he has a full life is an extremely difficult mission for a parent.

And we……who have all limbs ands senses intact run after a life to maximize it.

I wonder……………

A friend sent me a thought- don’t count how many moments in your life-it’s about how much life in a moment.

All of us-who are doing so much…trying to do it all…… live it up-all these new age mantras…….

Lets first sit back and count our blessings…..and then a take a deep breath to absorb all that is around us and try to be happy where we are…….instead of trying to reach places----we need to BE-live in the moment.

What is contentment?

We say we need to scale a peak and then we stop-but what if we see another pinnacle waiting for us to reach?

Do we have the discipline to stop?

Should we stop?

Instead,

Should we try to go through each day by being good human beings-happy with what we have-and happy with where we are? I think we should be able to absorb happiness with an equal embrace as sadness-taking it all in our stride-as we now understand that life happens.

Socrates said:“Contentment is natural wealth, luxury is artificial poverty”

erich segal

“True love comes quietly, without banners or flashing lights. If you hear bells, get your ears checked

What can you say about a 72-year-old bestselling novelist who died? That he became a pop culture icon at 32 and was a highly respected Yale scholar. That he sold tons of copies of his romance-tragedy novel Love Story. And that he made millions of people around the world weep with sorrow.Segal was a Yale classics professor. He brought Harvard to life through his books...i felt i was there with them- sitting in Harvard Square.

He attained worldwide fame for the book Love Story, “a simple story” of a modern day Romeo and Juliet, who fall in love, marry and discover she is dying of cancer. It is a story of love-and death –both of which leave us spellbound, by the powerful impact they have .Enough has been written about these two phenomena-and by not writing about it in the book-there is a feeling of finality. The silence of death rings in our ears after we read the final words. The bittersweet romance is full of heartwarming moments-nothing monumental or earthshaking but –everyday happenings and mundanity. It is their love for each other which lifts the book to its iconic level. The situations are those which we all have faced at some point in our life or another-BUT-their reactions are extraordinary. Music and smiles enter our world through his words....simple words.

And love happens.

Love Story touches a chord in the hearts of all.

“What can you say about a twenty-five year old girl who died? That she was beautiful and brilliant. That she loved Mozart and Bach. The Beatles. And me.”

Immortal opening words of a modern day classic.

And to all my friends "love means never having to say you are sorry!"

my half marathon!

So the marathon this year was a rather emotional see saw for me.

Run…not run…as most of you are aware I really was undecided whether I should go for it or not….hence the tardiness in registering…as a result of which I was left with no bib!

Eventually I ended up with two! - Anyway

So I decided that I will go for it within the last 12 hours of the event……..after much ado and dilly dallying!

And, I am glad I ran……….

To be able to battle all the reasons for NOT running….which were plenty………

And I found encouragement from really great sources………my running partner …said to me…how can you not run? of course you can!

Then sanjana-the fount of wisdom-who enlisted numerous reasons …which included happiness and self……..

And to motivate me….a host of other thoughts…on the lines of…imagine your tail on fire…. J

Anyway

All these thoughts and wishes of people who cared for …really made me run each step------and this half marathon I ran only on will power. Each step was a struggle and I had to push myself to keep going.

So the run on the whole was quite tedious in the beginning-as the sea –over which I thought I would fly….i found extremely hard---the surface—the number of people who stopped to pose for pictures as if they were tourists-it was ridiculous-it felt like I was a part of the dream run-anyway….so the endless sea finally turned on worli sea face and went on another long road through the worli slums……

As I plodded along…the arch of my right foot started to strain. I took off my shoe twice and stretched it- within a span of 10 minutes. But the pain persisted. Eventually I thought to myself I cant keep on stopping during the remaining 2 hours-so I decided to make the pain a part of my run…..as someone once told the magic mantra to running:

“Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional”

I went along and soon found the full marathoners running in the opposite direction heading towards bandra…….

And my real run began from then on. I forgot myself-cheered them on….found some people on worli cheering me…..

And soon before I realized I was approaching atria-here I turned my ipod on full volume and headed straight for my favorite part of the race-peddar road…I smiled-laughed and enjoyed myself!

On this hill-most runners struggle…….i do too but I think the crowd is great here –and I have someone cheering me personally every few hundred metres—and then the news of my approach is informed passed onto my well wishers who wait for me year after year at woodlands-they are told by someone,”parul is at woodlands” ,and all my eagerly look out for me.

Support from friends and family was great and this year more so-as all the people who counted in my life were out there-cheering-! Was a moment to be proud for me-and I think they felt it too. this is my moment if glory-the 5 seconds of my life for which I go trough the grueling 2 hour 30 min run!

Anyway-so I reveled in my sunshine until I reach babulnath-and there I come crashing to reality as sunlight and fatigue catch up with me. And my run –which is anyway a slow jog-goes to a crawl-and oh god- how need to push myself-and invariabnly this is the point where I pick someone to help me to get me through till the finish……..

This year-I found this guy-in a red t shirt-he seemed ok-slightly overweight-but running at a pace slower than me-so each time I stopped he would egg me on-saying you cant stop now-so I carried on-this continued until we approached churchgate and he says to me-I don’t think i can keep up –you go ahead-right then I realized he needed me now-so I started making conversation-and he tells me-he’s from Gujarat and a year ago-weighed 100kg-it was his dream to run this half marathon-and there he was-pushing me along-I was stunned-what kind of personal goals people set-and work towards achieving them! it was quite inspiring-eventually I lost him-about 5 mins before the finish line but his story remains with me.

So I cruise along-and finish( in what I hope) just within 2 hours and 30 mins- my target-

Happy

Satisfied-that I ran

I learnt how difficult it is to fight one’s negativity-and how to do things which look difficult.

To run untrained-is immensely harder than running -with a confidence that I can do it-which comes with training.

Motivation in the form of support from loved ones is a great feeling….which I understood about!

Missed my half marathon partners-aparna and amish!

This is probably one of my longest posts-hats off to those of you who made is this far!

Thanks!

THANK YOU FOR EVRYTHING.

a resolution

So today was one my best runs in a longtime…a week before the marathon-i ran 12k-its a perfect distance for me-not too long but long enough to give me my high

When I run well

I get inspired for a lot of things-I am in a good mood and really positive about most things-and this is the result!!!!!!!!!!!

I am making a grand announcement-2011 will see me run a FULL marathon-and another important factor was that my birthday just went past-which made me realize………….

Time is passing…we need to seize the moment and do it NOW

NOW is the time.

Carpedium

Will keep you posted on the runs and how the training goes……but as of now…it seems like I have the will today-but I need to ensure that it remains ……and doesn’t fizzle out come summer and its 30 degrees!

And that, my dear friends depends on you! You to encourage and NAG!

So

Wish me luck…….i need to do this for myself.