Bottled Lullabies

Image Courtesy: BBC

It was well past bed-time as I tossed and turned, adjusted the pillows for a hundredth time, turned on the heater and waited with closed eyes hoping to smoothly drift away into sleep. When it remained elusive even after an hour of trying, I walked over to the window and stared aimlessly at the empty road, an occasional truck that passed by, the golden light from the street lamps and the cobbled footpath extending into infinite darkness.

Under the nearest lamp lay a bearded old man draped in what looked like the pitiful remnants of an ancient overused blanket, unperturbed by the noise of the trucks or the biting cold. He lay there in deep slumber under the watchful gaze of faraway stars. I sighed and reached for the bottle of pills that faithfully sang me sweet lullabies every single day.

This piece of five sentence fiction is written for the topic "Bed-Time" at Lillie Mc Ferrin Writes
Linking to Ultimate Blog Challenge

and http://www.writetribe.com/write-tribe-pro-blogger-challenge/

Alone, not Lonely

Image Courtesy: Google

I have had many teachers in life who taught me valuable lessons – people, experiences, knowledge and so on. However I have a special teacher named solitude that helps me keep my balance in many tight rope acts. In today’s life that moves at an unprecedented maddening pace, there are times when we need to just sit back, be on our own and reflect up on our life and its course. Since our lives are overloaded with intellectual, social and emotional battles, it is imperative that we spend some time in solitude to get in touch with our inner selves.

The benefits of solitude are highly underrated because it is seen as an ally of the depressed and lonely if not the saints and hermits. Until a few years back I thought solitude and loneliness were synonymous. Prima facie they may seem to be the same as both involve being on one’s own. The similarity however, ends here. Loneliness is a forced negative feeling that can be experienced even if one is in a crowd. It implies the grief of isolation. But solitude is a choice made by the individual that involves being alone without feeling lonely. It is all about learning to enjoy one’s own company.

If cultivated as a habit, solitude is as refreshing as an oasis in the middle of a desert. It helps us to stay tuned with ourselves, our emotions and feelings. It keeps us balanced and helps us to maintain perspective apart from making us take charge of our own lives. Some of the benefits of solitude I continue to reap are:

1. Improved creativity: Being on my own in a silent place lets me delve deeper into my beliefs, thoughts and emotions and they find expression in the form of paintings, crafts, poems and articles.

2. Reflection upon actions: Solitude has a way of making me mull over my words and actions, analyse cause-effect relations there by giving me some kind of peace along with a sense of purpose.

3. Being touch with myself: My desires, fears, goals and so many other things about myself become clearer when the accompanying noises of day to day life become subdued. It helps me listen to my inner voice.

4.  I enjoy my own company: I have realized that I enjoy the company of myself as much as I enjoy being with friends and family. This, in a way has boosted my self-esteem.

5. Ideal foundation for new ideas: Solitude sparks new ideas and I find myself beginning a new hobby or doing things I previously never considered doing. It gives me that blank slate where I can paint a new picture.

6. More sensitivity: Being on my own with just my thoughts for company actually saves a lot of energy and heightens other senses. I often sit in the local park by myself where I enjoy the call of birds, the rustling of leaves and many other sights and sounds that I often overlook when in the company of people.

An hour or two of solitude a day for me is like an energy booster, almost as effective as meditation in calming down my nerves. It is my invisible refresh button, a chance to start afresh at any time during the day.



Written for the IndiSpire topic #Solitude

Linking to Ultimate Blog Challenge

and http://www.writetribe.com/write-tribe-pro-blogger-challenge/

The Special Gift

Image courtesy:Google

The joy of holding gifts unwrapped

faded soon and left me trapped

in a cluttered cage of useless things

I’d fly away from had I wings.

Toys and treats, cards and games

Books and stuff with confusing names.

Parental love made the list endless;

what I truly wanted none did guess.

Did you ask me for a clue

before concluding you knew

what would truly give me joy?

No, it’s not the market’s latest toy.

Next time you wonder what to gift

I hope your attitude sees a shift,

it is clearly your time that I need,

please do pay this wish some heed.

Hold my hand, let’s have some fun

as we play and picnic in the sun,

tell me stories, join me in a race;

say you love me in better ways.

I’ll grow out of all things money can buy,

pleasures of possession will soon turn dry.

But the time you shared I’ll always cherish

like our mutual love that will never perish.

This post was written as part of the Ultimate blog challenge and the Write Tribe Pro Blogger Challenge
http://writetribe.com/write-tribe-pro-blogger-challenge/