Autumn leaves, Daffodils and... Life...

I had been looking at this tree just outside the bedroom window for quite some days. This was in the Windy city in my recent trip there... The tree was bare, still awaiting the April showers to bring out the May flowers! Before that day, I would look out the window but I never noticed the tree. It was only when I suddenly saw some green sprout out, did my attention get drawn.. And everyday after that I watched the tree, I watched Nature at its magic... Until the buds transformed into flowers and then the white flowers bloomed in all glory...

A bus ride alongside the Haji Ali drive- Travel everyday by this route and I stare at the sea till the bus finally drives past buzzing further into the chaos of the city.. But this day something caught my attention which gave me a different kind of happiness. It was the begining of low tide and the waves receding.. Far away I could see a band of puppies frolicking about in the waters. Some playing, some chasing one another, some having a fun fight with their siblings! And not too far on the rocks at the shore sat a little girl- a ragpicker, just sitting and watching the puppies have a time of their life... I know there must have been a smile on her little face- probably she was happiest at that moment in her whole entire life... I sat in the bus too, with a smile on my face...

The wind blows and the trees bless the earth with a shower of flowers...

A flock of birds soar away into the blue skies, they're free...

Children playing on the beach sands....

Orange skies...

A starry night...

A moonlit sky and a shimmering ocean...


When was the last time you noticed small things that make you smile? Simple things that make you truly happy? Last time you marvelled at Nature? Last time you noticed any living creature apart from humans? Last time you noticed other humans?

Life is too busy? Or life is too short?
No, Life is beautiful.... If you know to enjoy it....

No matter how hectic your life is or how tied up you are,
Keep time to be with yourself, to be with others... Time to enjoy nature... Keep time for imagination and creativity...

Let's not complicate life... Let's learn to open our heart and give love... Let's be with people we love being with...

Enjoy the simple joys of life.... There's beauty in it...!

Echoes of Silence

Guns create silence...

A cry unfinished
A tear half shed
A word unspoken
A word unheard
A disappearing laughter

A life muted
A farewell before time.

The violence brings vacuum 

And in it, silence echoes…

Guns create silence
Can we silence the guns?

                                    

                                                               ~Swarna Mehta

"Shall we go shopping honey??"

Need I say anything more?!
I don't blame the guys!! hehehe ;-)

Psychobabble!

I've heard some really amusing misconceptions about what psychology is or what psychologists can do.. And as someone who has studied psychology for a few years, I wanted to give a truer picture... So here goes...

Myth: Psychology means you are studying "mad" people...
Fact: Not true always! Psychology is a study of human behavior and psychologists study 'normal' people as well!! Studying 'abnormal' people can be a part of it but surely not the whole...

Myth: Psychologists can read your mind.
Fact: Wow! Now if only that was true!! hahaha.... That is something humanly impossible to do, rightly so too. And thank God for that, otherwise there would be no uniqueness and you wouldn't remain YOU....
Here's what psychologists and counselors CAN do- They can study people's behavior patterns, attitudes, responses etc. and can describe, explain, predict and modify behavior.

Myth: It's a shame to go to a counselor... You are insulting yourself...
Fact: This is a sensitive one actually and obviously stemming from the previous two myths...
Just consider this- Your mind is the "thinking" part of your brain and it controls all your functions, thoughts, emotions etc. Now if something is troubling our stomach, our heart or even our foot, we do go see a Doctor, don't we? So then, if our mind is having serious trouble, we are unable to cope or there's something that is hurting or harming us, what's so bad about asking someone to cure that? There should be no shame if someone can help us gain back our healthy mind, isn't it? It's not an insult. And just as we don't think "What would others say?" when we see a Doc, we should try think the same way for this too. And one is not 'abnormal' if he visits a counselor. There are different kind of counselors for treating the 'normal' people and the 'abnormal' ones.
The mind is a part of the body, don't separate it and treat it differently.

Also here's just a simplified overview of the major fields in psychology.
1) Human Development- It is the scientific study of the processes of change and stability that occur in a human throughout the lifespan.

2) Social Psychology- It is the scientific field that seeks to understand the nature and causes of individual behavior and thought in social situations.

3) Cognitive Psychology- A branch of psychology that deals with our mental processes. It explains how we acquire, store, transform, use and communicate information.

4) Industrial and Organizational Psychology- The application of psychological principles, theory and research to the work setting. It recognizes interdependence of individuals, organizations and society, and facilitates responses to issues and problems of the work force.

5) Clinical Psychology- The study of abnormal behavior and psychological disorders.

So you see, everything is not about the mad world... I hope I've been able to clear a few things, in whatever capacity I could.
Psychology when treated right, is very interesting as it broadens our own mind. Helps us learn a bit more about ourselves!

"VISION WITHOUT ACTION IS LIKE A DAYDREAM...
BUT
ACTION WITHOUT VISION... IT'S A NIGHTMARE."

Read these lines somewhere.... Worth a thought really...

Grandma's Quilt~

When I was a little kid, my grandmother used to stitch a quilt for all her grandchildren. A real quilt with all the patches of different cloths and materials, all colourful, stitched together. I used to very eagerly wait for it! All of us little ones waited to see who got the best looking quilt! (or I think the competition was just in my mind!!) When she would start stitching, I used to sit next to her, rummage through all the cloth patches she had gathered and choose a favourite. And when I would get my quilt, invariably it would have that one cloth patch that had appealed to me the most! So I would decide that I got the best one and I think my sister and cousins thought the same for themselves!!

Well, if you're wondering why I'm writing this... I think that the quilt is symbolic of our life. Every patch of cloth in that quilt represents the different experiences we have, the different people we meet, people we connect with, the various emotions we go through etc. Some plain, some colourful and some simply exquisite! And everything bound together is our life- Our special quilt.
So we should not mope about the sad old rags of our life because hey.. It's adding to your colour anyway- your own special quilt. Life is better if you appreciate every part of it- the good, the bad and the not so beautiful too! It'll keep you warmer and happier...
I hope everyone feels that they have the very best quilt...
The world would be much warmer and cozier that way...

My first one...

Would like to start out by welcoming everyone here!
Honestly, I never thought I would really ever get down to writing a blog coz I used to feel that blogs were always interesting but sometimes, weirdly intrusive. (Just some quirk of mine!) And secondly, didn't know if I would be able to think of the first thing to write!!

But putting all these doubts to rest, someone did change my perception about the concept of blogging and I think it is apt that I mention it here...
He said it's more like an extension of yourself. Your way of reaching out to people by communicating your thoughts and ideas. It's interesting and fun coz you would get to know what other people have to say, what they think as well... Helps a person grow! That really did inspire me and I decided to give up my old apprehensions and those quirks as well!

This person is someone I look up to and respect a lot. A very true person at heart who genuinely cares for others always. And I want to thank him for introducing me to this new world which I can't wait to explore!

So I've named the blog "Echoes" as I intend it to be an echo of my thoughts and hope I'll be able to hear some of yours too!
That said, all suggestions and criticisms are most welcome!