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| Specially designed by always-awesome Corinne 🙂 |
Because the only thing that gathers no moss and yet moves slow is your past.
It sticks with you forever not moving an inch anywhere. For some it acts like a dark reminder of what went wrong. And for many as the first lesson to progress right into the future.
When Corinne shared with us this post it got me thinking. How many times have I got a chance to reflect on my life and perhaps create a takeaway from it? A lot of times. Have I written them down? Almost never.
And hence when Vidya tagged me in her post, the opportunity to finally express in written words arose.
Eleven things every woman should write down before the year ends.
1. What younger you would like about present you?
A younger me would most definitely like love the fact that I am now more abrasive while dealing with unwanted people. That I am no longer the ‘yes woman’ or the ever so trying-to-please-everyone kind. I have suffered a lot as a child, always balancing people and friends who were basically forever trying to pull me down. Now I say no to such people and in fact as much as it hurts me, I often tell them honestly that they are not what I need in my life.
2. The watched/read it list
Last book I read was The Fault in our Stars
Then yesterday I began Brave New World
3. The Mistake you never want to make
Mistake of meddling in people’s matters or affairs. I feel I need to help and sort out the world’s problems. Which is often the main source of mine then.
4. Your ideal outfit
Jeans, flip flops and t-shirt. And I am wearing my flip flops but not the rest because I am in a place where westerns can be an issue 😀 So yeah the world does form complications in my ideal life 😛
5. A deep, dark-Shh- secret
I have been thinking about it a lot off late. And I have slowly but surely formed my conclusion and in here I reveal it for the first time. I cannot love any one wholeheartedly. After a while I find faults, identify mistakes and what not in a person. No one remains perfect for long. And with that comes adulteration in my feelings too. And this is because I have lost that “unconditional love” element in me after my mother departed.
I have tried hard to run away from this fact but yes I have now accepted it. I feel very sad realising it but there is nothing I can do as of now to change it. I might perhaps get better with time. I might.
6. The most unexpected compliment you ever got
My dear friend Ayush once called me and said, “I tell my friends, I know a girl whose sense of humour is so good you will actually laugh at her jokes. Not pretend but laugh! For real! This girl is a keeper.” I know it sounds sexist (which it actually is up to an extent) but I too agree that girls suck at this whole funny thing. And often guys out of sheer politeness laugh at their jokes (and also providing them unwarranted motivation, making them for worse 😀 )
7. That one quote
I thought a lot about this one. And I tried to come up with something really deep, intellectual and complicated sounding. But each time my heart asked me to write this,
All my life I have believed that every single flutter of a butterfly in your life too follows this quote. And it is only much later that we get the whys and the hows. So isn’t it better to accept it before?
8. The best surprise you’ve ever had
I was in college second year and unfortunately on my birthday eve I was traveling back home. Those of you who know me, know how much I value birthdays. And hence I knew that this time round I wouldn’t have my midnight surprises. I was very sad.
At sharp twelve, the friend I was traveling with asked me to accompany him to another coach. There, in one of the compartments, were streamers, cake, candlelight and almost ten people. There was a group of college seniors also traveling in the same train. And somehow they came to know it is my birthday at the platform. They together planned it all.
I had never spoken to any of them and hence them taking out time and putting in efforts for my birthday surprise was probably the best thing a set of strangers had done for me 🙂
9. Your true happiness
My true happiness would be when I am in a nice little cottage which I can call home. A fireplace. Books, tea, cookies and probably pizza too. And yes friends I can enjoy deep silence with. And a scrap book filled with pictures of my world travel. And somewhere in a room a packed suitcase with a flight ticket to another destination, to another adventure. But all of this with the surety of coming home to this cottage, fireplace, books, tea, cookies and probably pizza and yes friends I can enjoy deep silence with.
10. Your favourite failure
A relationship. I am very happy it didn’t work out. I can never imagine my life with that person. Of course at that time I felt sad and depressed. But looking back I thank god for the blessing in disguise. It all worked out for better due to that failure.
11. An amendment to the bucket list
No one will laugh at this but I always wanted to get high, climb a bar top and dance to some random tune in front of a huge crowd. I now believe my vertigo is so bad I might not even manage getting on to the bar top 😀 I swear I want to do it but with every passing birthday it seems more improbable. And hence the ‘amendment’ to the bucket list 😛
I would now want to hear my darling friend Shilpa ‘s side of these eleven questions. I want her to reflect on her own trials and tribulations of this great circus called Life. And in turn she too must tag someone imploring them to share a part of their lives with us. The chain of love must not discontinue here 🙂
And I connect this post with Write Tribe’s Wednesday prompt for ‘New year’.
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I still keep a tab of the weekly theme on the blog. Have no been able to devote much time in the past two weeks due to some family emergency. But this one fits so beautifully into the ‘I believe’ theme, which is also on right now by the way 😀
Have you found ‘The Philospher’s stone’ on facebook? If not then click here
That’s a fantastic year end round up which gave so many insights about you as a person, Richa. Learning to say ‘no’ is so needed at times. Because when you say say ‘no’ to the good so you can say ‘yes’ to the best. I too believe that everything happens for our own good. Thanks for tagging me, cant wait to share my 11 things that every woman should write! 🙂
Perfect thought Shilpa! It is correct, when you say no to good you do say yes to the best 🙂 And yes believing everything happens for our own good does sound like the perfect plan 🙂
Hey Richa, when you come to Bangalore, since both of us have vertigo, we’ll stay grounded but get high, alright?
What a cozy set of answers. I just knew I’d enjoy reading your take on these questions – and I am honored you posted right away! Love you, you know? Yeah, you’re a keeper indeed.
Can’t wait to read Shilpa’s now!
haha Vidya you are a keeper too! And yes let me come to Bangalore and vertigo one side and us on the other 😀
This post is lovely! I could hear you loud and clear. Just they way that you are. Its always nice to reflect on the trials and tribulations in order to get a stock of one’s life. Very nice!
Yes always great to do that! Thanks a lot Kajal for such amazing words 🙂
Wonderful responses.. sure makes me know you as a person and like you even more 🙂 Btw, where are you nowadays?
I was at my in laws place 😀 and I do hope more people like me more post reading this just like you 😀
These are awesome. I also have that dream of having a cottage full of books and music. I would like it on a beach though 🙂 Preferably not a cold place. Your birthday surprise is a lovely story. You are indeed blessed that your friends planned that for you on the spur of the moment. Not easy!
Failed relationship. Hmm.. When I look back, I don’t regret any of the relationships that failed.
You are right, it is impossible to love anyone totally. But possible to love people to a great extent. I think the key is not to lose yourself in the love of others.
I also believe the same Ava that the key is not to lose yourself… As for relationship I don’t regret the time I spent but yes I believe sometimes things go down for better things to come..
My second attempt at a comment, the last one didn’t get posted. If I had to write this, a lot of things would definitely be the same. I could just copy paste bits of your post and claim it to be mine, because I honestly felt like I was reading me.
I loved your train birthday, you Richa, influence people just by being there. Doesn’t necessarily have to be “interaction”. Your dark-ish secret is the same as mine! <3 #SoulSister
So many soulmate moments darling I wonder where they would all end 😀 Or rather I hope they never!
Do you know the best part about your writing? You write from your heart. Many of us, when we write about our personal lives tend to twitch it here and there to make it more acceptable. We think of a particular reader or a group of readers who have insight to our private life and imagine their reaction. Thus the post becomes a pleaser in many ways. You, I believe manage to overcome that fear and state what you feel in the best way possible.
Such a straight from heart post Richa. Big hug to you girl 🙂 you remember my message? You are still managing to put a smile on my face. So glad that I read your post. It’s time I answered some of my questions.
Sugandha you have no idea how happy I get to read all of these things you mention. If my writing can help someone bring a smile to their face and feel motivated I have done more than I intended to. I did make some efforts in overcoming that fear though, it didn’t come flawlessly….
NIce to get to know you a little better Richa. Will look forward to a post on No 11 when you finally do it!
Thanks Suzy 🙂 will surely write it one day 🙂
most of the things in your post are not new for me still reading you always is so much fun… just one correction …no relationship ever is a failure … it is always that point in life where you discover someone better or if it doesnt better you discover yourself… it is never a failure sweetheart …and ofcourse “Everything does happen for our own good:
Yes often we find each others writing things we already know 🙂 and I never meant the relationship was a failure but perhaps the decision to end it was…
That was a lovely read, Richa! Point no. 11 sounds like so much fun :).
Thanks Rachna 🙂 and it sounds fun but also no doable for me now 😛
Richa, you know how much I love your attitude and I expected nothing less than this from you. I can identify with so much of what you’ve shared. Thank you for your authenticity and for being you. ♥
PS: The vertigo keeps me grounded too – as Vidya says!
Thanks Corinne 🙂 this coming from you means a lot to me and you know it. It did take me sometime to start writing this honest,but now that I do I wonder why I wasn’t doing so before!
Oh Richa this was beautiful. I’m enjoying this series spearheaded by Corinne and Vidya…these are some ques that make you ponder and enrich you as a person! Your idea of true happiness is just the best…my ideal scenario too having a ticket in hand to the next adventure knowing that I’ll come back to my home sweet home. You are a strong and beautiful person dear… It takes courage to accept that you might never love a person wholly but my wish for you is that you find that in you to love someone with his/her imperfections… Love them with that…lots of lv and happiness dear…
Thank you so much Aditi I could not have asked for a better wish 🙂 and yes having that ticket in hand is always the perfect plan, no?
Lovely Richa.. Nice to know you a little bit more with them 🙂
Thanks Jyotsana 🙂
Nice Richa 🙂 Fun & grounded answers 🙂
Thanks Anita 🙂
lovely answers, Richa! 😀
and for many, I could connect with myself too!
finally I think all women are almost the same 😛
Yes perhaps that is the beauty of life… 🙂
Loved reading your answers and getting to know you better with each one. Fun!! ♥
Thanks Kathy 🙂
Whoa..lovely read Richa..
It is so much true that i would also love to connect myself too with the post..Celebrate little joys in life,enjoy the surprises…
Loved every bit of your writing !!!
Thanks Veena 🙂 As a writer it is my great achievement that a reader can connect to my writing 🙂
Will u belive I was nodding my head to #1, #5 – Now u kow why I luv u ;). Really dancing on a bartop is ur bucket list – Drama queen u r! Chalo lets meet up n do tha together 😉
hehe yes we shall do this one together! And if you had not nodded I would have still loved you woman 🙂 <3
nice and true, but it being happy with an ended up relationship sounds like being rude to the happy times of life which you have forgotten to mention. I’m quoting this this out of 11 because it was the most eye-catching and disheartening because no one is always perfect. Man make mistakes and its totally natural. So judging the relations by only looking at dark side is unfair.
Perhaps. But then I only wanted to say that my sadness at that time perhaps was unwarranted I could have and in fact should have seen it in better light…..
It was wonderful getting to know you better Richa. And by the way that favorite quote of our’s is one I too believe in strongly
Thanks Geeta 🙂 I believe it should be on everyone’s fav list 🙂
I just started a story with an imaginary character but soon got lost. Fortunately I saw this write up and I got some fuel to begin again. Do you happen to be a Saturnian? Persons under this influence love seclusion but attention singularly. Happy New year.
Really? Is this true, I happened to inspire you to get back to writing! Thank you so much for appreciating my writing. And as for Saturnian, I have no idea 😀
Good to know so much about you.. 🙂
About you not being able to love anyone whole-heartedly/unconditionally – I could relate to that. I can’t either… (and yeah, that’s a dark, well-kept secret I am revealing here for the first time!)
hehe see my writing got you to say that! Thanks a lot Sreesha for appreciating my work as well 🙂
This seems to be a simpler way to count one’s blessings actually.
Nice to know so much about you 🙂 I found a lot of similarities, be it the quote, which I always keep repeating and telling myself or the idea of a cottage that you can call home. I can never trust anyone unconditionally. It always comes with the *conditions apply tag.
So cheers 🙂 and Happy New year 🙂
Happy new year to you too 🙂 and yes *conditions apply tag is a perpetual disorder my side too 🙂
Very honest answers to some of very interesting questions. It’s always good to believe in Everything happens for good..
Happy new year!
Happy new year too! And yes that is what I often resort to 🙂
Everything happens for our own good! That’s something that has kept me going! Good post!
Thanks Danny 🙂
Great post Richa! I loved and agree to almost every word up there.
Thank you so much 🙂 glad you could relate to my writings 🙂
Wonderful, wonderful post..It made me want to write about mine! and some of the things I could relate to too! As usual loved visiting your blog Richa!
Yes yes go ahead and write it! And Nabanita you taking part in UBC?
I want to… I read that if I miss some days I could make it up by posting 2 or 3 posts a day…But not sure if I need to submit the url of my blog somewhere…
I am happy that you are finally participating 🙂
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Another eye-opener post Richa 🙂
Thanks Sunita 🙂
Happy 2014 Richa! 🙂
Loved your answers.. And yes – I agree with your fave quote! Everything does happen for our own good!
A little more insight and its nice to know you a bit more! 🙂
hugs!
Thanks a lot sweetie 🙂 happy 2014 to you too! And thanks for appreciating the little of myself I put up here <3
Jo Mann ka Ho woh acha aur mann ka na ho toh zyada acha hai..love this quote and it’s so true. Whenever things go wrong, I think of this quote..Love ur list and makes for enjoyable read:)
Amen to that Vishal. This is how I too plan my life… and thanks a lot for your appreciation and support 🙂
This is an excellent list. As a journal-keeper for 18 years, this resonates with me. I could seriously burn ten of my old journals and not miss much, but most are useful for reflecting on lessons learned and growth. Thank God for growing up, lol! And with ya on Harry Potter:) p.s. I found you via the A to Z challenge.
Richaa!!! I love this post of yours. Its written from your heart and made me think so much… Thank you for this 🙂 Its Saturday morning bliss!