Of Gremlins and Angels and Love affairs with Life

I am a Gremlin. I read the definition in some book about a similar topic. The author said that there are 2 kinds of people - Angels and Gremlins. Angels are the ones around which systems start working well. People will more reassured. Solutions are found. Computers start working well. I know of one such person. And there are the Gremlins. Around them things start going berserk. Questions are raised. They are the lords of destruction, there own and of others. Better constructions can be made once the breakage stops but one has to make sure that one can handle the breaking. I am a Gremlin.

I should have figured this out much before. Whenever I set my heart to something, it just never happened. I thought it was a Shani thing. But I think the matter lies lesser in the stars and more deeper inside my own behavior. Everything that has been effortless to me has reaped me benefit. Disproportionate benefits. I should have realized it much sooner. Everything I worried about has led me to further woes. It can be traced from long ago. When I worried about my height, it never grew. Till the time I had no clue about it I was one of the tallest fellas in class. Then I started worrying about my hair, everyone knows the what happened in that case. It even figures in my love life. When I cared less, they surrounded me and adored me. When I cared for them and worried for them, I lost them all. I am truly a Gremlin. And all that I let go of and all that I did not wait for came to me swiftly and without any ask. My Engineering degree, my management degrees, my job and my teachers. They all came and I never had to ask or raise a finger. I got the best job in my batch as a fresher because of my internship where I faked my results and spent time with my cousin playing computer games. My best test scores have come from the ones which I did not prepare for or the ones which I did not care enough for. Life loves me too much, I just don't know how to love her back.

It is just like a girl, life is. She plays and acts coy and cares and hurts, all without warning. But there are ways to get to her as well. As is with them all - small gestures matter. Small things which taken care of can give back big returns. But one must not rely on them alone. They stop mattering if they are all that one does. Sometimes those big ones are just as necessary. Surprise life with that sudden burst of effort. The sudden spark of brilliance and she will reward you for it. You have to receive from her as well. You have to enjoy the little things that she lets your way. Value them or you won't notice when the big hug comes your way. It is just as insulting to her when you ignore that big chance that she passes your way. Embrace them all and you have a nice little giggly girl, wanting to love you some more. 

Lesson 1: Celebration

One of the most important thing to remember is to celebrate. Celebrate any and everything, no matter how insignificant or how simple the manner.

To begin with, lets define "Celebration".
It does not have to be an elaborate show of flair and colors and sounds. It can be that or something as simple as a prayer thanking the lord or the universe for granting you with that special something. A simple acknowledgement is all that is needed to warmly hug that little bit of good fortune that you have. It is like loving some one. Little gestures go a long way than overtly sophisticated ones. It is just a way to be thankful for all that we have and all that we have had.

There are times when we say that there is nothing to be happy about. It is a sad thing to happen. But sadder still is that fact that we have let go of all the memories which could still brighten up our day. The reason we don't remember them is that we don't celebrate them enough. We don't recall the good times and relive the joy. We don't call up those old friends and share our reminisces. If we do just that - perhaps we will have so much that we would need to pick and choose which ones we want to celebrate.

Celebrate be thankful of something and it will give back much more. It might sound stupid and a little emotional to think so but there is a practical side to it. When we highlight the good things in and around us we tend to attract more of it. This does not happen due to some cosmic hoopla or magic. It is simply that we tend to focus harder on the things that make us happy and so find more ways of brining more into our lives. If I keep thinking of my friends and how great a time I spent with them, I am bound to find a way to meet them again and be the moving force towards the next meeting. If I am constantly happy about the little weight that I had lost, I am bound to find enough motivation to go out and run some more just for the way it makes me feel.

We can even celebrate the things that we don't have. An idea or a desire to get something can as easily be celebrated. The thought of owning something or loving someone or being loved back can as wonderfully celebrated as the real thing. All this does is focus our energies onto the idea and therefore focus our actions towards it. We think more about it - not yearning for it because we don't have it (That would have an opposite effect) but loving the fact imagining the fun or actually possessing what we desire. Some might say that this is merely positive thinking. It is. But by repeatedly doing so, it gives way for constructive thinking and planning in that positive direction.

So that is Lesson 1: Celebrate all that you have and all that you want to have.

Love the idea as you love a person. Perhaps it will point out a few mistakes you make in loving people as well.

The Good life series....

The Chinese write in symbols they call "Ideagrams". One of the more peculiar ones is that of the word "Crisis". It is actually the combined form of two words ideagrams - "Danger" and "Opportunity". It is the Chinese way of saying that every crisis is a danger and opportunity combined in one. I must say that more often than not Life agrees with their ancient wisdom.

Every time there is a problem - it produces an chance to make things even better than before. Every failure gives way for an opportunity to make it an even better success. Every argument gives way for a show of faith in the other;  a way for better understanding and mutual trust; and of care. Life gives us chances but we just don't take them up.

Whenever we say that life is not fair, we are missing the point. Chances are disguised as crises. I read somewhere that when we ask God for love in the family, he does not give love in the family but instead creates situations where there can be love in the family. When we ask for joy, he does not give joy but gives way for events and circumstances where we can give and receive joy. It is when we fail to do so that we hurt ourselves and feel pain. That too is a time when we can love our loved ones and share a little joke in the times of despair. There again is the chance to heal old wounds and form stronger bonds among one another. Again, another crisis, another chance to make things better.

Even with all this wisdom, I fail to make good use of the chances life gives me. Just that these times slip by when one is not careful

This label is just to be a reminder to make sure that the ideas don't slip by when there is an opportunity at hand. Small things that can be a reminder of the bigger picture, small things that can make those times, in between struggles, fun. This is my list for them.

So here goes...