About

This is a blog about my thoughts and observations culled from my journal … handwrittenonly !    I see  life as it happens,  people  and situations, me muddling through personal challenges  and  musings about these make their way into the daily pages of my journal . The  connection between the pen and the page is personal  and  has magic when set down on paper versus the computer screen. Thoughts flow faster, unstoppable through my pen to the  paper.  Some of my writings go back to India, my country of origin . Others are comments on the day-to-day life in the USA .

Books feed my soul.  Curling up on the sofa with a good book, a cup of chai (the Indian way with mint leaves, lemon grass, tea, milk and sugar  and the sound of rain drenching the garden is my idea of bliss!  A total movie buff, I lean towards independent movies of different genres from different cultures.  The movies of  Satyajit Ray the Indian producer/director top my list only because of their simplicity, realism and application to the daily rhythm of life.

Meditation is a daily ritual.  I have done a silent retreat at the SRF Encinitas, CA .  My journal entries during that short stay reveal thoughts, observations and truths which became markers for change in my life.     I  hope to do the  Vipassana retreat in Joshua Tree,CA.

I have volunteered  for good causes, especially in the areas of women.  I sign on for organizations helping children, animals and the environment  in any part of the world.

Hiking in the deep woods brings me peace and clarity of mind and helps my body as well.  A recent one  with my family has inspired me to do it more regularly.   Photographing nature reveals her many color schemes and artistic formations.  I refer to these when painting.  I paint mask images on wood when the inspiration surfaces and have produced two large, fabric wall hangings.  I am working on a third one.

Did I mention that  stunning sunsets and pretty moonlit nights mesmerize me?  … the underlying romantic in me.  I also solve crossword puzzles,  Ken Ken, Sudoku and play Scrabble and Lumosity.  All of the aforesaid sharpen my mind and stretch those dendrites to make the leaps to logic . So there you have me.  A mixed bag for sure!