Creative Expressions..

Most recent attempt .. what do you think ?

Thanksgiving..

This holiday weekend was like no others in the past couple of years.. ! Well.. nothing much but... my little one decided to wake up a little late and that gave me an opportunity to catch up on some sleep :) But thats pretty good .. considering thats hardly an option for me most days. And thats what I am thankful for this time around :)

What does it mean to be rich?

I was listening to a radio programme that spoke about this topic. This is one question everyone seems to have an answer for. Its interesting what people come up with. What is your take on it ?

What is the cost of freedom ?

Everytime I listen to news that an innocent person has been serving time in jail "by mistake" .. for a crime he/she did not commit, and now being released after many years..due to the results of a DNA test or something like that, I wonder... How much does a person's freedom really cost ? Looks like everyone has a different price tag attached to this question. Does all that compensation make the pain go away.. or get back the lost time. All that money will definitely buy a very good vacation .. But how does anyone come up with a price tag for the lost time or freedom..or the pain and suffering that the person in question went through all the years in the jail and being treated as a criminal for a crime they did not commit ?! And what about the trauma that the family members may have gone through of trust/distrust, humiliation/embarrassment etc. etc. and how frustrating it is to the families of the victims of the actual crime.. to know that the real culprit was never brought to justice in all that time .. ! Sad..but some errors people make are really hard to fix.. !

Distance and relationships

No, I am not talking about romantic/marriage type relationships. But about friends.. the really good ones.. from childhood/school/college ..you grew up together with. I was talking to a friend the other day .. and reading a blog of another.. and its like I hardly know them now. We were best buddies back then. But life has become so different for each of us.. being where we are .. and how far we are.. our interests and priorities have changed , we also have other "significant" people in our lives now that seem to matter more... it almost seems like there arent very many things we share in common anymore. The things that brought us together and made us friends in the first place..seem to be lost somewhere.. Though its kind of hard to accept, distance does change the relationships in ways that are rarely desirable.The very first time I realized this with a very dear friend of mine, I was very disappointed like I had lost something that I could never get back and I did not want to accept it. .. gradually i guess it has sinked in now....

But inspite of all that, I still do feel a strong sense of connection/attachment (not with everyone but very few) and I do remember that feeling of not having to hesitate and the unconditional acceptance.. I got from my dear friends.. from many years ago.. I know they have a different lifestyle, different things they are interested in, we rarely talk.. since all of us are too "busy"for that..I still feel deep in my heart that I know them. I think they feel that with me too.. or atleast I hope they do...

I never really thought much before when someone said they were friends from "X" number of years.. as to what the big deal about it is. Now I know... what the big deal is.. the relationship has survived the test of time.. and they can still connect and relate and laugh about things..share joy and sadness..be there for each other in happy and tough times.. after all these years.. its a true friendship and a real connection.. that doesnt fade with time and survives all obstacles created by life.. and its definitely something precious to have...and celebrate..and feel good about... !

Goodbye Grandma ...

Last week, there was an unexpected turn in my grandma's life..and in ours...She fell and had a brain injury.. I heard about that and felt extremely sad then I remembered all the wonderful things she did for me, all the love she showered on me always unconditionally...I think of all the happy times.. I have had in her presence.... I wish I had spent more time with her..

Right from the moment the first neurologist said "be prepared", we knew it was coming. There was no hope of her being what she was the day before she fell. Now her life is numbered.. either in hours or days or weeks.. This morning, I found out she is no longer alive.The first thing I felt was not sadness.. not disappointment..but a kind of relief. Dont get me wrong. I really love her a lot.. I will miss her very much..But the past one week was very intense suffering for her.. and for everyone watching her suffer ! IT comes as kind of a relief...

From now on..I will not be able to get a hug from her or a tear when I leave her house.. But she will be in my thoughts and in my heart...I'd remember her always as being my favorite grandma.. who was a great cook.. and a wonderful homemaker, the most innocent and the sweetest person I have ever known in my life.. Goodbye Grandma.. I will miss you.

What is happenning to this world ?!

There isnt one good thing on the news right now, that I can read and feel good about ... OK the redsox win is an exception for their fans I am sure. But, everything else is going so wrong... Terrorist Groups targetting children to be their next "terror delivery method", emergencies in already politically unstable countries, record-high foreclosure rates in the US real estate market, Labor union strikes at companies that are already not doing great , dollar value dwindling and banks in shortage of funds.. I can go on an on..with this list.. But yet inspite of all this, some how, media and news are still surrounded around things that are not important to most people on this earth. Why should I care "How much Britney Spears spends on her clothes every month" ? Who cares what she does with her money and her life.. ok.. may be some people do. But thats not even close to the number of people who care about their home values going down ? or even the number of people whose lives have been devastated due to wild fires in california.. But still, there it is, the news about her each and every day as one of the headlines along with the "other stuff".. How can a news about a celebrity be on the same scale ? Are people more interested in reading about such things than the real issues in the world right now ? Or is it becoz they have so much frustration about the every day life that this is a form of entertainment to them ? I dont know..