Pinned my soul with the Nose pin – Happiness is!!!!

Pinned my soul with the Nose pin – Happiness is!!!!

I am someone who loves to dress up, irrespective of the occasion, I like to look good and happy, just the way I am. I have been a lover of accessories right from my childhood and I remember my mom mentioning this to me.  I remember how I used to have this absolute joyful look when I entered the bangles stores or the earrings shop (those days we didn’t have quite a lot of choices as compared to today’s shops or malls).

My first tryst with nose pins began when I just chanced upon an online site where few women posed just so elegantly and that’s when it hit me.  Why not try these lovely accessory pieces?  I didn’t have a nose pierce in a young age so I also did not want to take the trouble of piercing my nose permanently.  What if it pained and what if I wanted to discontinue wearing these?  So the press ones were the perfect arrangement for me. I could be my own boss, Wear it or discard it !! I wasn’t sure about how these would look and hence didn’t not order them online.  But went to a proper shop and tried out few of those.  I tried them just like a teenager, looking into the mirror back and forth and gaping in awe of myself and the feeling was surreal. That’s how these pieces of jewelry became a part of me and I would try and pair them with every outfit.

I started dating these tiny and cute pieces of jewelry around 2014 and from that time, there has been no looking back.  I look out for these at exhibitions, small shops or even the vendor who sells these in the train.  Be it enamel, silver, gold studded, black oxidized ones – the joy that it gives me is profound.

A nose pin can never be underestimated since I am of the opinion that it also gives a kind of symmetry to your overall look and it can make a dull face looking absolutely stunning.  It is so much a part of me just like my red lipstick.  I read a very beautiful line in one of the blogs that I read regularly.  Celebrate life!!! It is when I read such mindful stuff that it intrigues me into thinking that Yes it is.  Life is a celebration.  So celebrate every moment of it. We get this gift of 24 hours daily from the Divine.  Use it wisely, happily and to spread love and peace.

I celebrate myself daily by doing things that I love and celebrate it for everything that it has offered me.  These simple things could be anything from buying the simplest of things like a nosepin or a matching bindi or something as simple as road side shopping from Mulund market.  If I see it, feel happy and joyful about it, I buy it.  That’s my happiness quotient!!

P.S.: A RED BINDI, A RED LIPSTICK AND A NOSEPIN CAN NEVER GO WRONG!! TRUST ME-  keeps me happy and in joy

Love

Rekha Mahadevan

My small moments of happiness – how I look forward to them everyday like a child!!

My small moments of happiness – how I look forward to them everyday like a child!!

Somedays I am a Goddess, somedays I am like a wild child, and somedays I am a fragile mess but everyday I try and figure out what I am happy for??

When I write, read or utter the word Happinezz everything looks bright yellow and joyful for me.  Happiness for me is not something which is really big or giant sized. They are those small moments that happen in my life, some just come like a wave of wind kissing my forehead.  It could be anything from a call from a school friend to a text message from my cousin to a lovestruck message from my daughter on a photo that I would have shared on social media.  It could be as simple as Maddy - my husband telling me that the food is awesome, the breakfast is finger licking. It brings a smile and the feeling of contentment that sets into my soul cannot be expressed in mere words.

I am a young kiddo of 48 still figuring out those moments of happiness in my everyday life.  Today, I just stole couple of minutes to look at the rising sun with hues of orange and yellow through my dining room window. Felt so happy, for that.  I feel happy when my coffee is just perfect the way I like it.  I love it when I get some time to recite the Vishnu sahasranama first thing in the morning. It’s happiness when I apply rangoli made of rice flour outside my home. Its happiness when I see my kitchen sparkling clean at 745 a.m. in the morning after I have completed the morning chores of breakfast and lunch.

Yesterday got a few plants from the plant nursery.  Was tired after a hectic day, but still managed to check out at the nursery, got few flowering roses, ova plant and bamboo shoots. It was all for about 350 Rs. Felt happy that I could buy happiness so cheap.  Yes, Happiness is cheap if you find out that every moment that brings a smile to your face is free of charge in fact.

I feel happy on weekends when taking a warm shower and when the droplets of water fall on my shoulders and back. Its rejuvenating, I express gratitude for the unending supply of water we are blessed with.  Feel happy to catch up on a short nap in the afternoon snuggling beneath my rajai and putting the FAN on FULL mode. Its happiness when I know that there is enough for all of us to eat for the evening.  It could be as simple as having enough dosa dough in the fridge to make masala dosai for the evening tiffin. The list can never end.

Find out what you get happiness from? It may not necessarily be as big as buying a new home, vehicle, going for international holidays or cruises.

It could be as simple as going street shopping amidst that crowd or bazzar for buying a simple set of bangles or accessories.  All in all shopping for not more than 200 rs.  Yes, but it’s a happy feeling.  Ain’t we all hunting for happiness? So lets resolve to feel happy and seek happiness in our day to day lives. Am sure there are many moments where we have felt joyful from within.

The trick is to realise it and to inhale it deep within our body and soul.

p.s.  Got a long bamboo shoot and placed it in the centre table of my living room in a curvy glass bottle. Made me happy instantly like INSTANT COFFEE (though my filter kaaapi is much better).

Love you all

Thanks

Rekha Mahadevan

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION !!!!! – DEEPAVALI IS HERE!!

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION !!!!! – DEEPAVALI IS HERE!!

Just like Come September – It is Come Deepavali and every Indian household is filled to brim with Deepavali cleaning, sweets and savories making, lighting lamps, diyas, kandil buying and last but not the least shopping.  Shopping for clothes, shopping for rangolis, you name it we do each and everything during Deepavali.

However, with busyness setting into our lives and business also entering the lives of the caterers, there are not many who are as enthusiastic with regards to making sweets and savories.  Being born in a traditional Tambrahm family, having got married into one and being a mother to a 24 year old daughter, much hasn’t changed in my home and my life. 

I still enjoy the nostalgia associated with buying the raw materials for making pakodam, maa laddoo and theratipaal (all these are typical Tambrahm Delights) generally a must have in every Tambrahm household during Deepavali.  Vilakku, pakodam, maaladdo, theratipaal –A Typical Tambrahm household is filled with these sweets and savories.  The list includes adhirasam, thenkoyal, mullu pakodam, 7 cups barfi and many more.  The list is endless.

With changing times, many amongst us have slowly handed over this to the high end caterers like the Rajashekhars and the Raunaks who not only are counting big money for weddings but for every celebration like Deepavali,  krishnashtami and other festivals.

However, I still enjoy making these traditional sweets and savouries at home.  For me, making these sweets and savories is like getting in touch with my roots.  When I make the ribbon pakodam, it is like being in tune with the universe – I feel every planet gets encompassed in every circle. From the sun to the mars to Jupiter.  When the dough is towards the end, then it’s the turn of the stars (pun intended).

The maa ladooo(or the ladoo made from soft chana dal) is like Mother Earth – soft and pliable and her sweetness in each and every laddoo. The ghee that gets added to the laddoo are like soft drops of rain water – so you know if there is heavy downpour, it could be a mess.  Same goes with the ghee for the laddoos. Anything in excess is bad for us – we have been taught this so well right from childhood.  Certain virtues and values have to get imbibed in us – it has to be deep skin rooted.

The theratipaal (basically is peda or sweetened khoa) is made by heating sugar and milk and by contionously stirring it by keeping the gas on sim.  You can’t hurry it up or else it would be disastrous.  The same holds for life as well, we need to be patient.  Things will happen to us at the Right time and space and just hurrying up will mess up things. So be like Theratipaal – patient and sweet!!

I am somehow not very fond of the crackers since it not only makes the atmosphere polluted , it adds its part for noise pollution leading to a whole lot of health issues.

Lights, diyas for sure – I love them, it lends such warmth and happiness.  The candle diyas that we get, the floating candles are such a treat to the eyes.  Our entire building had such lovely rangolis welcoming the Goddess into each and every homes. We want to have a bit of her everyday, every year during Deepavali.  Torans made from orange and yellow marigolds is such a delightful watch outside every home.  Evenings are such full of festivities and goodness.

The colours of the rangolis signify every colour of our life, be it when we are happy as well as not so happy.  Yellow and oranges to reds violets and blues.  Greys and whites and browns for the times when we are sad.  Just like there is sunshine after every downpour, there is a rainbow of happiness after every not so good times.

So be cheerful, stay healthy and happy, eat your sweets but also exercise.

May every day of our life be like Deepavali where we try and spread light and happiness in each and every life that we meet beginning today!!!!

Loads of love

Yours

Rekha Mahadevan

p.s.  Even though we get a lot of outside sweets (not the ones made at home), the taste associated with the home made ones lingers in our taste buds.  My daughter is not very fond of the ones that we get from out, she still says AMMA ONE MORE MAALADDOO PLEASE!!! When she says that I am in seventh heaven.  Its like me getting an OSCAR!!!

Translation:

Pakodam  - Chakli

Maa laddoo-  sugar and dariya ka dal ladoos

Theratipaal – pedas not given a form.

Having the living room to myself – MY HOME, MY LITTLE SPACE – HAPPY SPACES MEANS HAPPY LIFE!!!

Having the living room to myself – MY HOME, MY LITTLE SPACE – HAPPY SPACES MEANS HAPPY LIFE!!!

Is asking for some space to one self too much to ask for?  I don’t think so. This is the story of every home maker who either stays with her in laws, her extended family or come to think of it her parents.  Everyone loves some SPACE to themselves.  There may be some from the old school of thought asking or questioning this very concept of Hey what does that mean?

Having stayed in a joint family (parents in law) for more than 26 years, it definitely means getting some breathing space in the LIVING ROOM/DRAWING ROOM when they are not around is an absolutely release for me.  It may sound a little weird for few who have not lived continuously in this kind of a set up.

It is not as if I abhor them or do not like their presence around me.  It is just that you feel a bit more free, you could put up your legs on the sofa, just sit, read, write, listen to music do whatever you could.  All in all, it means doing NOTHING which is absolutely wonderful for me as I begin to think of it.

Even few years back, the thought of doing nothing would make me feel go crazy and I would obviously judge anyone who would say I love to do nothing.  How could someone just sit and not do anything?   Nowadays I have realized that at times, doing nothing is amazing and feels wonderful.  I feel the need to spend the time with myself and that’s absolutely fantastic.  Over the years, I have realized that it is not always compulsory to slot your entire day with activities. Some days just doing nothing also sounds perfect and everyone should be doing it once in a while.

I was lucky to get that time off for a couple of days to myself and feel thankful for it.  Even little things like sitting on my jhoola (the wooden swing). Looking out of the window, watering my plants, listening to the wind blow, the soft droplets of rain falling on my face, kissing me, looking at my tulsi, betel plants (oh gosh, I haven’t even really looked at them since quite sometime), speaking to them, the feel and texture of my sofa covers, the soft yield of my hush pillows and the softness of the throw on my sofas felt so romantic. Looking at the yellowish orange sun rising from my living room made me feel that the SUN rose just for me (childish I know). 

 The soft fairy lights that I put ON in the evenings on the side corner of my drawing room felt so peaceful. The soft lights that fell on the yellow wallpaper of my living room looked dramatic.  I could write on and on. Thoughts flow from my brain to the lips with a gentle smile when I write these.  Feeling so happy for the SPACE that I got for some time. 

Feeling happy and giving thanks for this short break where I could just breakfree from the duty of having to run around doing things for family, extended family (even if it meant stretching myself more than necessary) also, having to make small talks at times, when I wanted to just sit doing nothing gets artificial at times and we follow it . This short break and SPACE really meant a lot to me and enjoying the space which helped me write once again. I am feeling just so HAPPY…..

Thanks to a  few close people who make me feel special again and again and who encourage me to write after a very looooooooooooooong sabbatical.

Giving thanks feeling happy yet again

Yours Always!!!!

Rekha Mahadevan

All I need I already have – The feeling of enoughness – Minimalism here I go!!!!

This is the second blog of the year.  The year started with the rat race.  I mean in the literal sense.  Till now, I had just heard rat race in the corporate world.  But in our case in our home, me and Maddy(my husband) had to literally chase the rat from our home.  It wasn’t just me and him, it was our gardener subhash uncle , my building security and last but not the least, we had to call the PCI guys (rodent guys) to drive it out from my haven. We deputed every bit of our army into chasing the rat from our home – lolz!!!

We breathed a sigh of relief after 730 am today when it managed to get stuck in the rat sticktrap which the PCI guy had laid for it.  Yes, we did feel bad that we were doing it, but we didn’t have any choice you see. The rat was definitely breathing. The gardener came, put the rat in the plastic cover (virgin plastic) and he would have let it run in the garden.  Thank God for my gardener (he is someone we can always look upto when it comes to these errands).

These 3 days I learnt an important lesson – firstly, that since me and maddy are not great stuff collectors, it was easy for the people to see the rat running.  Had we dumped our home with stuff and belongings, it would have been really a difficult task. In fact, I also received compliments from them that my storage space is so empty and neat ( it was such a great feel – it was like I was on the right path of minimalism –thanks to Courtney Carver – I love her loads for helping clear the mental blocks about minimalism.   We had to do the thanksgiving to Subhash uncle and my security guy who had helped us a lot.

It struck me to give away few of my good sarees – which had been neatly ironed.  I remembered Subhash uncle telling me that he has a daughter – so here I was clearing my cupboard yesterday night around 10pm and had created 3 different cartons – one for giveaways, one for dumping and the other one for my vegetable and fruit vendor. It gave me a sense of satisfaction when I handed over the big bag of clothes (all good wearable ones) to these people.  Yes, minimalism yet again helped. Somewhere I felt that God paved the way for this incident so that I could dispose of my stuff to people who really needed it.

Happy for that as well!!!  I had cleared two racks in my wardrobe and was feeling good about it

Thanks Minimalism!!!

Clearing physical clutter and mental clutter is on my mind this year and I intend achieving it!!!

Regards

Rekha

Welcome 2019 – 2nd January 2019 – MY JOURNEY TO MINIMALISM!!! – MINIMALISM ON MY MIND

Here is wishing all my friends and family a very Happy New Year 2019. May this year be more mindful and may we all resonate more with seeking good health, wealth and peace and going minimalist(for those of you who really want to seek inner peace and well being).

I intend to start my journey of minimalism – this year.  It has been seriously on my mind since more than a year.  In fact, I also tried it 2 years back, but I guess I wasn’t really serious about it. Having read a lot of books on minimalism and also reading lot of blogs related to LESS IS MORE, I really wanted to give it a shot.  After a staycation of about 7 days in a stretch, I realized that the most important things that brought me happiness was nothing hurrying up, enjoying the simple koffee with my hubby overlooking the highway and the garden from my home. 

Simple things like watching a movie, listening to a lovely piece of music, reading a good book that I could relate to really mattered a lot to me.  I was in such a state of peace and nirvana when I spent those seven days (reinventing myself)- things that brought happiness to me.  We watched musical shows together, went for a stroll and all these days I didn’t shop at unless it was for food items and basic home shopping.   Shopping was not on my mind at all and at the end of these 7 days, I was yet happy. So, I had taken the baby steps to walking and treading on this path of minimalism.

We started off with de-cluttering our home (about 5 months back) since we had to get our home done up (went for a simple and functional renovation) and the end result was indeed amazing and happy feeling.  It not only brought a sense of calmness and peace, but every time I look at my home, there is serenity since we have managed to keep the basic theme simple.

We gave away a lot of stuff to charity homes, donated clothes, bed linen, men and women clothing, my accessories, my daughters clothes, her toys which she had managed to hide in those places where I could never see.  It brought happiness to all of us that we could give away stuff that could be put to better use and functionality as against lying in the wooden boxes and storage spaces in our home.

So that’s my first intention for 2019 – start off with minimalism and hope to achieve it over the next twelve months.

Walking my body everyday atleast for 20 minutes a day – has something I have started doing since the last one month, and I am surely seeing a lot of good results, my face feels fresh and healthy and my cells are thanking me for it.

Thirdly, we have started on a vegetable juice diet first thing in the morning, As this blog progresses, I am going to share few recipes on how to go about it and how one could kickstart on this very very important habit.

So cheers to all of us, let’s be more happy, healthy and express gratitude every single day!

Love

Rekha

Worshipping the Divinity in our homes # Water pot/Water Vessel #Water Memory

When it comes to worshipping and offering prayers, there are many preferences that people choose to have. Some like to have a separate consecrated space, few of them have pooja rooms specially dedicated to it. Few of them have a small corner of their kitchen.  Whatever the convenience, offering anything with gratitude and love is going to manifest in positivity.

I too follow the same routine. I do have a dedicated small pooja room space and also have a small place in my kitchen. I find this space too divine , firstly its on the East side and when I light the lamp in the early morning and offer flowers to the deity, I feel it absolutely peaceful, divine and get a lot of oorja(energy) .

Our tradition places a lot of importance on lighting oil lamps in the morning and evening– it can be anywhere near the deity, near the Tulsi plant etc.  Recently I read a small piece of written work, wherein lighting an oil lamp near our water pot or the vessel  that we use to store water  is stressed upon.  I found this just so simple – why hadn’t I thought of it all these years –-May be it was to come to my lap and my understanding now. This one thing is giving us Life - From then on, I have been putting a small rangoli, lighting a lamp near to my water vessel.  Water is life – she is energy and truly when we worship the energy that is putting life into each of us, life reverberates.

Listening to a mantra first thing in the morning when cooking helps me become peaceful and I get a lot of solace. There is less anxiety and impatience in the morning especially when we have to complete the household chores and rush to the office.  Less impatience is more calmness and stillness within ourselves.  It helps us look better, perform better, complain less, act better and most of all feel at peace with ourselves and with the outside world.

Try lighting a lamp near to the water pot or vessel everyday – chanting a small mantra when doing it makes the water attract positive energy and your entire day becomes that of joy.

I have made it a practice to smile at the water that I am drinking and then say to myself that the water that I am going to drink is going to make me healthy, at peace, happy and joyful.   There are definitely positive results that I am seeing for myself.   You may choose to hold the water bottle and put in a small thought of peace and gratitude and see the way the water behaves inside your body.  It’s an absolute miracle. Check it out for yourselves!!

WATER HAS MEMORY – TRY IT!!!

With Gratitude

Rekha Mahadevan