Challenge no. 1 - 1 Week without TV

Does it sound a very big deal for you?

Courtesy: Google Images

Yes, I have completed it yesterday and still don’t have any plans to switch on TV soon. It is a wonderful feeling taking the challenge and completing it.

Yes, not watching a TV for even a day is kind of unbelievable for me. I and my wife many times thought of reducing our TV watching time but then, we do it for 1 or 2 days and then back to usual. But last Friday, we were determined and thus, succeeded so far in not watching TV. We have unplugged the connection, so, even sometimes, when my wife is not at home, I feel the urge to switch on but setting up a connection discourages me out of laziness. 

The biggest advantage is that I am able to sleep early and thus started starting my day early. Also, I am spending quality time with my wife and also as she sleeps early as she is a teacher and starts her day at 5 am, I am also able to get a time to do some quality reading just before bedtime. Also, without TV, I am finding my room more comfy and peaceful. Although we feel that something is missing for 1 or 2 days but after that we become habitual and didn’t find the need to connect to it.

However, my wife is complaining that now I am working more on Internet but the fact of the matter is that I am monitoring my blog more frequently but still I feel that I need to reduce the laptop time. Now, I feel that that will be the ultimate challenge to be away from the internet for a week which is anyways not possible as the nature of my work demands it. 

Google Images: overeating and mindless eating

Apart from having an ample time at my disposal that can be used for more constructive things, there are numerous other advantages. Go ahead and experience those advantages yourself. One can give more time to his hobbies and also interested one can cultivate new hobbies. Also, if we think from a time management point of view, we would not complain that we don’t have time in this fast paced world. Everybody has same amount of time, it is up to us how we are utilizing. Also, you will be more mindful while eating and doing other activities.

We all know that we generally watch some music channels and then some news, there is nothing good, if you are not a typical saas bahu type audience.

Take out this challenge yourself and share your experience!!

A Wonderful Message by George Carlin

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness. 

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. 

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. 

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less. 

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete. 

Remember to spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side. 

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you. 

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

And always remember, life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by those moments that take our breath away.

Lines that touched my heart-1

I think that I cannot preserve my health and spirits, unless I spend four hours a day at least—and it is commonly more than that—sauntering through the woods and over the hills and fields, absolutely free from all worldly engagements. You may safely say, A penny for your thoughts, or a thousand pounds. When sometimes I am reminded that the mechanics and shopkeepers stay in their shops not only all the forenoon, but all the afternoon too, sitting with crossed legs, so many of them—as if the legs were made to sit upon, and not to stand or walk upon—I think that they deserve some credit for not having all committed suicide long ago.--Walking, by Henry David Thoreau

The Healing power of Surgery - 2

This post is in continuation to my last post. Please find below the link for the same: http://atlasshrugged-eccentric.blogspot.in/2013/04/the-healing-powe-rof-surgery-1.html

     4. It also increased my love for my family and relatives many folds. There was a lot of things to do just before the marriage like card distribution, sweets order, so many bookings and what not in any typical Indian marriage. Since I cannot help, he alone has to do it. He was so busy and stressed in those days. Also, my cousins Saransh and Ayush also did a lot of work. All this told me the importance and value of relatives. You cannot walk alone, you always need people to share your joys and sorrows. Everybody helped me to deal with it but it is my wife who knows it all after marriage. She knew sometimes I felt so low due to it. Her emotional support was tremendous and perhaps greater than any other power.  http://atlasshrugged-eccentric.blogspot.in/2013/01/for-my-loving-wife.html

5.   It taught me the self-discipline and patience which are the 2 most important attributes to be happy according to me. I had to follow a strict regime everyday comprising of physiotherapy session; exercise 2-3 times at home as told by the doctor, ice pack, medicines on time, healthy diet, fruits. I also realized no matter how hard you try, healing will not be expedited beyond a particular limit. Being patient was the only option. I would like to reiterate my favorite quote which I have already used many times in my blog: Nature never hurries yet everything is accomplished. I adopted the pace of the nature, her secret is patience.

      6. Whenever I think of my surgery, my share of Bad Karmas (deeds) came in front of my eyes. I was able to recall the moments of my life whenever I lied, criticize somebody without any reason and did something which was not right and against my soul. As a result of all this, I forgive everybody in my heart with whom I had issues at some point of my life and released my emotions. I thought life is much bigger than carrying all these small little things of no value in heart. This thing does not matter much. I become much more fully alive than ever before. Somebody has rightly said that Death can teach you about life.

   7.   It accelerated my journey towards my spiritual growth. I had a lot of time at my disposal which allowed me to listen to my inner self. I started reading the Speaking tree section that comes in TOI (Times of India) every day and started loving it. Later, I searched some books on spirituality and found them very interesting and helping too. I also get introduced to Mediation, mindful techniques which however I did not practice.

8.  I once read it somewhere that this world is a very friendly place to live and the universe is conspiring for all of us to do better in our life. It is very deep wisdom. At the time of my marriage, I used to thoughts that the timing of my injury is very wrong, 10 days before my marriage, it will kill the fun element in the marriage and also my marriage photographs will not be that good as I will be captured along with the plaster cast and it reminds me about the injury every time I will look at the photographs. But now, I thought 10 days before the marriage was the best time that the injury can happen. At this point, I successfully unleashed the hidden reasons behind it. If it would after the marriage, somebody got a chance to say that my marriage brings me bad luck or something like that. And if it would happen a long time before my marriage then who would have taken care of me in Hyderabad as my family is in Saharanpur, U.P. and I work in Hyderabad.

Who would have taken me to physiotherapy session every day, who would help me to follow the discipline, who would have drop me to my office every day and who would have given me the emotional support. Thanks to my wife.

The Healing Power of Surgery - 1

Today, once again my belief that everything on this earth has a purpose becomes stronger with time; the only thing is that you have to look inwards to find the purpose. I would like to discuss how my illness transformed me, changed my life for a better, and also changes my values and attitude. I start appreciating life more; I feel I came closer to myself. 

On 11^th Nov2012, 2 days before Diwali (Festival in India), I met with an accident. It was first time in my life that I planned to celebrate Diwali away from my home but perhaps it was not accepted to higher powers. As a result of which, I went to home on 12^th Nov. My surgery of right elbow, for implanting 4 screws, was planned on 16^th Nov., 8 days before my marriage date which is 24^th Nov. Me and my family biggest nightmares were about the execution of marriage and various associated ceremonies. Biggest problem was that as I was not able to move my right hand at all, how will I put wedding ring in her finger and likewise as all the ceremonies should be performed by the right hand only. But in my case, I performed it with left hand and managed somehow with the help of my relatives. Let me share with you my learning during this 3 month long phase which was perhaps not less than ages for me. 

We tend to think of illness as a problem which can be full of sufferings and problems but I believe in the process there are many things that we can learn from it. When you fall ill, life comes to standstill, you find it difficult to pass time as you don’t have to go to work which gets a major share of our time but at the same time, you have the opportunity to think about lot of things and people you were ignoring, about the issues unresolved in your subconscious mind and many other things and here starts your realization. Illness came in my life as a teacher, inspiration. Let me unleash some of things I realized during this not so bad phase.

1.     I realize the value of my family and loved ones. No matter how hard you work in your life but at the time of crisis, it is only your family who come to rescue you and not your boss or Client. I became very much dependent during that time and everybody helped me to deal with it. I just wanted to say never ignore your family members and always take care for these relations. Man is a social anima as we keep hearing, although it is an era of nuclear family but I believe there is always a feeling of lack of support in nuclear family and nothing can beat the power of the joint family where your happiness doubles and sorrows vanishes.

2.     I started living in gratitude. Whenever I visited hospital, I always thanked god that my injury is nothing compared to other people out there. It was the beginning of the time when I began to realize that I have so much compared to others but instead of being thankful, I long for the things, opportunities that others have. I started loving myself and my family more. I saw people with only 1 leg which made me changed my attitude towards life. I saw people who came for their treatment alone but with me, my whole family is there, lucky me. We should always be thankful for all the things.

3.     I understand the importance of health and it can be realized only when you lost it. I remember when the range of motion was so less that I am even not able to brush my teeth, apply oil to my hair and shaving and many other trivial but indispensable tasks. I become very dependent. When I saw the other people doing it, I felt kind of longing, very deep longing to get my range of the right hand back. I realized at that time if you really want to enjoy the life, which I had and will always, good health is most basic requirement. Without good health, you will not enjoy a single thing. At that time, I decided to take care of my health and improve my lifestyle. I develop a taste for healthy food and at the same time condemned pizzas, burgers etc. and thank god, my wife also didn’t like junk food else the newlywed couple generally have lot of junk food. Also, at this time of my life, first time I got a feeling to quit from non-vegetarian food. Although I have not become vegetarian completely but I have reduced the non-vegetarian food drastically in my diet. I read lot of stuff about healthy lifestyle, going green, adopting Ayurveda life style and able to accumulate some basic stuff in my everyday life like massaging my body twice a week, cleaning my tongue every day, drink 2-3 glasses of water as soon as I wake up every day, sometimes pouring a Badam Rogan drops in my nose for a good night sleep etc. These small things go a long way in improving your health and enable you to live a good healthy lifestyle.

There are some more things I want to share but due to less time, I have to sign off. I will continue this post soon and thus changed its title to show that it is first post of the series.

Please find the link of part of this post.
http://atlasshrugged-eccentric.blogspot.in/2013/05/the-healing-power-of-surgery-2.html