The Sunday that Taught Me to Stop Whining

I was talking to a friend the other day and she was whining about her life. I tried telling her that there are people who would kill to have the life she does. But she didn’t seem to believe me. It made me think of the boys I had met on Sunday and what they wouldn’t do to be in her place.

My visit to the Government Home for Boys with Special Needs was an eye-opener in more ways than one. The joy that I felt from these kids is something we don’t normally get to experience in our adult lives. When they came up to me to shake my hand, they smiled and showed that they were happy to meet me. Not in the way you say ‘Nice meeting you’ to a new acquaintance but something more like ‘I’m so glad you’re here!’

These boys may look like pre-teens but some of them have a mental age of a 3-year-old and are still struggling with basic motor skills. The volunteers from U & I had organised special activities to help them interact better and learn the basics.

One group brought along coffee beans, a ball of cotton and an orange to demonstrate smell, touch and taste – a great exercise for a rainy Sunday afternoon. Another group had progressed to ABC’s and 123’s. Talking to the volunteers, I learnt that it takes a long time to see results with these boys and some of them have spent years building a good rapport with them so that they retain what they learn.

In the corridors, there was a cheerful bunch of boys performing nursery rhymes and repeating steps after their beloved akkas and annas as they fondly call the volunteers. One boy started playing claps with me – something I hadn’t done in years. It’s easy to smile around here, even easier to bring a smile to someone’s face. At one point, a little boy and I found ourselves laughing out loud without a care in the world. Some things that seem crazy to the outside world become a part of daily life here.

All in all, I found the experience truly enriching and inspiring. Everything we whine about every day is of least priority when you focus on making someone smile and helping them grow. I recently heard this quote that really captures what I experienced: Never get tired of doing the little things for others. Sometimes those little things occupy the biggest part of their hearts.

Brown to Basics!

So I don't believe in deleting an old blog to start a new one. This whole rebirth business need not be Phoenician in every possible way!
I acknowledge that my old blog was getting kinda boring and pathetically personal. I had got so cozy with it and its readers, I forgot how to write professionally. So, here's another try at the internet writing world. I hear it's rapidly growing industry and very acceptable in the media world! And what can I say, I'm part of this attention-craving generation after all!

The template I just chose in the less-than-60-seconds setup is called Scribe. It was the one I first used in that amazingly creative MiDDAY office. I owe my blogger existence to my internship there.

Background music-(I sing to my blog pretty often. Get used to it!)-Six Pence None the Richer

There she goes,
there she goes again,
racing through my brain
And I just can't contain
This feeling that remains

Refusing to rise from ashes, the Muddled Mind just dusts off the filth that college life spewed on her. She chooses a familiar comfort blanket while denying herself the protection that last years' shreds of intellect offered. Her alter egos, suppressed and expressed at intervals, are silenced for the time being.
Her new avtar chooses to be discreet, amazingly so, considering her inate need for sincerity. Puddled won't just allow any and everyone to step into her tearful self. You get the picture!
Her arrogant ignorance shall be hidden.
Today someone called me Pari and acoustic poem-ed it into Poetic Arrogance Raises Interest. The only change I would make in describing myself is Poetic Arrogance Requires Interest :)
I've been on poetbay for 4 years now with 3 different accounts! And I'm proud of it!
I take random pictures of all my adorable friends and put them online! I'm proud of my uploading speed!
I download music and never listen to it! My media library is presently 4859 song strong! and I'm mighty proud of it! I choose to hear familiar tunes and use them in my world of writing.
I believe MUSIC IS LITERATURE. It just hasn't been explored as the best form of media communication! Yeah, there you go.
Song change: There goes the neighbourhood-Sheryl Crow
Aim & Objective of Puddled Mind: Hypothetesize this whole music industry with close attention to rock music and it's influence on the young mind.
Aha! I'm organised! Help yourself!
Will return with PostScripts.
Night!