2024 Reflections

As 2024 is drawing to a close, some reflections on the year…

Embarked on the adventure of knowing my mind…. from what little peek I got, delving within has mostly taught me how limited my worldview is. The inner work is hard, lonely, freeing, empowering… mostly, it takes a lot of courage to simply sit with the rawness of all that you encounter.

Achieved some discipline on things that I struggled with in the past – I limited night time snacking to fruits, regular brushing and flossing at night, reciting Vishnu Sahsranam, vitamins intake, quasi fasting for quasi ekadesi.

Donated blood for the first time. I learnt a valuable lesson in staying hydrated and another reminder as to how if foundational it is to take care of yourself. You can be there for others only if you are there for yourself.

Books and podcasts have been my best friends this year. I indulged in book borrowing therapy, joyfully clicking the borrow button on the catalog, a felt a rush of adrenaline when I get an email notification for pick up and a boatload of anticipation when I saw a book of my choice with my name tag sticking out at the library pick up shelf . I am happy to say that my house is littered with books. I read only a fraction of the books that I borrowed and probably read only a few pages on some of these books. But I am not embarrassed about it… the books that I did not read gave me as much joy as the books I read. I do not know the count of books that I borrowed, I do not remember names of all the authors or titles I read nor was a deligent about writing reviews. But the words linger, shifting my mindset, influencing my attitude, and everyday living.

I uncovered the joy of reading books on my phone. I know wherever I go, as long as I have my phone, I have the option to read. I love that I can copy the verbiage and share it with myself on WhatsApp.

I uninstalled Facebook and Instagram on my phone. They are useful tools that add value but I don’t like how they hijack my attention when I have unlimited access to it.

Completed Mindlfulness Based Stress Reduction program and loved every bit of it.

Served as a juror in a criminal trial. It was a solemn, humbling and fascinating experience.

Attended three weddings and met a dear friend after a decade and a half!

Went on four 10-mile hikes and one 20-mile hike as part of Ram’s hiking merit badge

The year left me yearning for …

Being closer to nature

Dance practices

Writing

Work life balance

Being part of the local community

Spending more time with the kids

Approval and validation

My go to resources for this year were…

Guided meditation

Tuning into my body and senses

Books on mindfulness

Surrender and taking refuge in higher power – prayer and the idea of loving kindness

Leaning in on people who are not judgmental

Heartfelt gratitude for all love, light, and support that this year brought.

A new reader

Ram is a voracious reader. Reading to him is like eating and sleeping. It’s a necessity. It calms and grounds him like no other. Guess what he was glued to a lot today? Drum rolls please…

… this blog…! Of course, it’s another thing that the appeal has been posts about his growing up . So some narcissistic bias there. Still, he wrapped his arms around me and said, “Mom, you write so well. I enjoyed knowing your point of view.” The writing well part is up for debate but I am overjoyed that I wrote something that held the interest of this avid reader. A big fat milestone that had me grinning ear to ear.

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On an unrelated note, I had asked him for his list of favorite authors. Here’s his list. I thought I would jot them down in case it comes in handy for any passers by on this blog. Rick Riordon is not in the list because both he and I know that he is his favorite author.

Lisa McMann
Kathryn Lasky
Jennifer A. Nielson
Branden Sanderson
Georgia Byng
Jonathan Stroud
Jennifer Lynn Alvarez
Devon Hughes
Taran Matharu
Chris Colfer
Eoin Colfer
Dan Gutman
Cory Putman Oats
Trenton Lee Stewart
John Grisham
Tui T. Sutherland
Carl Hiassen
John Flanagan
Pseudonymous Bosch
Mac Barnett
Tom Angleberger
Stephan Pastis
Stuart Gibbs
James Patterson
Christopher Paul Churtis
Andrew Peterson
Scott Westerfeld
Marcus Emerson
Mary Nortan
Gordan Corman
Alan Gratz
Ursula Vernon
B. B. Alston

Why is My Hair Curly?

Avantika shares a love hate relationship with her curly hair. It is unruly, it makes her stand out, and it makes her feel lonely in a family with straight and smooth hair. It kindles an intense longing to connect with her biological mother. How she comes to terms with her hair is the crux of the story.

Why is My Hair Curly? is set in India and follows a modern day family formed through adoption. Light yet profound, this story is very relatable to the young and the old. It is a story that can be read at different levels. My 9 year old giggled out loud at the humor and was captivated by how the illustrations so closely followed the story, and my 15 year old commented how there are several underlying themes that are worthy of deep dive. As for me, I hung onto every word in the story and fell in love with this warm and adorable family of four and its extended members.

If Lakshmi Iyer painted a story with her words, Niloufer Wadia brought those words to life through her illustrations. This is one book that you should judge by its cover. The story is funny, has twists and turns, and the author very subtly weaves in themes in an age appropriate manner. This is one of those books that stays with you long after you have turned the last page. You do not want to miss out on this book.

Why is my hair curly?

I met Laksh through the blog world more than a decade back. I would wait eagerly every morning to read her posts. Be it the post about the muffin on her desk taunting her or the letters to her daughters with motherly observations and wisdom, her writing is a reader’s delight – raw, authentic, relatable, reflective, and playful. Through the power of her words, she broadens perspectives and challenges mindsets. It takes a certain courage and faith to put yourself out there and follow where your heart leads. Laksh’s writing and her life story is a proof of that. My life is richer because of how openly Laksh shares the ups and downs of her life journey.

Now, drum rolls please! I am thrilled to introduce you to Laksh’s debut children’s book – Why is my hair curly? It is a chapter book for the age group 8-12 and is releasing digitally tomorrow. It is story that explores the nuances of acceptance, identity and adoption through an adopted child’s point of view. The paperback will release on July 20th. Hop on over, buy that book, write a review on Amazon, and spread the word. The links to purchase the book are:

US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B088NKH9M2/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/9389648114/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_rU-9Eb3DD7DYV

You go Laksh…!!! I am mighty proud of you. Wishing you a roaring success. May you continue to delight your readers through your words and stories.

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal

The title is intriguing, isn’t it? Makes you want to dig deeper, isn’t it?

A small set of Punjabi widows are coaxed into signing up for a creative writing class led by Nikki, the 22 year old protagonist of this novel. The catch is majority of them do not know to write the english alphabets let alone taking a stab at creative writing in english. But who said one needs to know to read and write to be a creative story teller? So what was originally a creative writing class evolves into a creative story telling class. On the surface, these women seem to be timid, conformists, and gossip mongers but the erotic tales that they spin shatter the stereotypes, and unleash the unfamiliar and unexpected sides of their personality and personal lives. Through these storytelling session , not only the widows but also Nikki find their voices, their place in the society, and break free from the shackles that society imposes on them.

This is a story of immigrant acceptance and assimilation, of identity differences between first and second generation immigrants, of complicated sibling and parent relationships, and of a small neglected and written off subgroup of the Punjabi community in a suburb of London. Most of all, it is a story of women empowerment and finding the courage to be the change you want.

I found the side stories of this novel a little distracting and a tad Bollywoodish but it was a small price to pay for a novel that was at its core funny and thought provoking. Grab this book, it is worth a read.