Word of the Year – 2025 and 2026

My word for 2025 is Present. My intention was to dedicate the year to being more Present. It’s hard to comment on how Present I was but I can share what the moments of being Present opened up for me. Being Present opened me to the beauty of what is when I stopped wallowing and let go of what could have been. By being present in anxious moments, I learnt how isolating and lonely anxiety can be. It taught me the power of compassion, kindness, and a support system that you can lean on. Being Present means daring to come face-to-face with uncomfortable emotions and truths of your life and mustering the courage to work through them. Being Present in moments of ease and lightness is a way of expressing gratitude for blessings in life. You soak it all in. Being Present is being engaged, and living and loving deeply. And it is a gift you can give yourself and to others time and again. Yet very often we find ourselves unable to choose Presence. Such is the strong hold of the conditioned mind! But when the mind is willing, it can move mountains!

That brings me to the Word for 2026 – Practice. What you repeat, you get better at! Practice is nurturing because it does not ask you not to fall, just to pick yourself and begin again when you slip. Thoughts and emotions come and go, but consistent and disciplined effort is the strong ground you can practice on. So here’s to a year of Practice, Practice and more Practice.

2025 – A Year in Review

It’s time for the yearly ritual of looking back on the year that has gone by. In the past years, I have relied on my blog posts and pictures to recall the events from the year. Not so this year due to my sporadic blogging and lack of backing up of my pictures due to storage issues. So falling back on my memory here.

This year has been a roller coaster year with ups, downs and everything in between. We traveled quite a bit. I went to India twice. The first time combining it with a trip to Malaysia for a wedding. The wedding was super fun, reconnecting with friends who are family to us, and embracing the next generation of traditions and festivities. As you grow up, you realize that genuine friendships and authentic relationships are far and between and when an opportunity presents itself, you just need to seize it with both your hands. And what is not to love about Malaysia, a rare combination of nature and modernity. That India trip was short but sweet and meaningful with visiting temples, spending time with appa, amma and my sister-in-law and family. The second India trip was fulfilling, combining work and personal commitments and I am so very grateful to the powers above for the timing of the visit.

Close on heels of the first India trip was a weekend visit to Paris. This trip was about hanging out with family although the novelty of the city was enamoring. Da and Ram continued with a trip to the UK. Later this year, Da traveled to Israel on a business trip. We missed Hari when we went to Ithaca during the summer. Another place that is close to my heart! Those beautiful waterfalls, one can never have enough of them!

This was a big year for Ram. He graduated from Middle School and the Indian Heritage School. He climbed ranks in Scouts. He got Black Belt in Karate. The pressure of High School is certainly weighing on him but he is hanging in there, alternating between working hard and hardly working.

This was a milestone year for Hari. The child is an adult. With internships and other commitments, getting family time is becoming more and more scarce. We have learnt to make the most of it when he is around. He works super hard but knows to chill as well.

Da had to face a curveball in his work life but managed it well with clarity and focused efforts. I am proud of his resilience.

As far as I am concerned, some of my extra curricular activities have come to an end. Teaching at Indian Heritage School and being on the library board. They were passions close to my heart but I am also happy that I let go as I am able to make time to explore other interests and passions. I celebrated 20 years of working in the same company and am grateful for the financial freedom and personal growth it has offered me.

The reckoning and the awakening that comes with mid-life is hitting me hard, and the pull to live a life aligned to my values is getting stronger and stronger. Every now and then, a little voice keeps whispering, how are you going to live the rest of your wild precious life? (thanks to Mary Oliver for this poignant ask in The Summer Day poem). I don’t have an answer but the questions gives me a reset and inspires me to live an intentioned life.

If you have been reading me this year, thank you for sticking with me. Just say hello and let me know how you are doing and if it is not asking too much, I would love to know what you have been up to and what life has taught you this year.

Uninterrupted NOT!

Gosh, if there is one thing I can say about my blog, it is that it has gradually faded into oblivion with my other personal pursuits.

At least until last year, I was steadfast in writing during November. One could argue that I started the gratitude posts in November stating that I have travel commitments and would keep them going for as long as I can, which is what I did. But then, there have been years when life kept me on my toes but somehow the pull to write and the push to keep the streak going were strong enough for me to make time for writing through life’s commitments and curve balls.

This year, I just let it be. I had worked very hard in the Fall and I simply didn’t want to push myself harder in any aspect of my life. Letting it be was an act of self-care. But then I came back in December and made grand proclamations to catch up and I did not honor that. Not proud of it at all. And a little bit troubled by it as well since I had made a similar commitment to myself to write a 100-day private journal and I did not follow through.

The reason I bring this up is our interests and hobbies are fragile. At least for me, they are. For some, the passion itself drives the practice. I have a tendency to drift in the direction that life takes me. So, this is just a reminder to myself that my passions need to be grounded in intention and the discipline to keep coming back to the practice.

Word of the Year

This year of looking Within taught me that compassion starts with the self and that true self-care is holding my feelings and emotions without judgment and criticism but with tenderness, love, and care. When I feel abundance from within, I am able to offer grace and compassion to others. I have also learnt that my attention, energy and time are my most precious assets and are the greatest gifts that I can offer to others.

For the new year, I am choosing the word Present. I am asking myself – can I be more Present in what this moment is offering? What happens when I don’t lock myself with thoughts of the past and future and just focus in the Present? What am I learning about myself and the people around me when I am fully Present? Can I take refuge in the Present moment when life gets too much? Will staying Present give me the courage to draw boundaries of what is acceptable and not acceptable, and will it help me push the self-limiting boundaries that I draw for myself? Can I dare to be completely Present when performing monotonous tasks, in uncomfortable conversations, and under stressful situations? Can I be Present in tiny beautiful moments without clinging on to it?

I intend to dedicate this year to practice being Present.

For Christmas, Ram made me a cute bookmark with my Word of the year for the past several years – Discipline, Detox, Mindfulness, Us, Habits, Strive, Nourish, Galvanize, Flow, Within…. and this year Present.

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.

Reflections and Intentions

Another year has gone by just like that!

Highlights of the year for us have been our India trip and Hari starting college.

We went to India after what felt like centuries. We soaked in the company of my parents and sister-in-law and her family and couldn’t have asked for a better gift. Cherry on the cake was meeting our extended family too.

Hari starting college was bittersweet. We couldn’t have been more excited for him. But it was also a bit of adjustment for all of us, which I have written ad nauseam here. But life has a way of teaching you to adapt. He will be going back this week after being home for 5 weeks. He enjoyed the break from adulting, and we let him be more of an adult with his own routine and preferences when he was here. That seems to have struck a happy balance.

Ram has been an active seventh grader. His new adventure this year was taking part in the First Lego League, which he quite enjoyed. Scouts, guitar and karate continue to have his loyalty. He worked very hard on his scout merit badges and has been having a blast learning new songs on his guitar. Books, drawing and creative pursuits remain his sanctuary!

Da’s work has kept him on his toes and he changed jobs and is liking it.

No big changes at my end. I find myself drawn to “being” rather than “doing” more these days. In that sense, perhaps I went with the Flow, my word of the year. I am most proud of working with Ram on a personal fitness goal for his scouts project. The project itself was low key but it taught me a thing or two about how much the mind resists and persuades you away from discomfort and has given me a lot to work on.

For the new year, I am setting an intention to explore my inner resources and work from within. My word of the year is “Within”. Wishing me well and here’s wishing you all well in your pursuits and endeavours.

2022 – Year in Review

Taking stock of the year that is drawing to a close. Things that stand out are:

Summer adventure with Ram visiting neighboring libraries. A touch of whimsy!
Visiting my brother Satya and family. A bundle of togetherness!
Hari travelled out of town multiple times for debate tournaments. Flight of independence!
Ram not only spent a week away from us but did so camping outdoors. You go Ram!
Ram’s covid symptoms showing up during a hiking trip when he was away from us. My poor baby!
Hari turning an adult. Always my baby!
Da’s 50-year milestone birthday. The same old kid at heart!
Performed for the first time for an audience since covid. Pumped up and energized!
Peak Mind by Amishi Jha is the book of the year for me. Your life is what you pay attention to!
A Slight Change of Plans by Maya Shankar is the podcast of the year for me. Touched my soul!
Schitt’s Creek is the show of the year for me. Laughter and lightness!
College visits accompanied by trip to local ice cream shop. Our college adventure!
Review college essay after essay. Respect for the child’s tenacity!
Ram transitioning to middle school year. And the juggling continues!
Ram and Hari saturday morning visits to local bagel shop where they spend time discussing geopolitics I am told. Sibling-ness!
Handwritten notes for midterm elections. Better than doing nothing!
Helped organise Diwali. Belonginess!
A brand new batch of kids to teach at Indian Heritage school. Loving every moment of it!
Helped organised programming events at the library. Good to be back!
Visit by childhood friend. Truly special!

And so much more.

Between the two milestone birthdays in our household, the fleeting and paradoxical nature of time has never been more real to me. I also learnt that even when I thought I was fine working from home and having minimal social interactions, I found myself much happier and energized when I met people. So I need to make conscious attempts to make it happen as succumbing to inertia is the natural instinct. I also realized how the things that burn me out can have a strong hold on me and I need to deliberately and actively peel myself away from it and carve out a routine and set of habits to help me stay grounded.

The word of the year Galvanise was the most part showed up in my birthday planning for Da. It showed its head here and there, did not define my year as I thought it would. I did somewhat ok on my habits and self improvement goals in the first quarter of the year. Since then it has been a steady downfall and I have not picked myself. It’s getting harder every time to pick myself up so I need to learn from my failings and tweak my methods.

Regardless of all my lapses, I am thankful from the depths of my heart for the year that has been!

Onward and Upwards 2022

Showing up for yourself with patience and grace, day in and day out. Giving more of yourself to the present moment and soaking in the fullness of it. Hobbies and passion that stretch and fulfill you. Rest and recovery that replenish you. Faith and hope when anxiety and fear strike. People you can lean on, relationships you can count on and friendships that matter. The courage to just be in the face of difficult times and the knowledge that this will pass too. Physical, emotional, and financial well-being. Wishing you all these and more in 2022.

The year in review

This year, every time we have heaved a sigh of relief and felt like we could have some semblance of normalcy, the pandemic has made its presence felt, as though taunting and reminding us that it’s not that time yet, isn’t it? If 2020 was challenging with the onset of pandemic, 2021 took it a notch higher by daring us to live with the pandemic.

Living with the pandemic has been stressful. There has been a cloud of apprehension hanging over our heads even as we carried on with our day to day activities. First there was relief that the vaccine was here and that the adults of the household were vaccinated. Then the Delta variant wreaked havoc back home and made us acutely aware of the limitations of living oceans apart. Then came the anxiety that the little ones are not vaccinated yet. And now Omicron.

Last year, I found it easier to limit ourselves to our household and do our part at these unprecedented times. This year, I felt the pinch of limits and constraints we have placed on ourselves. I ached to see people and have lighter conversations. I craved to get away from the routine. But thankfully these were passing clouds, ones that added clarity to what constituted a wholesome life for me. Ones that I should work towards as the circumstance permits with an attitude of gratitude.

I did not make a checklist like I did in 2021 so I have nothing concrete to assess myself against. I loved my word of the year Nourish and embraced it wholeheartedly. I do not know if it improved the quality of my life or my outlook, nor do I have anything remarkable to show for it. The word stayed with me as a silent companion throughout the year.

My biggest learning has been the need to build rest and recovery in my routine. The toll that burn out can take on you is not to be underestimated.

I gained a lot out of following UL’s 30-day podcast wherein we contemplated a word a day. It taught me to look within with curiosity, which came in handy especially at difficult moments when the mind just wants to flee to the past or future – What am I running from? Can I stay in the present moment and give more of myself to it?

I was languishing with my habits. Grateful to Limp Cabbage and Momto2Cuddlebugs, who are my habit building habits. They show up and do the work that matters to them. It has motivated me to try harder and be more steadfast in my pursuits. I am not where I aspire and strive to be but I have read more, exercised more, and mediated more.

Grateful for the blessings of this year and praying for continued well being and grace of my cherished ones and the humanity at large.

Word of the year

The word that resonates with me this year is Nourish.

This year I want to nourish the whispers of my heart, the ones that drown in the daily humdrum of life. The voice that asks me to read more, write often, practice dance regularly, go on daily walks, spend more quality time with kids and Da, do my part for the community… you know the finer things in life.

The million dollar question is how to nourish these deeply held desires while delivering on other life and work commitments? I have no answers, all I know is at this moment in time the whispers are compelling enough for me to search for an answer(s).

If you have any hacks that work for you, send them my way.