And Then You Will Know

Yes. The time has come to talk about shoes first of all. If you ask me why? Here is the reason. Only when you wear your shoes, you come to know where it pinches and pinches the most. Let me tell you if you don't fix that it will be impossible for you to walk another step. And if you can't walk at all, what is the point of talking about anything else? So, the whole point is to take care of your shoes and they will take care of your journey. Any journey in life begins with small steps you take wearing your own shoes.

That is about being comfortable in your own shoes. But sometimes you need to try others' shoes as well. Sounds funny? Eh ? It should not actually. For unless you step into someone else's shoes once in a while, you become complacent and you start being judgemental about others. Others' behaviour, others' thought process and why others did what they did. 

So what? You might say. Well, it is important to understand others to lead a life well understood by others. To be fair to others so they can be fair to you. A life of understanding is that of happiness and peace of mind.

Reminds me of what Linda Goodman has said in the introduction to her book on zodiac signs. The study of the zodiac signs is to help people understand one another. Why people are, the way they are. What she meant was probably that every person has a different nature which is unique to him or her. Taking the point further, the other factor that goes into the making of a personality is the social environment that one lives in. We could also say that what happens in one's life and how he responds or reacts to it; makes people look who they are in our eyes.

What Elvis Presley sang about long ago is the same thing. Walk a mile in my shoes.......and so on. In a nutshell, he also said that if you try on my shoes or live my life for a day; you would stop judging me harshly. You would be more forgiving, more tolerant and more accepting of people who don't think like you or live like you.

How true! If only we could remember this all the time how easy we would be on others. Life would be more peaceful on this planet if we started appreciating others' philosophy of living while living our own lives as we wish. There would be less of a nuisance of our own making in this world.

Imagine. A husband would be more understanding of his wife. Colleagues would be more straightforward. The students would be more attentive to what their teachers taught. Religions would be more tolerant of one another. Countries would be more cooperative among themselves.

The experience of all great people through ages has crystallized into one thought. Being more understanding and less judgemental would help us live a more constructive life without coming in one another's way. The Bible also says - Do unto others what you would do to yourself.

It is all a matter of perception, my dear. So walk a mile in my shoes and then you will know...

‘This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.’

Healthy And Happy In My Own Way

 It's always one thing after the other. No rest.That's life in big cities. Always a mad rush. And for the working women ? No less than a madhouse. Heard of Mumbai Madness ? Ask me !

You have to rise before the sunrise to set the ball rolling. You spin around the house like a top, quickly ticking the morning rituals. Getting ready for the office, helping all others at home to get ready, cooking breakfast and lunch for tiffin. All this in jet speed to catch the train to your workplace on time. 

In the office, meeting after meeting or working at your desk.

Reverse gear in the evening. Immediately after reaching home, you start cooking dinner, help children with their homework and projects and other endless household chores. Not to forget the numerous social commitments as well. Sounds familiar ? 

No wonder ! Wonder Woman is a fictional character mind you ! The Real Woman is caught in a whirlwind all through the day, every day.

How are you supposed to feel when your doctor tells you one fine day that you are becoming overweight, the lipid profile and other values do not look good, so you need to exercise regularly and religiously. 

What do you mean ? Am I not working too hard already ? ?

No, not really. 

What ??? As the minions would say.

Good Lord ! When do I find the time to WORKOUT ? As if I am not overloaded with work already. But then, since it is the doctor's verdict, you can't ignore.

Wondering what to do and how to do, I chanced upon the Saffola #ApneTareekeSeHealthy creative.

Hmmm...That did make sense to me and set me thinking. Slowly I started getting ideas with exercise on my mind all the time. 

An advisory was issued by the Home Ministry. Dos and Don'ts. Because everyone's health had to be taken care of. Not just me. Here you go ! Wanna try ?

I spend a lot of time standing in the kitchen while cooking goes on. Instead of just standing while the gas burners did the actual cooking, I started jogging on one spot, sometimes even flapping my arms. 

Yogasanas in standing postures, sitting postures, while lying down also. 

I discovered that sweeping and mopping the floor burns a lot of calories. So apart from the cleaning by the domestic help once a day, I stopped leaving the mess to be cleared next day. Mess up as much as you want but clean up immediately.

Dusting is a must in the land of Heat and Dust. More is less. By the time you finish one round of dusting, another layer of dust settles down on all surface. So the rule is... shake a leg while you are at it and the music is on...

Extra points for getting up to answer the doorbell every time it rings and to fetch your own glass of water. Get up ! That's the fitness mantra !

I turned all our office parties and social get-togethers into dance parties. That turned out to be a lot of fun ! 

The path from the local train station to my office is lined with lush green trees. I calculated and realized that the time I took to walk from the station to office was the same as the time bus took to navigate through the traffic !

When I accompanied my children to the swimming sessions, I started walking around the swimming pool while the children trained.

On the weekends, I played and cycled with my kids. 

I also made it a point to do yoga mudras and acupressure while commuting. That gave me the mental strength to fight the daily stress.

Eat everything but not too much of anything. Choose wisely. Even the minions patronize the bananas !

Soon it made a difference in my stamina. It took me lesser time to do strenuous jobs. Above all, I felt cheerful all day.

I had learned my lesson. It is next to impossible to find time exclusively for a strict regimen. But it makes life more full of life if you just play along. Behave as if you are a participant in a reality show. Minus the melodrama of course ! 

The challenge is to be healthy and happy. 

Having fun all the time !

I am joining Saffola #ApneTareekeSeHealthy initiative and sharing my ways of being healthy in association with BlogAdda