Woeful winter or wondrous winter?

‘Winter is not a season it is a celebration’- Anamika Mishra 

Winter is absolute bliss. The magical and enchanting atmosphere makes me feel like I'm floating on a cozy cloud with a giant mug of hot chocolate along with crisp cookies while watching my favorite TV show. 

Apart from snuggling in my warm blanket, winter is also fiesta time! Christmas, thanksgiving, New years, and what not? Christmas is my favorite holiday because of the treats and gifts from family, friends, and Santa😉. The way I picture the perfect Christmas day is a giant Christmas tree decorated with ornaments and vibrant lights. Christmas scented candles, the presence of family and friends, Christmas-cookies, cakes, gifts, and resplendent smiles. Christmas is not the only best holiday of the winter season. We also have New years eve. On New Year's eve, I picture myself sitting around a  bonfire along with my friends eating the best barbecue food. 

However, winter is not always a jolly season. It can be grey and full of gloom for many. The cough, the cold, and the shoveling snow make winter soooo slow. There is no place to go as most of the stores get shut due to the heavy snow. It gets dark in a blink of an eye resulting in no time to go play outside. Don't forget the frostbites or the frozen toes as the season also has a lot of lazy woes. Still, winter is my favorite season until I have to say bye-bye winter...

Mindful Entertainment

Recently my teacher acquainted me with the technique of drawing mindmaps to organize my thoughts and ideas. At first, I used to just keep writing whatever came into my head. But now, I have started making mind maps and dividing them into four categories. What, Why, Who, and How. This approach really refined my writing skills as now, I pen with effortless ease and efficiency. The pieces that I have written in this manner are ‘it’s never too late’ and ‘mindful entertainment?!’

 “Happiness consists more in conveniences of pleasure that occur every day than in great pieces of good fortune that happen but seldom.”

– Benjamin Franklin

Entertainment is an activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure, amusement and delight. It gladdens them by bringing smiles to their faces. Entertainment can be in a form of watching a movie or hearing someone sing - it all depends on interest too. 

Therapeutic music heals the biased judgments of the world. When I play the piano, it obliterates the distractions that otherwise would not let me enjoy the rhythmic notes of music.  Self-entertainment releases pent-up emotions and helps us get ecstatic. 

Entertainment plays an important part in our lives. Without entertainment, we feel tired and dull. As human beings, we need some kind of break from our daily jobs and routines. We know we are entertained when we are on top of the moon. For example, when I watch TV, read a novel, and play with my dog, I feel like I am on cloud nine. Entertainment can not always be available wherever you are but your interest can sustain your happiness in whichever situation you are in by letting you revel in either your own thoughts or your own imagination. Entertainment is a state of mind.

Recently my teacher Poonam Ma'am acquainted me with the technique of drawing mindmaps to organize my thoughts and ideas. At first, I used to just keep writing whatever came in my head. But now, I have started making mind maps and dividing them into four categories. What, Why, Who, and How. This approach really refined my writing skills as now, I pen with effortless ease and efficiency. The pieces that I have written in this manner are ‘it’s never too late' and ‘mindful entertainment?!’

Gracias Gratitude🙏🏻

 “Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” – Anonymous. 

Gratitude comes from the Latin word “gratus” which means thankful.  Gratitude is the feeling of being grateful. Family is a gift that lasts forever and I am fortunate enough to have a loving and caring family. When you feel gratitude, you're pleased by what someone did for you and also pleased by the results. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences and also improve their health.

Of the many things in life that I am thankful for, love and tangible good are my assets. I love baking and the support of my mother in helping me bake is unconditional. Having a piano at home to learn and practice is not what everyone can afford. I am blessed to have one that gives me joy and comfort. Moreover, an experiment was done on some customers of a jewelry store who were called and thanked showed a 70% increase in their purchasing. In comparison, the customers who were called and shown a sale showed only a 30% increase in the purchase. In another study, it showed diners gave bigger tips to the servers who wrote thank you on the check. 

Louie Schwartzberg, in his youth, didn't have much money but had the time and a sense of wonder and so started shooting time-lapse photography. It would take him a month to shoot a 4 minute roll of film. He is the only photographer in the world who has been shooting time-lapse films 24 hours a day, 7 days a week continuously for over three decades. He never gave up because he had a sense of gratitude. He was thankful for the very little he had, unlike most of us. Through his film ‘Moving art’, he has been constantly striving to make us believe in the power of Gratitude. Heeding his advice, I have started my Gratitude journal, Shouldn't you?