Life is...

Image Source: Google search

Life is like a song,
Sing it with all your heart.
It doesn’t matter who is listening,
You just need to play your part.

Life is like a dance,
Just sway to the music and beat.
It doesn’t matter who is watching,
As long as there’s excitement in your feet.

Life is like a book,
That you write for yourself.
Others may not even read it,
Just put your story on the shelf.

Learn to live for yourself,
Do what makes you happy.
Just ignore what others have to say,
Their job is just to make you feel crappy.

But once you put on your earplugs,
And sing or dance or write.
Everything wrong in the world,
Just sets itself right.

© Nishtha Khurana, 2018. All rights reserved.

I am my father’s daughter

From simple things like loving songs with Punjabi flavour,

Image Source: Google search

To securing a seat behind the wheel;
From not spending the weekends at home,
To enjoying a sumptuous Indian meal.
My likes and dislikes are same as his;
So are my quirks.
I am my father’s daughter,
And for me it works.

They tell me I am a strong person.
They tell me I am a fighter.
They tell me I don’t get stirred,
Even when my challenges get tougher.
They don’t know this yet,
But I can tell them now.
I am my father’s daughter,
They won’t be surprised if they knew.

Never the one to back-off,
Never the one to fear.
No matter what lies ahead;
Bring it on, my dear.
That was the kind of man he was,
That is what I aspire to.
I am my father’s daughter,
And a damn proud one too.

© Nishtha Khurana, 2016. All rights reserved.

Lost Generation!!

The Last Time!!

A beautiful poem by Taryn McLean:

Oh the joys of being a woman!!

I may be the ‘saree’ kind or the ‘skirt’ kind
But I wear my heart on my sleeve

I may be the ‘homemaker’ type or the ‘breadwinner’ type
But I ‘labour’ through my day and night

I may be the ‘yes to all’ sort or the ‘no to all’ sort
But I end up doing everything that needs to get done

I may be the ‘Calvin Klein’ shopper or the ‘mom nd pop tomato’ shopper
But there are people I value higher than my purchases

I may be the ‘masterchef’ breed or the ‘dial-a-pizza’ breed
But I believe that good thoughts provide true nourishment

I may be the ‘fair skin’ make or the ‘wheatish complexion’ make
But my ethics are much beyond than skin-deep

Don’t judge me..don’t jacket me..
I could be a little girl each time I cry myself to pulp..
I could be a daughter each time I move away from my parents..
I could be a sister each time I provide the much needed advice..
I could be a wife each time I save the last bite of the chocolate..
I could be a mother each time I clean up the mess that someone else creates..

But you will need the woman in me..
In every smile and every mile…
In every tear and every cheer...!!

Oh the joys of being a woman!!

- Source unknown

Parent... Teacher... Learner...

The poem below was shared by my daughter's school. I found it really nice and meaningful, so sharing it here.


Being a parent has been a journey
A journey of teaching
A journey of learning
A journey of re-discovering myself

I know I have so much more……
So much more to explore
So much more to share
So much more of myself to give

I seek to find a new path to learning……
Learning to be a better guide
Learning to be a better friend
Learning to be a better role model.

I am a Parent …I am a Teacher…. I am a Learner

There is a teacher in every parent
There is a learner in every parent
Parenting… the journey of learning and teaching

I've learned...

I received a beautiful post this morning on one of my WhatsApp groups and I want post it here so that I may refer to it time and again whenever I need a doze of motivation.

These are beautiful lines written by Andy Rooney, apparently a man who had the gift of saying so much with so few words.


I've learned .... That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

I've learned .... That when you're in love, it shows.

I've learned .... That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.

I've learned .... That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

I've learned .... That being kind is more important than being right.

I've learned .... That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I've learned .... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.

I've learned .... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I've learned .... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

I've learned .... That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.

I've learned .... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned .... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

I've learned .... That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned .... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I've learned .... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

I've learned .... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I've learned .... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned .... That love, not time, heals all wounds.

I've learned .... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

I've learned .... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile..

I've learned .... That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I've learned ... That life is tough, but I'm tougher.

I've learned .... That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.

I've learned .... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I've learned .... That I wish I could have told my father that I love him one more time before he passed away.

I've learned .... That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I've learned ..... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I've learned .... That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.

I've learned .... That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

I won't be this small, Mummy

I found this beautiful poem on the Internet. Now, when my daughter is over 7 years old and has outgrown the below kiddie characteristics (well, if you discount supermarket tantrums though), I can absolutely relate to this.

I won't always cry, Mummy
When you leave the room
And my supermarket tantrums
Will end too soon.

I won't always wake, Mummy
For cuddles through the night
And one day you will miss
Having a chocolate face to wipe.

You won't always wake to find my foot
Is kicking you out of bed
Or find me sideways on your pillow
Where you want to lay your head.

You won't always have to carry me
In asleep from the car
Or piggy back me down the road
When my little legs can't walk that far.

So cherish every cuddle
Remember them all
One day, Mummy
I won't be this small.

- Anonymous

Who are you?

who are you,
really?

you are not a name
or a height, or a weight
or a gender
you are not an age
and you are not where you
are from

you are your favorite books
and the songs stuck in your head
you are your thoughts
and what you eat for breakfast
on saturday mornings

you are not
where you are from
you are
where you're going

you are a thousand things
but everyone chooses
to see the million things
you are not

© Nishtha Khurana, 2013. All rights reserved.

What I believe

In the infinity of life where I am,
all is perfect, whole, and complete.
I believe in a power far greater than I am
that flows through me every moment of every day.
I open myself to the wisdom within,
knowing that there is only One Intelligence in this Universe.
Out of this One Intelligence comes all the answers,
all the solutions, all the healings, all the new creations.
I trust this Power and Intelligence,
knowing that whatever I need to know is revealed to me,
and that whatever I need comes to me
in the right time, space, and sequence.
All is well in my world.

        - Louise L. Hay, You can heal your Life

Cherish all your moments...

I've seen castles made out of sand,
Met people who believe destiny is engraved on the palms of their hands..
I've seen people change their faith,
Experienced love change into hate..
I've seen people grow younger with age,
And a bird that wouldn't fly out of an open cage..
I've seen love sold for money,
People devastated inside but outside they are funny..
I've learned to expect the unexpected,
Perfection doesn't exist, we are all defected..
Someone may believe you are one in million,
For others you are just another nobody in billion..
So live your life with all that you have,
Cherish all your moments happy or sad.

- Anonymous

Refreshing my faith in God

We all might have read this poem somewhere or the other. But it's still a good reminder that God will carry us through all of our life's rough patches.

Someone Somewhere is not as happy as you

Sometimes in life we feel so blue,
but someone somewhere is not as happy as you.
Somewhere far at the border when a soldier sleeps,
missing his loved ones he silently weeps.
Somewhere a mother painfully sighs,
'cause her new born baby didn't open his eyes.
Somewhere a poor dad silently cries,
when he sees his son begging for a bowl of rice.
Somewhere in an orphnage a little girl is sad,
when she misses her mom and dad.
So at times a reason to smile
you may not have any,
Say to yourself that you are happier than many.
'Cause life is beautiful and it's not always blue,
And someone somewhere is not as happy as you.

- Unknown
(poem courtesy: Deepa Chandrasekhar)

I love to sit in silence...

The choices that define me

I chose the road
Not the less travelled one though
But not all have ventured till the end.

Some give up
Some change their path
And continue their journey by following the trend.

The road ahead
Is certainly not easy by far
It goes uphill and the ascent is steep.

But I remember Frost:
"I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep."

I move on
A step at a time, step by step
All steps together forming my journey

I pray to God
To give me the strength
To carry on till the goal is a reality

For that's what I choose
The path is not just my strength,
but also my learning, lore and erudition

It's my victory
my conquest, my dominion, my triumph
It's my Nirvana, and also my salvation

I want to live my life
in such a way that I am
Proud of myself and hold high my head

For it's my choices that define me
No matter how big or however small
Of course, for me, the means are just as important as the end.


© Nishtha Khurana, 2012. All rights reserved.

Which of these roles have I tried to play

I watched them tearing a building down
A gang of men in a busy town.
With a Ho-Heave-Ho, a lusty yell
They swung a beam and a side wall fell.
I asked the foreman, "Are these men skilled
And the men you'd hire if you had to build?"
"For the most part," he said, "No indeed.
Just common labor is all I need.
I can easily wreck in a day or two
What builders have taken a year to do."
And I thought to myself, as I went away,
Which of these roles have I tried to play?
Am I a builder, who works with care,
Measuring life by the rule and square?

- Anonymous

If

Some of you may have read this Poem, but its worth reading it once again…!... For those who haven't its worth a read.

Have a lovely day.

If
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

-- Rudyard Kipling

Today I am what I am

Today I am what I am
Because of my yesterday's choices.
And where I shall be tomorrow
Will be decided today.

Of course, this I know.
We can steer our life into
Happiness or sorrow
By the choices we borrow.

We are the captains of our lifeliner
And we choose our course and command our 'Choice'.
Do we choose like a child with hopes, pure admiration; fearless?
Or like a defeated skunk - lost and hopeless?

It is greatness and the quality of our response,
It is our attitude of poise
That gives a glitter to our choice,
That makes us win and rejoice.

And this is the seed I sow for tomorrow
And shall doubtless reap it;
The harvest of choosing right.
Would I be happy while I reap?
Depends on the seed of today.

Even if today I have a sour harvest,
For the morrow, let me choose to seed my best
In the hope of having a fine bounty.

What else can we do other than to choose today?
Either we choose right or lie at life's mercy.
The better way is making our CHOICE TODAY.

Copyright © 2009 Sam Vijay Kumar --- India

Be the Best Whatever You Are

In my life, I have been trying to make the best of all opportunities I have had so far. I know I may not be comparable to my peers in some way or the other, for I may lack some of the qualities they may have. But then, correspondingly, they may lack some of the qualities I may have too. It's all situational. It's all subjective. Some people call it Karma, some call it destiny. But, whatever name you give it, the point is that we all try to make the best of what we get. I too am trying to make the best of my capabilities. I hope I succeed in whichever endeavor I take up.

Just surfing through the net, I stumbled upon this very nice and meaningful poem. Hope it inspires many more people the way it inspires me.

Be the Best Whatever You Are

If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill
Be a scrub in the valley--but be
The best little scrub by the side of the rill;
Be a bush if you can't be a tree.

If you can't be a bush be a bit of the grass,
And some highway some happier make;
If you can't be a muskie then just be a bass--
But the liveliest bass in the lake!

We can't all be captains, we've got to be crew,
There's something for all of us here.
There's big work to do and there's lesser to do,
And the task we must do is the near.

If you can't be a highway then just be a trail,
If you can't be the sun be a star;
It isn't by size that you win or you fail--

Be the best of whatever you are!

- Douglas Malloch

I pray to God...

I pray to God so kind

To lead me away from the blind
If darkness shrouds me today
I trust it will soon go away
For God is my light
For God is my light

I pray to God so humane
Not to keep me away from trials insane
But to give me strength to fight
The battles with all my might
For God is my strength
For God is my strength

I pray to God so generous
To give me knowledge precious
To guide through the high tide

To help towards prosperity stride

For God is my wisdom

For God is my wisdom

I pray to God so benign
To let me win hearts divine
To make me amiable and humble
Affectionate, benevolent, gracious and gentle
For God is my tolerance
For God is my tolerance