The way we evolve 🦋

Since winter is here with every grey and rainy weapon in its armory, how about we grab a cup of our favourite tea/coffee/hot chocolate (whatever you prefer; coffee for me, please 🙂 and sit down for a long overdue nostalgic afternoon chat.

I will begin with gratitude towards all those who stood by me in all the ups and downs of my writing journey. Whether there were regular posts or long absences, you assured me that I was doing great. Trust me, I can't thank you enough. Especially, during the last 2 long years, when I was mostly absent or irregular, taking care of multiple facets in my life, you silently stood strong by me and kept in touch either through messages or emails. It means a lot to read and encourage a new writer and your support did wonders for me.

Moving on, it has been a nostalgic week for me. Once a year, WordPress contacts me to remind how this blog is a material expense (read, luxury) I indulged in a few years ago and I need to honour the commitment every year. Don't get me wrong, I do that without fail and without a frown on my forehead. But it does take me back to those years of (now unpublished, saved in drafts) 534 posts in 5 years and wonder if it was even worth it. Last year, I didn't have much time as most of you know I have relocated to a new country, but last week, I managed to revisit some of my old posts and realized how significantly I had grown and evolved in the past few years.

I may not have noticed overtly but my writing in my old posts and this blog stared right in my face to tell me how every shred of time spent here was beautiful in a remarkable way. From discussing the plots and episodes in my serialised fiction to whining about my damaged laptop (there are three separate posts about how my laptops were not working, pretty embarrassing!); taking unannounced breaks to long planned pauses; making long posts about current issues, whether it was Covid, or counselling posts about our favourite ship not sailing; philosophical takes on life and all the 'faltu ka gyan' ... we have come a long way.

As humans, we are bound to grow and change every day. But the best part is we have been given the ability to determine the direction in which we want to grow. At one point in time, I was writing about my goals and ambitions, how I want things to shape in my life, including some major improvements in daily routine which I desired and thought they were difficult to achieve. And today, after achieving exactly the routine I strived for, it feels good to go back and see where I came from. I do write a journal everyday. But you cannot mark leaps of growth in daily journals because like your height and fine lines on your face, your journal grows with you. It is only in spaced out posts or old journals that you find your old parts back as if an old friend met you and took you back through the memory lanes.

I know, how you have grown too. I hear about how some of you are doing really well in life, in various professions of your choice, some beginning a new life after marriage and kids, and yet another set of youngsters beginning to set baby feet into the ways of the world. It makes me feel so proud.

As we change, our purpose in life changes too. It depends on where you are in life, what you are doing, how much money you have in your bank account and which people are supporting you - family, friends and well-wishers included. So, I believe, there is no one model of Ikigai for a person he or she needs to achieve. You can have multiple layers in your purpose in life and be happy in them. There is no single model that fits all. So, don't look at what others are doing. You are at that stage in life where you are meant to be. Trust the process. If you are working enough, you will be rewarded eventually. Have fun during the journey and keep making progress, even if small, in the direction you want to go.

I will write more about what I have learned in my journey. As always, let me know if you want me to write about something. I am making this section as Teatime Tuesday ☕️🥰

I am also planning to answer your questions here -

Question for today - One of you has asked me whether I am primarily an author or a doctor?

My answer is: I am primarily a doctor by profession, as I have formal education and degrees in dermatology, I get paid through my work in medicine and that pays my bills. But I am primarily a writer at heart. More than both of them, I am a teacher. I love to hold a group of students and juniors and give them 'gyan' 🙈😃

On personal front, I am working on another project related to my medical work. It's my way to give back to the society. Apart from that, I plan to relax and rewind before I go back to writing again and give you the next update, which I am really excited about. For now, I am catching up on some tv shows I missed in the past few years and I have no idea which ones to fit in that list. So, I'm watching things on impulse. However, I do scroll down for shows and end up watching something I don't even remember why I started watching in the first place. Please let me know, if you have some unputdownable recommendations on tv shows.

Congratulations and best wishes to all those of you who are doing great. Those who are struggling to gain feet in the muddy puddle - Don't worry. Sabka time aayega! You are just there. Thank you for sharing your journey with me. Please continue to stay in touch. And those of you, who have lost touch, I remember you! And trust me, I'm waiting to hear from you 💖

Signing off for today on that note. See you next Tuesday!

Lots of love. Take care.

(PS. I will republish some of my old posts, obviously the less embarrassing ones, for you as some of you wanted to read them again. Thanks again.)