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Garden
I see you, Trapped in a pot of earthly expectations, Bound in the fear and insecurity of those who love you, Gasping to breathe free. If I could, I would… Place you to the middle of my garden under the open sky, Tend gently to your roots with all of me, Be the greenhouse in the scorching summer and the freezing winter. And in time, See you take form and thrive, Watch all the magic in you flower, Witness an enchanted world rejoice… Simply. Because you came into full blossom.
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The first day of school – aborad
On a warm August morning, the four of us – Baba, Ma, Ton, and I walked into the counselor’s office. Mr. Funk stood tall at nearly six feet with silver-white hair, slight wrinkles on his forehead, and a warm welcoming smile. Baba explained to him how it was imperative that I get admitted into 9th grade so that I could finish high-school by the time we were to return back to India. I had completed my 7th in the spring of that year, and most of the summer afternoons were spent with my teacher Jayati di completing my Maths…
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E = mc² in Cancun
She stared at me with her eyes wide open in her drunken stupor: “Are you serious?” “Yes.” She broke herself free from my supporting hand. I had helped her up to the room upon receiving a hint from one of our hosts, something the other hostel mates were too kind to admit. Noone particularly enjoys an obnoxiously drunk at their dinner table. She got out of her exhausted outfit that reeked of sweat, Mayan liquor, and veiled vomit. The cinnamon concoction she had been sipping on the bus for her itchy throat was a lot stronger than she had anticipated. …
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Mountain Daze
2009. Bagga and I had just returned from a 3-day hike of Mount Rinjani. Kranti Singh Bagga was my batchmate in college, and my housemate. He had all the adventurous ideas, and I was the guy who’d always say yes. The hike had been pretty amazing. We saw lava pour down the cinder cone into a lake while having fried chicken on a not-too-distant peak. The squad was two porters, one guide and the two of us… so you can guess, it was a luxurious hike. In fact, just before we had summited Mt. Rinjani, the active cone erupted in…
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Are you tethered to the average?
Growing up, my parents were content with me because I was an above-average student. Eventually, I became an above-average employee, an above-average friend, and husband. Before I knew it, it had become an addiction – to be above average. This expectation that I had set for myself had started to become a deep source of fear and anxiety. It inhibited me to try anything new outside my tiny circle of excellence. I was enslaved by the very idea that used to be a spectacular source of joy when I was younger. It was a Sunday, and I had gone to…
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An hour in an isolation tank
It must have been early May when an old friend of mine shared with me her mystical experience of the isolation tank, also known as the sensory deprivation tank or the floatation tank. The concept was so new and fantastical that I had to try it out. Months later, I was visiting another dear friend in Sterling Heights, Michigan when a window of opportunity to try a float turned up on a warm afternoon. Needless to say, experiences like these leaves one forever changed! Getting started with the float I walked into a cozy reception that resembled that of a…
