emotions – Page 55 – Emotional Shadows

Looking Beyond

Published on March 19, 2016March 20, 2016 by balroop singh47 Comments

Looking beyond the roadblocks

Our path may lead us to make us unique
Yet we have to bridge that distance
To find our sacred space
A space that springs solace
So that the weary traveler finds a place
To rejuvenate, to reflect, to race…

The roadblocks may scare us
Yet we have to revive
The art of wisdom within
The light, the insight, which only gleams
When our heart aligns with our head

We learn to see beyond little achievements
We learn to know ourselves
We discover the harmony only
To fathom the depth of our aspirations
Our dreams, which lingered…

If they have waited behind the drapes
Are they worth pursuing?
We need to ponder…
If they couldn’t ignite the light within
Are they pertinent at twilight?

When afterglow lingers long…
The emotional capital that demands debt
The fading glow that yearns for upsurge
The frozen emotions that crave to thaw
The weary eyes that ache to sleep!

Sleep…the eternal bliss, the only antidote
Sleep…the delightful dreamy domain
Of all apprehensions, of all detachments
Sleep…the inevitable reality of life!

I’ll wake up in another land… of hopes
I look forward to living again
This time with renewed fervor and freedom
Promising myself to follow unfulfilled aspirations.
© Balroop Singh.

You can click on Sublime Shadows of Life by Balroop Singh to read more such poems.

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The Amazing Power Of Relationships

Published on March 6, 2016March 6, 2016 by balroop singh45 Comments

Scattered memories

It’s been almost 20 days since I have been away from my new home in U.S…the one I don’t love as much as I do this one, where everything is lying scattered now, not just my dreams and memories but even books, clothes, curtains and sundry other articles I had collected with panache…

I am in the process of salvaging my old treasures, which I had buried in this home, thinking I’ll live here forever till my last journey into the oblivion but could never imagine life could turn tables on me like this!

Once again relationships have won. Love for material possessions and homes we build by putting our heart and soul into decorating them according to our taste crumble in front of relationships.

Once again I chose love, love for my grandchildren proved to be more powerful than all my possessions…once again I have taken a bold decision, once again I am broken inside as am leaving this home too, so dear to my heart.

I left my first home when I got married and I have written about those overwhelming emotions. With time I reconciled with the hurricanes of life and found happiness in putting together strings to build my own nest, this home, which I nurtured with love.

Why don’t we give a thought to the realities that all nests get frittered away with the tide of time? Mine was no exception though I gave all I had to it.

The vibrations of my home have been reminding me of those blissful days I have spent here. What fills me with delight is that I can only recall the happy times. Probably my home was always filled with positive vibes. I let them float around; I wish I could close my fists to hold them but I let them go and they carried me along into alien lands.

It is time to move on. It is time to do away with superfluous possessions. It is not easy…I have been talking to myself for days, trying to convince the emotional aspect of my mind Ah! Mind (my dear friend Hariod made me understand the enigma of thoughts) …

6c27c6c3eebee0e42fd5da20e7baa45c — Image source

All things are transitory…stagnant waters don’t allure…flowing water is fresh and exciting…flow! flow… I tell myself, life is like that…detachments and attachments are old pals, they love to meet, embrace and soar with the wind.

My family portrait stares at me…wont you carry me along? Too big, I say.

The books and trophies won by my girls remind me how much I love them…’too many,’ I say and put them in a trunk in the hope that my grandchildren would find them one day and share the pride of their grandma.

20 more days left for sorting out and leaving, hoping to return to feel and touch those few priceless things I am leaving behind, locked within the confines of four walls…for home is where love is and right now my most loved possessions are my grandchildren. I am happy my husband agrees and shares this sentiment.

Hope is the key…hope is the only solace, it keeps us thriving.

Thank you for reading this. Your support is immensely appreciated.

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Balroop Singh.

Protected: Seeking the key

Published on February 17, 2016June 16, 2017 by balroop singh

What Is Love?

Published on February 14, 2016 by balroop singh34 Comments

I have written about many emotions but the basic emotion, which we are born with, which we crave for in all its forms has escaped my attention or I have consciously avoided it.

Probably I know very less about it.

I have written a few lines about ‘Eternal Love ‘and ‘Unknown Love’ but it is easier to write poetry and leave much to the imagination and interpretation of the reader. Many times imagery conveys all we want to say.

When my dearest friend Zeenat Merchant Syal @ Positiveprovocations invited me to contribute my thoughts to a mega post on love, I realized I have never written about love – the most coveted emotion!

I had to go back in time to answer a host of questions that swarmed up around me.

Why has love been such a petrifying emotion for me?

I can relate so much to one of the protagonists of my stories…the little girl who yearned only in her dreams, alone.

She could never share her emotions and aspirations and hurts.

She only watched and absorbed. Is that I?

Love for her was just a passing thought, a mirage that could only be seen in the movies. It was not real. It was never around her. She could never touch or feel it.

A hug or an endearing word was not meant for her.

The society in which she lived didn’t give any importance to expressing it openly. Falling in love was equivalent to falling in a well. Romantic love was offensive. Sex was a repugnant word!

Love was caring for others but only those who were valuable to the society.

Love was sacrifice…giving all your time and effort for the welfare of others.

Love was thinking what she was expected to think.

Love was listening and complying with all the diktats of the family and the society.

Self-love was taboo. It was being selfish.

Till she realized love is much more than all this, which had been drilled into her mind. Till she decided to break free and get access to free thoughts.

Till she realized love is an invisible force that can transcend all the barriers.

Till she found true love… Till she came across what Leo Buscaglia says: “Love is life…and if you miss love, you miss life.”

When you are restricted to think and express yourself freely, you get accustomed to a certain behavior, which is hard to alter. So the exquisite emotion of love got lost in those oppressive man-made alleys of sanctimoniousness.

I am glad my favorite protagonist has helped me understand why I couldn’t fathom such a beautiful word.

Love is a natural instinct that grows if it is nurtured. It evolves itself but withers if it is not watered with affection, care, respect and kindness. Romantic love morphs into a loving and eternal relationship if we understand what is love; why passion is such a sweet word.

Love is a much wider term… encompassing friendship, family and bonding.

Recently a very old friend and neighbor called me, excited beyond words to explain how he found my number, why he still values my friendship and yearns to meet me to renew those memories! He didn’t even know my name, all he could remember was my nickname. I know that is certainly ‘love!’

“Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and a richness to life that nothing else can bring.” –Oscar Wilde

Have you explored the positive power of love? Did it enrich your life? I am eagerly waiting for your answers.

Thank you for reading this. Your support is immensely appreciated.

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Balroop Singh.

There Are Various Definitions Of Happiness, Which One Appeals To You?

Published on February 7, 2016 by balroop singh42 Comments

Happiness

I have often been confused by the notion of happiness. I have tried to equate it with contentment and have found it to be its synonym.

I have also linked it with ‘our passion’ because when we try to follow what our heart says we experience that special feeling, which is probably ‘happiness’.

I have never tried those ecstatic moments, which make you fly to seventh heaven. I have only heard and read about them.

Comprehending a simple word – ‘happiness’ is quite complex.

One thing I am sure of is that when a long-standing desire gets fulfilled, it is certainly a moment of happiness but it may not lead us to eternal happiness, which lies in our heart, mind and thoughts.

Initial imprints:

I must be in high school when I read ‘The Enchanted Shirt’ by John Hay.

This shirt was recommended for a king who could not get well despite all the medicines, which were prescribed by the royal doctors. The king’s men traveled far and wide to find a ‘happy man’ so that they could borrow his shirt to make their king healthy and happy.

The man who seemed to be happy was requested to give his shirt. The happy man confessed that he didn’t have a shirt!

The depth of the message, which this poem carried didn’t register in my mind at that time but there was something, which percolated deep down, as this poem immediately comes to my mind whenever the word ‘happy’ is mentioned.

“The secret of happiness is to admire without desiring.” – Carl Sandburg

Gauging happiness:

I have tried to scale the boundaries of ‘happiness’ many times from various directions and I have always found great solace in breaking it up into syllables:

H hope   (to)
A accomplish
P pervasive
P peace   (and)
I incorporate
N necessary
E endeavor   (for)
S spontaneous
S serenity

Observations:

I have also tried to observe how happiness visits us uninvited:

A child can find joy in little moments of skipping in water or blowing bubbles.

The ecstatic moments of a lover are in the arms of his beloved.

A mother’s bliss lies in the delightful face and little accomplishments of her child.

A hungry person can find pleasure in simple food.

For a sick person, the charm of getting well and walking again is supreme.

The elderly seek good health and company to be happy.

But these are fleeting moments of joy. Happiness is eternal albeit it is made up of such little moments. They promote wellbeing. They nourish mental health. They keep the hope of brighter days alive.

The definition of happiness is as divergent as that of success.

Happiness quote