Light Of Life

I wished he was here, to give me company,
Until the sky fell down, upon him and me.
But the news of his demise, made me go so sore,
Even before he knew, he'd have a kid to adore.

I yearned so much, to him, say 'I love you',
But fate didn't allow me, even a last aideu.
He was my soul sure, he was my world,
Everything I now saw, looked so unpurled.

When all about life, was black with gloom,
And all I felt, was impending doom,
When my bones were racked with grim despair,
And every breath, was just a gasp of air..

When I could only sigh, and only grope,
All I could give myself, was a chance of hope.
I hoped my cloud, would have a silver lining,
Just enough to make this world, a place worth living.

When days to weeks, weeks to months, in me, you turned,
Within me, feelings and emotions, just churned and churned.
You finally entered the world, and weren't a suprise,
But yet my darling, it took me time, to finally realise.

You're the greatest gift, God could ever bestow,
The most exquisite joy, than I would ever know.
You're just what's needed, to take away, all my strife,
Just know that my baby, you're truly, The Light of my Life.

Until next time,
Chandana Shekar

Keep them safe, Keep them close. Them Friends.

If you ever feel like you've lost your groove, talk to the friends who know you from before your journey started. Talk to the friends who know where you were headed to. Talk to the friends who applaud your confidence. Talk to the sister who looks up to you. Look at yourself through their eyes. Your sparkle will be back in a trice!

I recently wrote this on my facebook wall. JLT. Funny as it may seem, I indeed had to "talk to a friend" within a couple of days. Again! 

I'm immensely blessed to have friends, who I can trust my life with. Knock-on-wood! The ones who know me better than I do. The ones who value me more than I do. The ones who literally pick up my 4AM phone calls, half way across the world and don't complain. The ones who plan a Go-Goa for my vacation that's a month short of a year away. The ones who make vonage and whatsapp indispensable to my existence. The ones who time and again remind me that I save lives for a living. The ones who keep me from going insane from residency monotony. The ones who answer my tax-filing questions, for the umpteenth time. The ones who urge me to eat home-cooked food so that my body isn't a hoarder house.  The ones who are merry company to St.Patty's day parade, as well as Ugadi Temple runs. The ones who say, "If he's lucky, he'll stay. If he's a loser, he'll leave". Be it a shopping spree, or career changes, or relationship drama, or not wasting my gym membership, or working weekend plans around my im-working-the-weekend schedule, or having a deep convo with the Old Monk, I surely have a treasure trove! 

I'm not blowing my own trumpet here. I'm just counting my blessings. I'm barely expressing my appreciation, from the bottom of my heart. To those gems, who know who they are. They've not only made a place for themselves on my photo-collage-wall, but they stay deeply etched in my heart. 

Nevertheless, I have a point to make. No matter what you are or have in life, your values and your people are your two inestimable fortunes. Hugs and kisses, love and laughter, fun and frolic, peace and happiness, it all stems from having these incredible folks around. Family of course if life's greatest blessing. Friends on the other hand, are the family we choose ourselves. School and college life apart, kicking off adult life can be lonely. Especially when you're in a different unfamiliar land. When you're not in the comfortable and safe bubble, created back home by your kith and kin. A lot of people enter your life and a lot of them leave. They have to leave! For you don't want any kinda malignancy around you. But once you find those vital few, the ones where quality scores over quantity, the ones who get you, the ones who genuinely try to get you, the ones with whom distance and time don't matter, you're all set! In return, make sure you do your part right. Make them feel special. Even if it means singing karaoke on her birthday, though you hate it. Coz she loves it. Just suck it up and sing! It's her birthday!! Any good relationship always brings out the better part of each other. But to start with, love your friends for who they are. Love them enough to acknowledge when they are being weird. If he is being a bummer, get to the bottom of it instead of writing him off as a jerk. Take one for the team. Cheer her up. Wine and cheese always work! Shopping is a close second. Chocolates, manicures and men - well, are perennial! Drop an invite. Let her vent. Do not lecture. Don't judge him. Say she's missed. Back him up. Don't keep score. Honor your promises. And all the more.

Well, I need not tell you any further. She's your BFF. He's your mate. You know better. 

Nurture friendship. For when you're down in the trenches, they are the ones with you. 

Loads of love, 

Chandana Shekar

p.s.: Yes, I noticed the rustiness in the writing too! In my defense, I wrote after more than a year. :p ;)