Cherry's World | Roy Cherian Cherukarayil's Philosophical Literature, Visual Arts and Music

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

HAVING FRIENDS AND BEING TAKEN SERIOUSLY

Friendship has become a big word over the last few years especially because the internet social media offers many options to hang together and express friendship in different ways. Things have grown to such an extent that if we are not part of a group such as a WhatsApp group, it's almost like we have been ostracized or we end up being seen as an alien.

I have also been in and out of many groups and have observed the different dynamics, being inside and outside. Here I am also including my family as a friendship group with much thicker bonds. It's also notable that some families have WhatsApp groups.

In all these groups, claiming ourselves to be friends for each other and understanding the dreams and passions of the other are two different things. It's very rare to see one who understand the passionate vibrations and dreams of the other in a friendship group. Even if there is an understanding to a certain level, the seriousness with which such dreams or pursuits are considered is pretty scanty.

I have always strived to identify such individuals who take me seriously. And this pursuit will continue till my last breath. With them around me, my world expands much faster and I find myself more often in a happy space.

I am not sure, if things would be different if these were friends who met together often in person, instead of connecting often through the social media. The reality is that we find lesser and lesser time to meet in person these days.

FOR MY WRITINGS, PLEASE VISIT THE LINKS BELOW (FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED):

POEMS OF LOST LOVE

Poetry book 'INDELIBLE ETERNAL ETCHINGS':

https://www.amazon.in/INDELIBLE-ETERNAL-ETCHINGS-emotions-unbridled-ebook/dp/B072J4L656/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=indelible+eternal+etchings&qid=1583428166&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/INDELIBLE-ETERNAL-ETCHINGS-emotions-unbridled-ebook/dp/B072J4L656/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=indelible+eternal+etchings&qid=1583428402&sr=8-1

STORIES

Short Story book 'A PEARL FROM EVERY OYSTER':

https://notionpress.com/read/a-pearl-from-every-oyster

https://www.amazon.in/Pearl-Every-Oyster-Stories-Shorter/dp/1948473151/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3GI23X9JIKQGK&keywords=a+pearl+from+every+oyster&qid=1583428674&sprefix=A+Pearl+from%2Caps%2C302&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Pearl-Every-Oyster-Stories-Shorter-ebook/dp/B07948GRVC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1H9GU3Q8JNH29&keywords=a+pearl+from+every+oyster&qid=1583428722&sprefix=a+pearl+from+ev%2Caps%2C363&sr=8-1

For other countries, please visit the respective Amazon sites.

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

THE YEARNING FOR NORMALCY

Today was the first time, since February 2020, that I set out for a walk on the same path that I used to take while walking back to my home from where my company shuttle would drop me after work everyday. Life I thought had returned to normal or at least my impression was that our people wanted to desperately see it that way.

I could see many move around without masks. When we are shut away for a long time from a normal life that we have been leading and then when things are slowly opened up for us, every piece of freedom we get and every ounce of life we get back, is like something we were made to yearn for long and then given.

This is the beauty of life. Today, we become happy when we get back even the small things in life. I was very happy to have walked for about four kilometres around my home. I thought it was a freedom that I had yearned for long and got back and I enjoyed every ounce of it. During times of crisis, we taste the real value of small things by going through a time when we are made to wait and yearn for them.

When I returned home and shared my experience with my better half, she reminded me that it was not a good idea to walk on the streets as yet, as the virus would still be in the air with someone's cough or sneeze happening now and then. She advised me to continue using the park close to our house, when the crowd was scanty, for my walking stints.

So now, that yearning for a free walk on the streets around my house, has again returned and it's going to remain and burn in me for long till normalcy returns.

FOR MY WRITINGS, PLEASE VISIT THE LINKS BELOW (FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED):

POEMS OF LOST LOVE

Monday, February 15, 2021

THE MIND OF A PARENT

It was almost ten years after we had constructed our first floor that we had put some thought into using our balcony effectively. For all these years, it had remained closed and we would just open it to clean once in a few weeks.

What motivated us to give our balcony a facelift, was the thick growth of bamboo from our ground floor garden, that covered almost three fourths of the balcony and that gave us both shade and privacy. A variety of tiny birds had already made their homes in this bamboo growth and we feel blessed to have a singing ensemble everyday.

Every morning, before I open the balcony door, I peep through its window with my morning coffee, to have a view of the outside. Spotting me through the window, the tiny birds, probably the parents, fly up from the bamboo branch and hang onto the chain of the balcony light, in a move to confront me. Here, size doesn't matter to them and they take me head on. They probably see me as a threat to their littles ones. I put myself in their shoes and tell myself that as a parent, I would have been no different.

The pictures of these little ones were shot by my little one.

FOR MY WRITINGS, PLEASE VISIT THE LINKS BELOW (FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED):

POEMS OF LOST LOVE

Sunday, February 14, 2021

A SMALL LAPSE OF FOCUS AND THE RECOVERY FROM IT

Today was the fourth death anniversary of my father and as is the normal practice, we had wanted to attend the morning church service and take communion(the bread and wine that is offered as a part of the sacrifice at church). To take part in this, we also had to attend a confession session that closes just before the start of the Sunday mass.

I had had a sleepless night as the voltage was continuously fluctuating and the fan was speeding up and slowing down every five minutes. I had got ready pretty early and then waited for my family to dress up and get ready. The waiting went on for long and finally by the time we left home, we knew that we would not be able to make it for the confession session and therefore the plan to take communion also got closed.

I was in a disturbed frame of mind due to this and it was in this state that I had taken out my car onto the road in front of our home and was waiting for my family members to get in one by one. With my feet on the brake and hands on the steering, I was breathing heavily and I vented out my frustration on every member of my family as they got in. Once they were in and the doors were closed, I hit the accelerator pedal while still talking to them. That is where I lost my concentration and in those few seconds, my car hit a bike that had just tried to get through the gap between it and a parked car on my left. I was lucky and so was the driver of the bike that nothing serious happened. There were a few scrape marks on my car.

I told myself that I should keep my frustrations aside and focus in full while driving a vehicle. In the end, while I had attempted to vent out my frustration, I had only got more frustrated after this happening. But again, the more practical way to see it is that, frustrations are always going to be there as we cannot control the external environment, but a quick recovery from the frustrated phase to get back the focus is what is most important. And in this, I have to shamefully accept that I am still in my kindergarten.

FOR MY WRITINGS, PLEASE VISIT THE LINKS BELOW (FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED):

POEMS OF LOST LOVE

Saturday, February 13, 2021

REACHING HIGHER GROUND

Many times in life, it's the calculated risks that we take, that will get us to higher levels in life. We can always be smug and spend our time at the same level, but to push forward and go higher, many times the path would be adventurous and risky.

During our trip on this cable car in Langkawi, our guide told us after we finished this tour, as to how the cable car on one occasion, had got stuck in the middle and had remained still and suspended for hours. The visitors had gone through real panic and some of them had even missed their flights too, but all had finally come out safe.

This is sometimes what we see as the flip side in life too.

When it comes to taking risks, I think the three women in my family are way ahead. I think too much.

Location: Langkawi Sky Bridge.

FOR MY WRITINGS, PLEASE VISIT THE LINKS BELOW (FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED):

POEMS OF LOST LOVE

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

SEEKING OUT AND REACHING OUT

How did you feel while being in the troughs of life and having to seek help? Have you reached out to anyone looking for support? We need to be brave to do both.

Hesitation to ask for help or guidance is a part of our behaviour. I have also been so while going through different struggles in my life. We may attribute this to our ego or our lack of confidence to present ourselves and our situation in front of others. But the ability to seek out for help is actually being brave. It's a great step we take not only for ourselves but for all our stakeholders, be it any domain that we are into and left with the struggle.

It also takes a big heart and a big mind to reach out without condescending, to those who are desperate for help. A good mentor brings in a buoyant rhythm to our recovery.

My book of short stories, 'A Pearl From Every Oyster' (please visit the link below), has stories where mentors play a big role in reviving the protagonist Ricky from the doldrums of life.

FOR MY WRITINGS, PLEASE VISIT THE LINKS BELOW (FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED):

POEMS OF LOST LOVE

Thursday, February 4, 2021

LEARNING FROM THE LIBRARY OF LIFE

This concept is the central spine that holds my book of short stories together.(please visit the link below for a quick peek).

The best part of our creation and our life is that we are presented with the opportunity to learn from the life of others and the happenings around us. The more we observe, the more we learn and it's a choice we have in front of us, whether to apply these into our life.

If we wait to understand and move ahead in life only from our own experiences, then it's like deciding not to read any books that nature offers us in its vast library of life - its books that come as people and experiences.

FOR MY WRITINGS, PLEASE VISIT THE LINKS BELOW (FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED):

POEMS OF LOST LOVE