Srishti Kumari

Tag: peace

  • Tidying Up

    Works for me beautifully

    Photo by Tracey Hocking on Unsplash

    I am not the person who likes to clean every nook and corner, and room, and hall of the home every day like it’s Diwali, but I am certainly a kind of person who prefers a cleaner and more organized space when it comes to everyday life.

    I have a younger sister who usually handles the household cleaning and laundry on weekends, like it’s Diwali on Monday. She spends hours and hours cleaning the clutter, organizing the shelves, and cleaning each section of the home.

    She says cleaning is therapeutic to her. Fine. It can be. But are our weekends only meant for this? I one hundred percent disagree. Weekends, holidays, leave days, off days, and break days are mostly for us to get back to ourselves. If you know what I mean!

    Sure, we have to make sure that the house is clean, the wardrobe is organized, the study area is well set up, the fridge is fully stocked, and our kitchen and bathroom have all the essential supplies. But, we can’t make it a habit to look after the housekeeping stuff, our primary job on those days.

    I have asked her to at least get a part-time househelp for everyday basic cleaning so she can be a bit more relaxed and chill on weekends. It will give her much relief. But her satisfaction, according to her, which she gets only by cleaning the house herself, will be compromised then.

    I hope she understands that her life holds a lot more beautiful, exciting, and meaningful things to do and derive satisfaction from, rather than dusting, brooming, and mopping the floor like it’s going to become the white marble one day.

    Now that I have a househelp, I know how much relieved I am with each waking day. I can comfortably wake up naturally when I have had enough sleep without worrying about the dirty dishes in the sink we left last night. Di comes and does the dishes, brooming, dusting, and mopping within an hour of the whole house while we, Abhi and I, can focus on morning exercises, getting ready for the day ahead on time, early morning reading, and cooking our meals for the day together.

    When you have a relatively bigger house with large spaces and a few spare rooms, it becomes sometimes difficult to do it all alone. And delegating a few things saves your time and a lot more energy for the rest of the work you want to excel in.

    Having said that, yes, I have a househelp now, but I am also the person who makes sure that cleanliness stays throughout the day, and the things that belong to a particular space should be kept to that particular place only after use. And this is a very important thing when it comes to cleanliness in general. For me, this is very important.

    Books on the shelf, clothes in the cupboard, shoes in the shoe racks, laptop on the desk, extra things in the storage room, and stuff like that.

    Recently, I came back to our apartment after a good eight months in Delhi, and my hubby is 99 percent opposite to me….okay, let’s say 90 percent opposite to me in this particular thing. When I live with him, he behaves a good 80-90 in this stuff, but when he is alone…..I can’t say anything!

    So, we took a good few 5-6 days, once a week preferably, and did the proper arranging, rearranging, organizing, and reorganizing of our whole space together. It was a lot more hectic, confusing, and irritating initially, but now I can feel and soak in the calm and beauty I feel inside here. And thanks to my househelp di, our everyday cleaning stuff is taken care of very well.

    Cleaning your study area and arranging your books in order, setting up your desk space with all the gadgets you need, folding and arranging your clothes properly in your wardrobe, organizing kitchen stuff in categories and boxes, rearranging your bedroom with a few changes here and there – it all gives a certain sense of order, calmness, positivity, and high vibes in general. And your soul can feel it. That’s why cleaning the physical clutter around you is so important for feeling healthier, calmer, and clearer in the space you call home.

    So yeah, tidying up works for me. And I know it works for many as well. What about you? Does it really help, or does it make things unnecessarily complicated for you? Share your thoughts. I would love to know about your side of the story.

  • Succulents Keep Sanity Intact

    And that is what we need, right?

    Photo by Virginia Marinova on Unsplash

    If there is one thing for me in this world that can bring me a sheer amount of joy, bliss, happiness, peace, serenity, and sanity – without preaching any sort of gyaan – then that has to be the greens.

    The greens – the plants, the herbs, the flowers, the balcony garden, the park, the forest, and the succulents on my table just beside my laptop, and a few on my window.

    I believe they are the purest form of souls and beings on this planet. They are complete in themselves. Nothing like them is rooted in nature. They are the symbol of nature, creation, evolution, change, acceptance, beauty, patience, colours, joy, happiness, peace – and a whole lot of happy feelings, just by being there.

    Their mere presence is precious enough to make your moments beautiful.

    There are studies and research that show that plant gazing, forest bathing, and keeping succulents around your workspace lowers your stress and boosts your productivity. And you know what, you don’t need to go through any of those researches, data, or statistics if you don’t want to. It’s completely fine. You are not missing out on anything important.

    You just have to do one thing. Make space for these beautiful greens in your life. Go to the nearest park, walk on the morning dewy grass barefoot, look closely at the different shades of green the trees have, go to the nearby nursery, convert your balcony into a balcony garden – one step at a time.

    Sit in your balcony with nothing but your presence, and see, watch, and gaze through the beautiful green tribe you have managed to accommodate. Sit for hours to gaze at the beauty, go for forest bathing, and release every ounce of negativity with each inhale inside you. Make succulents your room partner, your workspace partner, and let life come to you peacefully, slowly, steadily, and sanely.

    You will lose nothing. You won’t miss out on anything. You know what will happen? You will see life like never before. You will see them growing, flourishing, drying, and dying. Then, you will see seeds germinating, leaves broadening, plants growing, trees beautifying, flowers blooming, and greens beautifully thriving – by accepting, adapting, changing, growing, and blooming – all while staying grounded and deeply connected to their roots in front of your eyes.

    They have taught me, and continue to teach me, the lessons of peace, sanity, serenity, growth, humbleness, beauty, and life like no book on philosophy has till now.

    They don’t demand anything. They just need your presence. Can you give that? They will give you a lot. Sanity is just one of many gifts they have for you.

    Think about it. And it’s never too late to go and meet one of these friends ever. Go visit them. Take them home. And love them. They won’t cheat you. I promise!

    Wishing you all the greenery, sanity, serenity, peace, freshness, beauty, growth, and mindfulness.

    Go get your greens.

  • Staying Hydrated

    And other grown-up stuff

    Photo by Mae Mu on Unsplash

    When we were in school and college, our dreams used to be so aspirational. Big house, big car, international trips, financial abundance, this, that, and whatnot. And though I am still very ambitious deep down for the dreams that feel true and amazing to me, I didn’t think back then that a few dreams would be so simple yet difficult to live.

    For example, drinking enough water and staying hydrated all day.

    Now, this should be a part of anyone who is on a healthy lifestyle journey. True! Hundred percent agree. But the truth needs to be told. Brushing my teeth every morning is the only healthy habit I can do on autopilot, or, as they say, naturally.

    Apart from this, any and every habit that comes under the umbrella of healthy lifestyle, be it sleeping early, waking up early, doing meditation, doing exercises, going for walks, eating home cooked meals, cooking at home, eating timely, reading books, journalling, gratitude, prayers, weekly skin and haircare, weekly grocery stock audit, home cleaning and household chores, learning and upskilling, updating my CV time to time, future thinking and planning, present moment enjoyment and living, staying in touch with my besties, talking once or twice a day with my parents, and second parents(in-laws), wardrobe organization, haircut, nails cut, and, drinking just enough water to stay hydrated, healthy, calm, and active – it’s a lot!

    I have understood that for me, each and everything demands planning, scheduling, practising, and repetition throughout, as per my needs. And now, I am at peace with this reality that I am not someone who naturally wakes up early, sleeps early, eats early, eats on time, eats healthy, drinks 3 litres of water per day, does workouts, reads a lot, writes a lot, does self-study, and upskilling.

    Because I am in the process. And I am in love with the process. I have trust in the process that it will make my vision come true very soon in the form of a version of me that my heart knows deep down I am and I meant to be.

    But yeah..for now, it’s an effort to drink enough water regularly. Though I have become more mindful of that and keep my water bottle right in front of me beside my laptop. It helps. I see it more, I drink more often. And proper hydration, coupled with home-cooked meals on time, easily keeps me far from junk food cravings. So that’s a win for sure. Rest will be taken care of as well.

    Ok, now I am taking a sip. You also drink enough water for your overall health and well-being.

    Stay hydrated. Stay healthy.

    Take care.

  • The Magic of Creative Living

    By Renuka Gavrani

    Picture by Srishti Kumari

    I must say I have read something really fresh, rejuvenating, soft, simple, inspiring, and authentic after a long time in the genre of self-help. And this has been truly a lovely reading.

    “The Magic of Creative Living” touched me in ways not many self-help books could before. The honesty, simplicity, and authenticity of the author make it an absolute gem.

    Thankfully, someone writing a self-help kind of book talked about the myths and shit we feel trapped in so openly and loudly.

    I loved this book. Loved each page, each chapter, and each paragraph a hundred percent.

    Renuka has shared her life experiences, her problems, her struggles to live a life that finally feels a lot softer, meaningful, simple, yet successful, with all the fulfillment our soul craves silently. She nudges readers to sit, to question, to journal, and to basically pause and check if they are living the version of their lives they are really proud of from the bottom of their heart, or is there something missing? And if something is missing, then how to actively start participating in our lives instead of running away from it and scrolling for hours.

    She has nudged throughout the book. It is a non-preachy read. You will feel the honesty. You will surely relate to the reality she is talking about between the pages.

    For me, it has been one of the best, most refreshing, and simplest possible books in the self-help genre. I liked the writing style and the content of the book as well.

    If you are fed up with to-do lists, how-to guides, early morning alarms, scrolling endlessly, mediocre performances, and a sense of fear and loss in life, then go read this book. It can be your saviour. I mean it. If you are ready to change, the author has your back.

    Give it a try. You will get it.

    Happy reading!

    Take care.