Today only happens once.. make it amazing!

 I wanted to ask today what motivates you? I mean pre-pandemic or post-pandemic this question is always there as what motivates you? and now its even more because no matter what we are stuck at home though in California it's not that bad but still we work from home and are kind of getting used to it.

How do you charge yourself ? I mean don't tell me that you listen to a motivational speaker and it works for you because that doesn't work for me at all!!!!

I like to do something that makes me motivated and so what I did last year while we were stay at home, besides hiking was something that I am going to share today.

Yes, even though we were working from home and were able to be with family all the time and enjoy the backyard still you need something more that will excite you isn't it?

"Don't limit your challenges. Challenge your limits."

It was last year same time when the Indian festival Navratri that I recently wrote about was happening. We were not able to meet with friends so I started the trend of wearing saree on those nine days of Navratri. Each day has a significance to a color that relates to the Goddess and for me it was more of the saree love which strike the idea to wear each day based on the color significance. At least for those nine days I was making sure that my work was planned well such that I could take time out to wear saree. 

Dressing up is something that at least excites most of the women and this is me who used to be a tom-boy, now loves saree so much that I enjoyed wearing each day. Some liked my determination, some liked my saree and some liked me all this was fun. By the way this year, again I continued and tomorrow is the ninth day 😍!

"You will never always be motivated, so you must learn to be disciplined." 

Similarly, I opted for learning an instrument. Guitar being my favorite I picked it up and feels so good when I played Happy birthday on guitar for my son's birthday this March and April for my daughter, and Bob Marley's three little birds and then the Bollywood song and so forth...! It's a good distraction from the chaos of life.

"Try to find that motivation in your life which only you can create it no one else." ~ Dawn

~ Dawn

Note: Now you can listen to the audio version of my blogs in Hindi on the UshaDawn Hindi Podcast on Google, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Check it out and new episodes uploaded every day 3 AM Pacific Standard Time

Happy birthday to my hero :)

 Today is my Dad's eighty fifth birthday. Exactly ten years ago when it was his Seventy Fifth birthday I remember he was visiting me here in California.

After years I remember that celebration more and I am sure my friends here who are reading would wonder why ten years back? Because I had planned the milestone birthday so well that it was a great surprise for my Dad. We enjoyed as a family, went to a nice restaurant of his choice of cuisine, and we created happy memories by making our portfolio pictures with family.

That memory is still in our album. 

"Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten." ~ David Ogden Stiers

In this pandemic, I thought I would get to visit my family in India so that I can celebrate my Dad's birthday. I am sure he would have been so happy, because that's all they expect- presence of their kids.

This pandemic and restrictions on flying to India only made me to rely on technology as I was able to order his favorite Black-forest cake and gifts with the hope that it will reach on time.

Luckily, my cousin sister who lives couple hours far from my parents home, reached early to spend time with them, I felt that was the best that could happen in this time when my parents were alone, living in lockdown situation. I know it's hard but for their safety that is the best and only option.

"The strength of a family, like the strength of an army, lies in its loyalty to each other." ~ Mario Puzo

Since, my cousin was there I was able to tell my cousin to make sure when the cake cutting takes place give us a call so we can get on FaceTime and wish as well. That's the most in person virtual wish we could do. 

When I checked my email early morning, the notification about the gifts and the cake delivery was something I got excited with as everything was delivered on time.

It was my morning seven thirty, just to see them together celebrating it brought tears in my eyes. We sang birthday song for my Dad and then he cut the cake and my cousin said I am representing you all and she fed the cake to my Dad. Only such time reminds how much important it is to be in person with them while they are around.

"You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth." ~ Khalil Gibran

It's these moments I craved for to give him a birthday hug. For now, all I would like to say is I am thankful for lot of things in life and glad that my parents are healthy and happy.

Happy birthday to the most important man in the world to me. You are my hero and always will be Accha. Wishing for your good health, and happiness always.

~ Dawn

A good deed brightens a dark world..!

 Today I am going to talk about the Yelp event that was organized for Yelp Elites. I being one of the Yelp Elite for the Bay Area I received an invitation for Curry Pizza place in San Ramon. This was my first time and I was curious how it works because prior to pandemic I have heard its an event where you meet with all the Yelp Elites at a specific local restaurants and help the restaurant business by dining there and giving reviews and not only that but you get to meet with other Yelp Elites and share your experiences and network so that you expand your knowledge on different types of business etc.

This is different time and I am glad that at least Yelp was able to conduct such events through which local businesses are supported and marketed well.

I have been to Curry Pizza in my city Fremont but I have never been to this San Ramon location because I never knew there is one until this event was scheduled.

It was very well organized because when I reached the counter, I didn't have to tell about the Yelp event as there was a QR code already set-up for this Yelp event and all I had to do was give my name as there was a list of Yelp Elites who were going to visit.

I selected Achari Chicken, medium size pizza which was free along with a mango lassi. This was part of the Yelp Event but as to support this business I ordered another medium size Indian Gourmet Vegetable pizza. I was told there will be twenty minutes waiting period and hence I thought to go to Target to purchase a school binder for my son. 

"It takes months to find a customer.. seconds to lose one." ~ Vince Lombardi

Surprisingly, within twenty minutes while I am still at Target, I got the text saying my pizza order is ready for pick-up. I finished paying at Target and went back to Curry Pizza store where people were dining in as well. I got my pizza and I paid for the other one and tipped too for their excellent service.

"Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth." ~ Mohammed Ali 

I reached home and asked my family to enjoy the pizza dinner. Everyone loved the pizza and my son made sure to pack some for his lunch at school tomorrow.

The service was great and the pizza was good, at the end of the day that's the taste I was left with :). I think during this pandemic time, lot of small and local businesses are badly impacted. Some of the businesses have shut down and I really feel Yelp through their such events is basically promoting local businesses to flourish - a blessing in disguise !

"Good deeds should be done with intention, not for attention!"

~ Dawn 

Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it...!

 Today I am going to talk about couple of Netflix series that kept me hooked on during last year in Pandemic. 

There were so many series that I watched such as Fauda meaning chaos in Arabic and it was so intriguing that when the season ended we were literally waiting for another season and it was pandemic and when there was no hope that's when the fourth season came in.

" If we didn't do what we loved, we wouldn't exist." ~ Adonis

It remained on mind for long until I started watching Bela Chao Chao Chao ... Money Heist !

A Spanish heist crime drama which became so popular that their season five came on September 3rd this year in 2021 and the volume 2 is coming in December, 2021.

The only sad thing is that it seems going to end soon. Everyone in this has done a great job but still you know one has their favorites and mine is Berlin (Pedro Alonso) and The Professor (Alvaro Morte).

I felt Berlin is more an art lover than anything, you could feel his knowledge for it and also the way he explains certain things. The Bela Chao Chao song and if you have watched the series you will understand what I mean because he is always singing and full of drama. 

"The very things that hold you down are going to lift you up." ~ Dumbo

And when he died I felt it very bad that I won't be seeing him anymore but then his story with his son is being shown in the season five episodes.

This pandemic has brought so many series and movies on the OTT platform that I feel many actors who are good with their talent got an opportunity to shine on OTT platform release movies. I am mainly saying this for India movies because before pandemic it's not the talented actor that gets the role in fact its the one who had connection with the directors and movie makers. This was really sad because we don't get to see the real talents and now that people have seen these talented artists on OTT platform they are what people want to see more!

"Our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss."

I like action movies and not just that when its with military it is more exciting. Besides action I also love the romantic movies too and one of them was this Pakistani series Zindagi Gulzar Hai which I really loved it because two opposite people come together and how they love and yet don't give up their principles for the sake of love instead they keep their self-respect and win each other.

This one I binged watch during weekend till late night as that's how it kept me glued to this series. This has English sub-titles hence if you don't understand the language the sub-titles will help and not only that its a beautiful series with awesome actors from Pakistan which one must not miss it !

All this is good but remember don't be a couch potato please do get up and walk, run or hike and be active as it is healthy.

"Everything is possible, even the impossible." ~ Mary Poppins Returns

~ Dawn

We can't socialize the doctors without socializing the patients...!

 

Socializing is a fundamental necessity for humans. We have always socialized as human nature cannot do without it. Everything is a privilege and that this pandemic has shown to all of us.

When we all were stay at home and in many countries lockdown was laid out where you cannot go out, cannot socialize, you get out only at certain time for groceries and doctor's appointment, that too not as a family because of covid - world came to a standstill. 

I don't think we human ever thought will be restricted and will be stay put at home. One year with no socializing, no party, no meeting, not even a play date for kids, no girls night or dinner dates - people started thinking if world is going to end as some of them didn't take these restrictions seriously and people still went ahead in some places to BBQ and party and they you hear in the news people died of covid. 

"The reality of society involves the socialization of certain unrealities." ~ Jean- Paul Sartre 

One year and now after getting the vaccination for people who are 12 and above started slowly socializing but many were scared still. Some got used to stay at home, they got comfortable in their isolated world and hence don't want to meet anyone and socialize, where as some went ahead to get back to the new normalcy which is meet your friends who are vaccinated, wear mask, use sanitizer, create a bubble but that also buzzed off because from that bubble even if one person goes and make another bubble it creates the risk.

Humans have learned to survive by socializing otherwise they will go crazy. All these mental health issues are because they are not able to interact with other people who are their closed ones, offices don't have the same structure - you will not see anyone at the cafeteria or pantry section, people wearing mask and greeting which doesn't even shows if you're smiling while greeting, you have to maintain six feet distance and all these is causing a mental trauma and people are worried how long we will continue this way?

Children who have finished their elementary school and while getting into middle school or high-school they are online schooling and hence meeting their class friends and socializing and making friends that section is completely removed and got stuck online meet through Zoom, Skype and FaceTime. 

"In fact, the socialization gives us the tools to fill our evolutionary roles. They are our building blocks." ~ Warren Farrell 

Some took advantage of these technology so that they can still be in touch however, many got mentally sick for realizing things are not going to be same as before now and this is causing depression and mental sickness.

Now, when people are meeting as a small family groups they have children who are less than 11 years old and hence are not vaccinated. Can you imagine the fear that the parents have? The child who didn't get vaccine what must be going through their mind? 

We recently invited two families to our home for dinner. Kids are grown most of them except one who didn't get his vaccination and the family all were wearing mask even when they entered our house. We were in dilemma, should we wear mask? or how do we want to do this? Because we all want the child to be safe and we don't want to be the reason for any issues or sickness for that child. 

Finally, we decided let's get to the backyard in the open and enjoy the time. We had adults in one area sitting and talking and another area kids started playing board games but one could see the child who didn't get vaccination was kind of out of touch with socializing aspect. It is very difficult to get back to the normalcy that too the new normalcy where you want to meet with friends who are of your age and then you have to make sure you are socially distanced and yet be together - a very confusing situation for many.

Looking at the new normalcy and the need for sanity we should focus on various ways of physical distancing not social. It will be difficult to stay away from our contact for long time because we are extremely social beings.

Look for a reasonable and temporary use of technologies because that will never replace the need to see each other in person.

Create opportunities to meet with safety measure with a smaller community or group because as I mentioned people might be there who are suffering from isolation.

"It takes a village to raise a child" ~ An African proverb

Keep an eye on your kids as to understand if there is any change in their behavior, so as to help them and give that support they desperately need.

It's a different time that we are living in and it is extremely important to take care of our loved ones and our neighbors and seniors who might be suffering in isolation and keeping a tab on them will definitely help.

Things have changed so much even though we all are social animals the time has come where we have to look for other avenues where we should be safe and yet not meeting people and be sane.

"Socialize with compassion, kindness and grace."

~ Dawn

The purpose of our lives is to be happy

It has been a while since I have written anything. It's not that I have lost the passion to write or I don't have any topic to write...! It's just been a self-learning journey since last year.

The entire world was experiencing the impact of pandemic and I was just getting back from my trip to India. I was thinking great things about the year 2020 since I was able to spend time with my family and parents during the new year and so was happy to return back in California.

That time news of corona was vaguely heard here and there but by the time I resumed to my work, stories started erupting from different places and by the time I could process it, stay in shelter was declared by my company and my county too.

Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans. ~ John Lennon

The initial period was more or less like a staycation, that doesn't mean that we were not working or kids were not attending their classes. It was just that everyone is at home, we go to our work by joining our meeting calls via zoom and meet each other during our breaks, lunch time and best part is that there is no pick-up, drop-off or even commute to office. All this gave more family time, and kids and our pet Reyna enjoyed this reunion at home. Kids were baking and we as husband and wife were cooking. 

In a way pandemic made us realize that there's more to life than just rushing and racing through out in life. The best part for me was that I could sit hours in my backyard and look at nature, I will never get bored of admiring the nature, the birds, the flowers, the fruits, the wild animals that just drop in at times and leave at their will. I never got tired and hence my office moved into my backyard.

Get busy living or get busy dying. ~ Stephen King

My early morning meetings were all from my backyard, the only thing that made me to move inside the house was, that even birds and squirrels wanted to join me on zoom. Too many to party at once!

That year 2020, was full of adjustments and unlearning and learning new ways. When I started getting pain on my right hand shoulder, I realized I cannot just work sitting anywhere but at a ergonomically set desk for me. 

It also made me realize all that cross-fit that I was doing has also come at a still. I was eating more than I was walking. I soon realize that our body is like a car, if we don't daily start the engine and ride few miles it can get rusty and hence, my afternoon walk circling the neighborhood going uphill and downhill up to 5 miles and then doing some leg exercise in the evening. This went on few months but somewhere I was not satisfied. 

I tried to focus on learning some of the skills that will help me in my career and my role at work. Few certifications on technology and Agile course helped me to bring more clarity but after doing so many of them, I felt like taking a pause and decided no more!

I like to learn by doing things and not by reading and then writing exams. I prefer to learn on the job and do the work and learn from my mistakes.

I set some goals for myself and took the help of my daughter, I delegated her the task to pick a place for every weekend one hike. She has the freedom to choose the place and day. That worked well for us, every Saturday we went to different places in Bay Area for hiking and as we did one after the other, the hiking trail were also chosen harder than the previous one and this actually helped me to focus on my endurance. 

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. ~ Mae West

So far, my mental wellness was all in the hands of Mother Nature and hiking gave a new diversion into it.

One thing is that you can focus on yourself from every angle but you cannot be unaware of what's happening outside of you. It was sad to see news of people suffering and dying of covid around the world. There were speculations of many companies (pharmaceuticals and non-pharmaceuticals), working on the vaccine and I became impatient with that because people were dying in millions. This started giving me a weird feeling as what will remain on this planet? Will I be there or not? 

One good thing is that we don't watch news, but my alarm after the mantras, it reads news to me and I felt that was enough for me to know rather than watching the drama on TV. Even then it was chaos everywhere. One after the other I heard about people dying and then a time came when I started to hear people whom I have known since childhood are also dying, some of them were my classmates from school and some from my college. It was heart-breaking and sad to see young people dying and then some died because lack of treatment - it was chaotic. 

The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain. ~ Dolly Patron  

Stay in shelter, continued and so did my hikes. New Year 2021, came with new hopes. By this time, I reminded myself that nature has a message for all of us and that is, stay home, see pleasure and happiness in simple things. The car that I leased after negotiating for greater miles was of no use as I was not even going out for grocery. I remember 2020, I didn't leave my house until late 2020 because you cannot go out as a family and during week day hubby used to do the grocery shopping and weekends were stay at home. Playing badminton, celebrating life in the form of Mother's Day, kids birthday and so on went on. Everything was online, whether it was work, kids school, celebrations or even gatherings all were virtual and somewhere I started getting this feel that this is the basic and be happy with it.

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. ~ Thomas A. Edison

The year 2021, came with many hopes and even though there were so many speculations about covid and its vaccine, everyone one by one based on their age and profession started getting the vaccine. These difficult time made me realize how privileged I am, that I have a job and that too I don't have to go into my office to do the job instead, I can work from home. As the time came, I also got my vaccine and until then we as a family restricted ourselves from going out, or even meeting anyone outside of our family. We did keep an eye on our neighbors and senior citizens to make sure if they need anything that we could bring to them instead of they going out and make themselves more prone to this virus. We maintained our 6 feet distance with wearing mask and talked to our neighbors all this and more hikes with family.

Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game. ~ Babe Ruth

This new year also brought me to think some of my passions and love for music. I decided to learn guitar and that is still going on. Besides nature, music and playing guitar gives me immense peace and hence started strumming those chords. During this time, I started meeting my friends on the hike. We never went to each other's house but met on the trail and left from there once we were done. It was one of those hikes, where my friend asked if I am interested in doing Half Dome. I have only heard of it but not much and I just brushed off saying will see. I was given 3 months time to make a decision but I forgot about that topic once it was done!

Again the topic came up and I realized its been 3 months and now I have to respond. My friend felt I am ready for Half Dome and little more practice hikes will help me gauge with the Half Dome hike. I was added into a WhatsApp group and we started hiking on Sundays, as Saturdays I was hiking with my daughter. 

Hiking for me is something to enjoy the nature, it is never the speed, because I believe in walking, seeing every flower, tree and sun and smell the flowers and listen to the wild birds chirp so I was completely shifted from this when I was practicing my hikes for Half Dome.

Not how long, but how well you have lived is the main thing. ~ Seneca

I really want to dedicate my next post on my Half Dome experience until then please do read and share your experience of this pandemic time.

I do want to take a moment and thank all the front workers, health, firefighters, our garbage pickup teams, and many more who were risking their lives by helping us in many ways to keep us going. It's a huge sacrifice that they did and I want to thank everyone, because if they were not there our survival would have been worse. Imagine, if one week the garbage truck doesn't come to pick up the garbage and then what happens its not just one home but the neighborhood, the community, the city and so forth we all be stinking in the filth. 

Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced. ~ Soren Kierkegaard

~ Dawn

It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light...!

 A very sad day to hear early morning when I saw my brother messaged me about a friend, a neighbor who was admitted in ICU due to covid and he expired.

It was a shock. Not that I am not aware of covid and its consequences and how we have heard thousands and thousands lives have been lost due to covid but this came so close to someone that I knew since my childhood days.

I have no idea how this friend got it but all I want to say is its a serious virus and a deadly one. Because corona doesn't look for people, race, age, gender or religion, it just acts upon without discriminating anyone. May his soul Rest In Peace !!!

"Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans" ~ John Lenon

I feel sad when I think about the person and how carefree yet happy he was. To write things in past tense is so tough as he consistently spread positive messages across the social media. Someone who was so lively was also not spared by this deadly virus so my friends please take care of yourself.

When you get sick from CORONA VIRUS, you will have fever, a high fever, the highest fever that you have ever had in your life. It is not going to be like the typical flu & fever. You're going to breathe slowly, like you've had a sponge stuck in your nose. When you'll try to fill the air in your lungs by inhaling heavily you will feel like you are still short of breath. And that will scare you. You are going to cough a lot, so much so that you're going to tire until you almost pass out. Every time you do it, your chest, arms, back, fingers, toes will hurt. You will try to catch air through the nose and you will not be able to. So, they are going to give you oxygen and it is going to burn the entrance to your nose, that is going to hurt even more. And if you can't breathe, another doctor will come and put a couple of half-inch tubes down your throat to get past the bronchi and into the lungs. That is called an artificial respirator. It is really disturbing n annoying, and on top of that, you cannot speak or eat. 

You will be alone in a closed room. You will not be able to see your partner, your mother, or your father, or your children that you love so much, or your brothers; because you are going to infect them with the same thing that is killing you.

 You will feel so alone that you will start to cry and you will be afraid of dying. You will think of the ones you love and you will cry even more, that will worsen everything hence shortness of breath. 

*THIS IS WHEN YOU WILL UNDERSTAND WHY THEY TOLD YOU: "STAY AT HOME"

SO PLEASE STAY HOME FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR LOVED ONES ❤

"When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on" ~ Franklin D Roosevelt

~ Dawn

Time

 

There are so many things to accomplish

In a tiny day that speeds up every time 

From dawn to dusk it’s like a few minutes

And there are few hundred things on mind

As the day goes by the list fills in the queue

Some you try to work on and some for later

A time which has no deadline as it keeps running 

Yet its one of the top most things to manage

Time is playing the game -catch me if you can

And sometimes you just get lazy to think about 

Something that you don’t want to face it 

Something that you want to do it but no drive

Finally one need to decide a time for it….!

~ Dawn