Humanity runs on coffee ... ;)

I found it so amazing while I was having my favorite black coffee in the morning. No matter where I am, my bed coffee is black coffee and its special when I come to my hometown at my parents place.
This coffee is actually organic which is from our own backyard at my Mom's place. They pick the coffee seeds, dry them and grind them at home and they also add fenugreek seeds. Believe me the flavor it adds to the coffee and the important part is the benefits of fenugreek, all this adds up an extra love to the coffee.
My Mom knows when I come home she makes this for me all the time without asking me as she know that will make me happy :).

"You are what you love, not what loves you." ~ Charlie Kaufman 

It's so amazing to see that Kerala as a state has its own uniqueness within being North of Kerala and South of Kerala, the way they eat certain things and the names that they have for, even though it is the same thing and funny part I find is that in south of Kerala people are more inclined towards coffee and on the north side its more of tea. This is all about the crop that they cultivate and they get used to that side of the place... similar to what we have in California - the south cal and north cal :) - people's language usage of vocabulary, food habits etc differ and based on that people identify which part of the place one belongs to! 

"Perhaps it is our imperfections that makes us so perfect for one another." ~ Douglas McGrath

I always took pride in the traditions that our ancestors carried and things that I have seen my grandparents practicing those such as these making your own coffee powder, spices, snacks out of crops that grow in your own farm or garden - I always treasured those memories and felt proud of these. Today I see that my Mom specially brings this coffee powder from her hometown for me and when I talk about these to cousins they probably like the today's coffee latte, cappuccino etc... and what we miss is that after all these processed items consumption, we hunt for organic products...which was our basics that we were using for our well being...!

I feel sorry for even thinking that this will slowly with the generation of my parents will end too. Because earlier these coffee beans were powdered at home in the special equipment such as stone grinder which is a physical hardship but that's similar to what people do today at the gym lifting weights. 
Soon this changed, now these coffee beans and fenugreek seeds are added and taken to the mill to grind it...and then probably the coffee beans will be just sold to the companies and then it will go with that tradition.

"Teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is a lost tradition." ~ Jacques Barzun 

It's better to enjoy while it lasts...and hence this coffee is a special for me until I am here!

"We must not only obtain Wisdom: we must enjoy her." ~ Marcus Tullius Cicero

~ Dawn

The only impossible journey is the one you never begin...!

Happy New Year to my readers!

Also, I don't believe there's anything as new year and let things begin because its new year!
The dates on the calendar keeps going and it will do so. What we do and when we do is what our new beginning starts so, start thinking about that purpose of yours that is driving you each day and night. Without you taking that step nothing is going to change, not even the new year! So, get set and go!!!!

"Delay is not a help-mate. The cemetery is full of people who thought they could Do It tomorrow. Do It Now!" !~  Israelmore Ayivor

My last post was about my Europe trip and my personal experiences and this year 2020 kickstarted with another journey and this time it's to the homeland - Mother India.

Each time I travel to home, I have new experience and new learnings about life. This time we landed in Bangalore and let me tell you that each time I come here I find a new city and new place altogether. May be it is the change, may be it is that so called progress of a city that it keeps changing in its appearance and lets its people to adapt it as well. We decided to travel to Kerala to my parents place via train. 

"Live with no excuses and travel with no regrets." ~ Oscar Wilde

Now, let me tell you when its about trains, it's a nostalgia for me as my school vacation times in train from Pune to Kerala and vice versa was the most memorable time. The little kid in me joined my 12 year old Son and I started telling him the story. I was traveling in Indian Railway after 15 years and I was almost realizing that the dreams can come true even when you may not be exactly dreaming about it.
Last when I was traveling to Kerala from Pune was with my 4 year old daughter and my purpose to take her through this journey was to see the world and see the kids of her age who sometimes are not enjoying the basic rights of going to school but instead, begging in the train for food and water. I was glad when my daughter recently shared this story with her younger brother. We must feel thankful for what we have!!!
Because it was a train journey I was making sure I am taking small suitcases that I can carry and place it under the train seat and it seemed like we packed for the whole village :).

We reached Karmelaram railway station where we got the train to Shoranur. It was an air-conditioned compartment and as usual I got the top sleeper berth to sleep and my son was already excited to sleep on the middle berth as it was all like a bunk bed for him. We both were in out own way enjoying our experiences and I was reliving my childhood. 

"The right train of thought can take you to a better station in life." ~ ;)

Night was peaceful and as usual I used to wakeup and look for luggage if its all safe and then go back to sleep. The usual things we learn as we grow! Around 6 am our train reached Shoranur junction and it was time for us to get down. 
I never got a chance to walk-around on the railway station besides rushing from one train to the other but today we went around to use rest room and get fresh before we head to the next leg of the journey. 
It was nice and clean everywhere. What caught my eyes was the 'Google Station' almost everywhere providing free wifi. I literally thanked @sundar pichai and the railway minister @piyush goyal ! Simple pleasure for this generation :).

Looking around the station gave a different feeling altogether. There were times when we had to carry our suitcases through those stairs and it used to be painful but now there was a lift which was such a great convenience with all that luggage that we were carrying with us. Besides that it was helpful for elders and specially abled people too. I was amazed!
When you say all the good things, you must say things that need an improvement. 
We were first standing in line for lift at the railway station and my Mom-in law who is senior citizen and yet this guy comes and ignores we 7 people standing there in line and stands in front of the lift and as soon the door opens he gets in without any hesitation....!
I was damn upset and I just looked at him and asked my sister-in law what kind of man he is who has no respect for others who are in line, I think there should be a board that should mention about the courteous behavior expectation from people standing in line for the lift.

"Knowledge will give you power, but character respect." ~ Bruce Lee

Getting out of Shoranur station in a taxi ride through the roads of Kerala at dawn was an amazing dream. I am not sure if I can explain in words what it means to be sitting in a taxi where there is no intervention of heavy music or even the taxi driver's annoying questions but the peacefulness of Mother Nature at dawn was a meditative feeling watching those dawn scenes and the Christmas decorations that was still hanging out as a star.

Kids growing in America when they see stray dogs they feel very sorry. My son when he saw a dog sleeping on the platform, he said that's so sad! 
I immediately asked him why sad? He said, look at those dogs they don't have owners, they don't have food and no place to stay. I saw few people also sleeping there and I said look there are people also who are sleeping there. More over, these dogs they get food from people and that's how they survive and this is the place where they stay!!!

But by giving that answer, it made me think and I said to myself - aren't we all supposed to be like that dog? Who doesn't belong here forever! We come here and we stay as long as we can and then we exit because we are mortal. Instead, we build houses, buy luxurious things and get attached to all the materialistic things and surround ourselves with that as if we are going to live here forever!!!!
Think!!!

"You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need." ~ Vernon Howard

~ Dawn