Four Clover Life- By Namrata Shailendra Singh

It is the way some evenings welcome themselves into our life. Some are enveloped in the shade of deep orange and some in clear blue sky with white clouds floating like cotton balls; some are wrapped in darkness with no stars to twinkle and a pale dark blue blanket all over. And, some are washed in the moonlight, shining so bright that it becomes difficult to differentiate the day from the night. In every way, evenings are my favorite. The day is too bright for me and the nights too dark. What makes me feel comfortable are the silken evenings. Or maybe there is something more to that. Evenings I guess, symbolize 'return.' It's reassuring to see the birds fly back to their nest as we wait to get back to ours. The children, gleefully playing in the green parks, bathed in sweat, look forward to going back to their homes where their mothers wait with bated breath. They shall be washed and scrubbed and made to sit and study in their warm beds. Somewhere, ol

Dear Words, I am struggling, and I am new. Everyday tracking of page views, Google AdSense and affiliate account earning (if any), umpteen social media accounts, followers and following, stumbling and pinning, posting and reposting, Facebook groups and their admin, gaining entry and getting blocked, FB pages, and no. of likes,  and the list is endless. I am overwhelmed by the vastness of this world. I am out of breath already. Collapse I may anytime or quit. Should I? When I see myself in the ocean that I am in, I feel scared. There are so many people writing so well, blogging so well, skillful and artful, earning and thriving. And here I am scrambling to survive. When I quit my corporate career to follow 'WORDS,' I was unsure if I am doing the right thing. I followed 'WORDS,' and I am still uncertain if I am doing the right thing. Every day a new revelation, a new learning, and a new lesson. It's when you see millions of people who have been there, done tha

I shivered, reading Michelle Obama's words. " I never cut class. I loved getting A's; I liked being smart. I liked being on time. I thought being smart is cooler than anything in the world." The words echoed as I felt goosebumps on my body. My heart shriveled up as if aching from old pain, and my mind raced fast. I know what it means to cut class. I know what it entails to chase cuteness. I know how it feels to get an A. And I now know that being smart never goes out of fashion. It's the safest bet, actually. When I was in high school, I was a victim of the 'cute syndrome.' I was all of 16, and there is something about being 16. A lot is going inside, and then there is a threshold that you never get to know when you have crossed. There is a big ' YES' your heart says for every 'NO' that your mind says, and you oscillate like a pendulum. I surrendered to many YES’s only to realize later that I lost out on class, grades

To paint is to create a whole new world on a blank sheet. The world can be as beautiful as you want or as real as you see around. What you paint speaks volumes about you. I love painting autumn trees. There is some tranquility in knowing that everything comes to an end and fresh beginnings happen. It's calming to know - this too shall pass . The only words which make you smile amidst sorrow and be grounded when riding high on success. The only words capable of keeping the ' honsla '( strength) and ' umeed ' (hope) alive, kicking, breathing, and thriving. Image courtesy-Pixabay

"How to manage to stay so slim?  I have weight issues. You also look better. I have beauty issues. You have a good life. I have life issues." I had read somewhere that jealousy is a great teacher. It teaches you the kind of person you want to become, the kind of things you want in your life, and the kind of relationship you yearn for. For we are only jealous of someone when that 'OTHER' has what we don't have, but WE WANT TO  HAVE. That is the long and short of it. Is there a problem being envious or jealous? Yes and No. Yes, because it is a negative emotion, so it makes you feel unpleasant. You can feel unpleasant to the extent that it attacks your self-esteem. So you keep thinking about it, brooding, I must say, and the circle is vicious as you feel as if you have it none and that other has it all. No, because it is human and normal and natural. It's innate, instinctive, and to an extent, essential. We have it; it's there. It happens to all of us. Some

Dil Chahta Hai and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara are cult films that ensured we bought that bucket that houses our dreams and escapades. To the not so knowledgeable, The Bucket List is a 2007 American comedy-drama film directed by Bob Reiner. It's about two terminally ill men on a road trip to fulfill their wish list. You knew about this? Maybe yes, maybe no. But everybody seems to have it, either original or copied from someone. It makes one look all too KOOL and the ones who don't have it to look like FOOLS. If I get it right, it’s all copied. The idea, the trend, and the list. ;) It's a trend that started a decade ago; I do not really remember if it was around DDLJ and KKHH times. To the non-Bollywood types - it's the movie Dilwale Dulhaniya le Jayegein and Kuch Kuch Hota hai. Yes, we sometimes refer to that era by these names. And post then, everyone has acquired a bucket list, and there are two things pretty much everyone wants to do- adventure and travel

THE BATTLE BETWEEN STAY-AT-HOME MUMS AND WORKING MUMS... WHO HAS THE EDGE? A woman posted a momentary self-doubt today on Facebook-I wonder why people don't respect SAHM? What ensued was a raging debate and fierce battle only to leave some with hurt feelings, scratched self-respect, and bruised ego. Working mums defended their stand, and Stay at home mums tried to save theirs. Did they forget that they are one and the same? I was a part of it, and I watched what transpired amongst 250 women when their status quo was challenged. This, I guess, is the new debate considering many women have primarily been SAHM(Stay-at-Home-Mums). However, it’s now for the past two decades that the ‘working mums’ are also constituting a big part of the woman population, and hence comes the divide, each mum being territorial in holding her front ensuring 'NOBODY CROSSES THE FENCE.' But fences did get crossed and what was said is not as important as what was not said. Respond vs.

Scene 1 A warm cozy lazy evening, a wife wrapped around the arms of her husband and sipping wine Some thoughts strike her, and she turns around, caresses his brows, and asks- Do you ever remember 'her'? Husband - No. Wife- Liar. ...and life goes on...lovemaking goes on. Scene 2 A warm cozy lazy evening, a wife wrapped around the arms of her husband and sipping wine Some thoughts strike her, and she turns around, caresses his brows, and asks- Do you ever remember 'her'? Husband- Yes, I sometimes do. Wife-Whatttttt???? Cheater. Husband- But, but, but... And life gets bumpy, and lovemaking gets grumpy. Scene 3 A warm cozy lazy evening, a wife wrapped around the arms of her husband and sipping wine Some thoughts strike her, and she turns around, caresses his brows, and asks- Do you ever remember 'her'? Husband- Why such questions now? Wife- Just like that. You have a problem answering. Hmmm, I know you remember her. Husband- No, I don't. Wife- You