Passion…unbridled

It started as a statement quite innocuous
A bored mind with nothing worthwhile to discuss
Concocted a story loosely based on
A conversation that had been eavesdropped upon
Assumptions were many, because what was heard
Was not a full conversation, just a smattering of words
Strung together with an imagination fertile
Those words formed a story that brought a smile
To the face of the next person to whom the beans were spilled
It was amusing, and in the listener it instilled
The desire to share this interesting anecdote
So to a close friend, in a text this person wrote
The details got blurry, and the story changed flavor
Still juicy enough for this recipient to savor
You get my drift- this almost became a chain reaction
The original story had been sacrificed on the altar of oblivion
Pretty soon a new story was in circulation
Believed by many to be authentic in this situation
**
And what happened to the people who had been
Subjects of the original conversation, they were last seen
Hiding their faces, unable to comprehend
How they had been misrepresented, how they were condemned
To bear the brunt of a lie that they could not trace
The origin of, but that now occupied all their space..
**
This is the life cycle of a rumor
Embedded in these words is dark humor
A rumor is like a cannon set loose
It does much more than just amuse..

(This poem strictly reflects my opinion on food fads with no intent to criticize individual food preferences.)

I notice there is a growing trend
Among my acquaintances and friends
Of believing in food fads that are mushrooming
Leading to crazy new diets, each one assuming
That adding or subtracting one ingredient
Can solve all your problems, irrespective of their extent
Help you lose weight (most important, isn’t it?)
Miraculously make you active and fit
Improve your sleep, concentration and endurance
I try hard to believe all of this,but it does not make sense
As to why expensive exotic ingredients are required
To make life better, to get results desired

**

I thought the origin of civilization
Can be traced to the beginning of cultivation
And bread made from wheat sustained generations
Of humans across the globe, then why the condemnation
Of wheat- being gluten-free is the new fad
Substitute with costly ingredients, because wheat is so bad
What would we grow if wheat disappeared
To feed billions- to me the scenario is weird
Another food fad that I find difficult to comprehend
Is why kale is a super food all alone, while a blend
Of mixed vegetables, cooked and raw, in every hue
Should lack the same properties? (They are cheaper too)
Thus we have kale chips (highly processed, mind you)
Being considered healthy snacks, that is just not true
Or the new trend of juicing that I perceive
As far too hyped up; I cannot believe
That something requiring an appliance sophisticated
Can be a panacea- its benefits must be overrated
I will not even talk about low-carb diets here
With their range of expensive products- be aware
That the low carb heaven they promise is loaded
With chemicals that might be junk once decoded

**

Of course these statements that appear extreme
Are my biased views, to others it might seem
That these diets offer benefits unique
They might offer health solutions that they seek
My final two cents on this topic are-
How many people can take these diets far
And stick to them, day after day, year after year
The number appears to be quite limited, I fear
To eat natural foods, sensibly and in moderation
Would be the best strategy, in my humble opinion.

Time management seems to be a skill
That I have not learnt, probably never will
Twenty-four hours in a day are not enough
To do everything, deal with all the stuff
That is part of my life as a mother and a professional
A schedule I try to follow, but the results are dismal
Every task on my list takes longer than I anticipate
And at the end of the day I am running late
I try to make up by compromising on precious sleep
Eventually for sleep debt I pay a price steep
As inefficiency creeps in throughout the week
The prospect of time management appears more bleak..
**
Taking a look at my schedule with a critical eye
There were a few things I did identify
My plan for each day was far too ambitious
Leaving no space for things to be ambiguous
I needed to shave off a few tasks on my plate
So I could accommodate the rest even when running late
Next I took stock of the amount of time spent
In looking through social media feeds of my friends
It was a LOT, even though my estimation was conservative
Draining time in cyberspace, I had little time to live
Out my life in the real world, do things that were required
Suddenly to delete my Facebook account I was inspired
(Thinking it through, I did not act on this impulse,
But over time, to social media I’ve become somewhat averse)
Next I realized that I was making futile attempts to
Multi-task, making it fairly impossible to do
Even one task efficiently, thus running behind-
I had to get the superwoman mentality out of my mind
**
Now that I have been able to identify
All these lacunae, let’s see if I can apply
These solutions that are simple enough, I think….
Well…while writing this verse time flew by in a blink
So I need to rush again pretty much the same way
As I’ve been doing; hoping there will be a day
When I am somewhat better at time management
I shall post my success here, in that event…

“Don’t shush your inner voice. It is who you are.”There is the little voice that is housed

Inside us, quiet as a church mouse

That tries its best, our guardian angel to be

Tries to protect us from  walking into calamity

Holding us back when we are being reckless

Cheering us on when we are feckless

This voice is so quiet, we often can’t register

It above the cacophony of constant chatter

That envelops us most of the time, most days

Much louder, therefore we disregard what this voice says

I think this is a tragic situation for mankind

Where other’s opinions rule our minds..

**

I was no exception, and did not pay heed

To my inner voice, in times of need

Was quick to accept what I was told

Growing up in a paternalistic society’s fold

Disregarded my instinct on many occasions

Only to realize that others’ opinions 

Did not work for me,  better it would have been

Had I the wisdom of hearing my inner voice seen

**

I started paying attention when I realized

My sixth sense- this voice, gave counsel wise

When I had complex patients to treat

My innate sense gave me insight indeed

When things seemed straightforward enough

But this voice nagged me to reassess my stuff

To take a second look, valuable clues I would find

That changed everything, and I would remind

Myself to be more cognizant of my voice

That would steer me towards the right choice

**

Many voices shall continue to invade

Our hearing fields, we have to wade

Through the noise to reach inside

Wherein lies wisdom to tackle this world wide.