Passion…unbridled

When I look around me, it seems “othering” has become

An all-pervasive, grave problem that must be overcome

*

In a hyperconnected world we should have been more unified

Instead, the rise of social media has our differences magnified

How are we regressing towards being tribalistic

Our progressive civilization is acquiring traits atavistic

Intuitively I would think a shrinking world would mean

Greater exposure to cultures previously unseen

Which you’d think would lead to differences being erased

Instead, every day new differences are being raised

Each group sticks to its point of view

fervently

The opposite viewpoint people are not willing to see

This othering of those outside one’s group had become

A highly charged global, universal phenomenon

*

Of harboring thoughts of othering, I too am guilty

Though my ideal self would like the world to be one big family

I must learn to examine and recognize

My own unconscious biases and realize

When I start othering people, so that I can stop right there

Changing the paradigm starts by being more aware

There’s a war going on in my country that has overshadowed everything

That’s all people associate with my nation, but if I can bring

An Olympic medal home, that would be a victory

Not just for me but for my war-ravaged country

I cannot change politics, I cannot stop the senseless war

But I can try to excel in my sport, stand tall for

My beloved nation that has provided me

The opportunity to bring respite from the misery..

*

My country is not exactly known for excellence

In the Olympics, towards my sport there is indifference

But an Olympic medal is the stuff that makes up dreams

Even though a medal out of my reach seems

I must fight for it, let me give the Olympics all I possess

There are no expectations from me, but I want to taste success

*

My country’s team always snatches the golds

Then why is our performance this time so cold?

Other teams are catching up to us in their skills

We have to improve, practice harder still

There are expectations from me and my team

We have to win, no matter how hard it seems..

*

So many players from different nations

All with their dreams and aspirations

Compete in the Olympics, giving the games their best

While the world watches them with great interest

When you told me not to do something a certain way

I was confused, I had no reference to comprehend anyway

What your motivation or reasoning happened to be

That you were being unreasonable is all I could see

Other parents did not curb the freedom of their daughters the way you wanted to

I neither understood where you were coming from nor did I care to

Listen to you in those tumultuous adolescent years

I did not know I was manifesting at that time your worst fears

You must have tried to explain to me your traditions

Based on which you were making these decisions

But it was a different world in which I had grown

I had never lived in the country from which you had flown..

*

My daughter, it was an uphill battle for me

To raise you in a completely different country

With cultural norms so different from my own

In bringing you up, I was treading through waters unknown

What you perceived as lack of freedom was for me

A way to inculcate in you the traditions of my country

I knew (having experienced the period of adolescence)

That you were in the expected phase of defiance

Where any rule from your parents would feel too restrictive

But complete freedom to you I could obviously not give

To the parent-teen friction was this added layer

Of cultural differences in behavior, dress and hair

Between my parent culture and my adopted one

A middle path between the two was the one

I expected you to follow eventually

Which you did- with some consternation evidently

I made a mistake when I assumed you would understand

Where I was coming from, the deep-rooted practices of my homeland

I don’t know how you feel but here’s what I have to say

Let me give myself a pep talk

So that I can face my biggest roadblock

*

Why am I not making progress

I am afraid, I must confess

It is as if I seem to fear

Fear itself, therefore I adhere

To old beliefs that feel “safe” to me

Beyond my fear, I am afraid to see

*

But to my brain I need to emphasize

The pearl of wisdom I’ve recently realized

That everything I want is to be found

On the other side of fear, there’s no way around

Fear- I just have to face it and wade across

Otherwise it would be a tremendous loss

What I want would never be mine

If I let fear my actions define

*

Let me inhale, ingest, digest my fear

And witness a path forward appear

Being fearful led me nowhere anyway

So let me discard my fear today

I had assumed sustainability was defined

As conservation of material resources, it had not crossed my mind

To think about my growth and abilities

In terms of personal sustainability

I stumbled upon this concept by serendipity

But it us now baked into my lexicon permanently

*

I had thought that I needed an insatiable drive

To grow, to succeed, and to continue to thrive

In a competitive world- it did not matter if in the process

My energy got depleted- I thought I was immune from stress

But that is not so, I am increasingly vulnerable

To age, emotional stress, illness, sleep deprivation- I am unable

To bounce back to the same baseline after a stressful event

If I keep ignoring my needs, the inevitable decline would prevent

Me from moving forward in life steadily

Therefore I must focus on personal sustainability

*

To do this, healthy boundaries I should create

Between professional and personal life, clearly communicate

Those boundaries to people surrounding me

So that I can channel my energy

Into rejuvenation and not wait for complete depletion

I should forego with others constant competition

I should recharge by disconnecting myself from technology

Every night and make quality sleep a priority

*

We cannot keep burning fossil fuels indefinitely

Likewise adrenaline cannot continue to fuel me

As humankind looks for sustainable solutions for the world, I believe

Sustainability in personal development we should also try to achieve

These days information is available readily

But what weights on my mind heavily

Is that the quality of information is hard to discern

If you are not careful, a lot of falsehoods you can learn

Opinions masquerade as facts in abundance

While some proven facts generate controversy intense

Articles are presented such that they tend to obfuscate

Instead of informing- how do you separate

The truth, the semi-truth, the falsehood and everything in between

Unless you are an expert on the topic you cannot glean

The unvarnished truth, therefore your comprehension

Could end up being flawed despite your best intention

*

It is more vital than ever to not believe what meets the eye

To know the truth one needs the uncanny ability of a spy..

Waking up to a quiet house, and being able to spend

A few minutes in silent contemplation before the ubiquitous sense of urgency descends

Is a blessing that is incredibly hard to find

A commentary of a long list of tasks runs through my mind

When I wake up, from food preparation and work responsibilities

If I get a few moments to myself the background chatter does cease

After that I feel more grounded and efficient as I start

My day, with a sharp mind and a contented heart..

*

Unfortunately such mornings seem to be rare

Chronically sleep-deprived, well I do not fare

In finding moments of solitude when I wake up late

It is a mad rush to get the whole family out of the gate

There is no quietude as we scramble to complete

Our morning routines, it seems an impossible feat

To get everything in order, there is no time to take a breath deep

Punctuality at school and work is the most important promise to keep

*

What a vicious cycle I seem to fall into every day

If only I could carve out a few minutes in a consistent way

To reflect quietly or meditate in the morning, I would be

A better version of myself- I should make this a priority..

Is it me or my altered sense of reality

But something is not right, it smells fishy

You tell me the negativity is all in my head

I should concentrate on the positive aspects instead

You undermine my confidence at every turn

You leave me stranded in confusion

What you mean I can never figure out

I try to decipher your actions but am left in doubt

You dismiss my interpretation in seconds and then chide me

Making me feel incompetent repeatedly

I wonder if my sanity is intact multiple times a day

I fantasize about breaking free and running away

Except that your tentacles are spread far and wide

And I do not have the ability to hide

*

I am tolerating your behavior, while trying to build

My resilience until the cup of dissatisfaction from you is filled

Even if nothing seems to be favorable for me now

I shall wait for Karma to show me the path forward somehow

If I am able to write something at the end of a busy work day

If I can string my angst into words when things are not going my way

If I am able to give words to an emotion profound

If I can write in my own words the advice sound

Given to me by my parents throughout the years

If I can express coherently what has moved me to tears..

When I put my feelings into words I set them free

No more are they able to bother me

When I write, I indulge in self-soothing and self-care

I gain more insight into my behavior, I become more aware

*

If I do not write, emotions continue

To linger in my mind, and perturb me too

But when I write they settle themselves in the space

Between my words, thus bringing my mind solace

*

So let me write, even if my writing is sup-par

Writing is the best form of therapy I’ve found so far

Blessed are those who have found

Lasting friendships, it makes a difference profound

To your life if you have friends who have your back

Your social interaction is limited if good friends you lack

Social isolation is now established to be

A risk factor for dementia and early mortality

*

When you move away from home you lose

Your childhood friends, you have to choose

New friends for yourself, but friends are hard to find

Inevitably your friendships are by your children defined

So you become friendly with other mothers around

Organizing playdates and carpools, you surround

Yourself by other mothers, by default they become your “friends”

But in dealing with them you have to be artificial and pretend

To be someone you are not for the sake of your children

Otherwise there is little you find in common with those women

*

Once in a while by serendipity

You find someone with whom you can be

Yourself without attaching any strings

You find the joy that true friendship can bring

You go out for walks and trips into town

Where you are able to let your hair down

You feel more vibrant, more energized

This is what you were missing, you realize

*

The power of female friendships should not

Be underestimated, much joy can be brought

Into life by having close friends in whom we can confide

After all, we are in for similar roller-coaster rides

*

This verse is a way for me to remind

Myself to actively try to find

Women friends with whom I can spend

My free time, and perhaps my years on this planet extend

Everything needs to be reviewed on the internet

You read the reviews to decide what to get

Be it services or goods, there is a space

To plug in your review, the reality we face

Is that reviews have the power to make or break

Any endeavor- I know a lot is at stake

For the one being reviewed, therefore if I drop a review

It is almost always positive, I choose not to

Post anything if I am angry or dissatisfied

I fear Karma would come back at me if I tried

Giving a bad review, someone would do the same to me

But if I am kind, it would be reciprocated hopefully

*

Sometimes when I sit down to write my comments

I read through other reviews and to some extent

I get influenced by them and alter my review

To match the majority, this is something I probably should not do

But being completely honest is difficult because I know

How hard one has to work for a product to be sold

How a single negative review can lead to a business turning cold

*

Let me write a glowing review for my recent experience

Which was excellent when viewed through my lens

Let not my well of empathy run dry

Let not my once boundless enthusiasm die

Assembly line products I do not manufacture or sell

I treat people when they are vulnerable and unwell

In the midst of dwindling resources and increasing burden of disease

Let me not get so disillusioned that I completely cease

To work as a physician, another vocation find

To maintain my sanity and preserve my mind

*

I love a good challenge, I am competitive

More than a hundred percent I do not hesitate to give

To treat my patients, or contribute to an advancement

In clinical medicine, but I am limited in the extent

To which I can see more patients in limited time slots

I am a human being dealing with humans, not a robot

*

Let me take care of patients with empathy and my skills

Let administrative burden my exuberance not kill

At the risk of sounding abrasive, this I have to say

Just leave me alone to do my job my way!