Passion…unbridled

Why don’t you join me in learning a new skill,

People would ask me, I would say my schedule was filled

To its capacity, and that I did not need

To indulge myself in a new pastime indeed

I told myself I was content with my life as it happened to be

In following a set routine I was perfectly happy

I saw people pursuing short-term interests

I thought those to be indulgences at best

I had enough on my plate and it would be a stretch

To find time to learn to dance, sing or sketch

Or some other skill that would commitment require

In the short-term, I had no particular desire

To showcase myself as a well-rounded personality

I was no longer in school, I did not need a stellar CV..

*

I read inspiring stories of women from all backgrounds

Learning new skills at all ages, and I found

That they had been as constricted in their beliefs as I seemed to be

And yet something had happened to make them break free

And master a new skill which made them fe more alive

I noticed their confidence, I saw them thrive

*

Life seemed increasingly stagnant and it appeared

That I was shutting myself down in fear

I told myself that some day I would retire

And learn something that I’d always desired

But retirement seems to be decades away

Would it be possible for me to do something today?

*

I am still exploring what skill I can learn feasibly

Something I can feel passionate about, it should be..

*

I am not there but at least I am trying to take

The first step to correct what was a mistake

I had boxed myself up trying to disguise

My fear as contentment, little did I realize

How my limiting beliefs were standing in the way

Of living life to the best extent every day..

The plasticity of plastic

Is no longer fantastic

Micro-plastics are the new evil now

Having made their way into our arteries somehow

That plastics are bad we intuitively knew

But they were so ubiquitous, what could one do

We ate out of plastic containers, bagged our groceries

In plastic bags, wore polyester clothing free from unwanted crease

Plastics had invaded aquatic life, we had heard

But micro (and nano) plastics had not yet become buzzwords…

*

An article in the most reputable medical publication

On plastic in blood vessels causing inflammation

Has taken the world by storm, opened our half-shut eyes

To the dangers of plastic, made all of us realize

That human-made can be dangerous to humankind

For inventors of plastic, this must have been the thing on their minds!

*

Another lesson learnt that nature we cannot outsmart

After flooding the planet with plastic, now we have to start

Replacing plastic with natural materials, just like in old days

To secure our future, we have to embrace our past in some ways

This poem refers to the article in New England Journal of Medicine cited here: Marfella R, Prattichizzo F, et al. Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Atheromas and Cardiovascular Events. N Engl J Med. 2024 Mar 7;390(10):900-910. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2309822. PMID: 38446676.

I look at everyone else around me, and feel reassured

When life seems to be on the upswing, I feel secure

Knowing that my blessings exceed those of most people around me

In a competitive world, I feel like I’ve scored a temporary victory

When life’s trajectory is less than smooth

Comparison with others does not let me soothe

My frayed emotions, even worse does life appear

When I compare it with everyone else within my sphere..

I tell myself repeatedly not to fall in the comparison trap

It would do me no good, my joy it would sap

But all the advice I try to give myself seems useless

I continue to compare myself with others nevertheless…

*

Trust the Japanese to teach us philosophical principles sound

They are simple to grasp, yet hold truths profound

One such concept is that of “Oubaitori” that states

That each flower blooms on its own schedule, follows its own fate

Just like spring flowers, all of us are unique

Our individual strengths we should seek

To find within ourselves, without any thought

To whether they are comparable with others or not…

*

Since it is spring and flowers of different kinds

Are blooming, it is easier to wrap my mind

Around this concept, by drawing a comparison (ironically)

Between the lives of flowers and me!

*

Society is competitive, we are hardwired

To compete against each other, it’s a habit acquired

Since childhood, that is hard to break

But a huge toll on our well-being it does take

Here is the lesson that I must imbibe

I am unique with my distinctive vibe

Comparison with anyone else is futile

Let me save my energy for issues worthwhile

To improve overall health and the health of the heart

Is the goal of a cardiologist like me, but there is a large part

Of heart health on a global scale that is intertwined

With the health of our planet, we humans have not been kind

To our planet, altering its ecosystems for our gain

In a vicious cycle, our respective healths continue to wane..

*

We can develop new drugs, design procedures new

To treat health conditions but what we cannot do

Without treating our planet well is eradicate disease from its root

Our efforts to treat illness cannot bear adequate fruit

If we do not reduce emissions, our carbon footprints not minimize

We are linked inextricably with our planet, we must realize..

*

To improve the health of our hearts

With being eco-conscious we can start

In addition to exercise and a diet clean

The new mantra for heart health should be to go green

(No)

If there is a skill I sorely need to learn

It is how to market myself, how to turn

My average persona around in such a way

That I appear more impressive, people want to hear what I say

*

I can do some things well but my brand I must build

With self-promotion, my social media feeds should be filled

I should promote myself in a nuanced fashion

Show the world that I do what I do just out of passion..

*

In hyperbole I should talk about achievements of mine

I must grab every opportunity to grab the limelight, to shine

How else would the world know how awesome I happen to be

I have to tell them at every opportunity..

*

*

*

All the lines I have penned above seem

As ridiculous to me as the most annoying meme

Theoretically I need to market myself better but in reality

The idea of self-promotion just does not appear doable to me

To promote myself before others, I would have to pay attention

To their preferences, the ultimate intention

Would be to alter my original ideas to make then fit

Into someone else’s mould, this thought does not quite sit

Right with me- more than anything I want to retain

My authenticity, I don’t want to gain

Popularity at the expense of losing my voice-

Let me forget about marketing myself- I have made that choice

Life is chaotic and yet you stay

In that chaos, stumbling each day

As you navigate through the familiar maze

While everything is falling apart, you appear unfazed..

*

This chaos is so familiar that to leave

Seems a daunting task, to cleave

Yourself from this chaotic, dysfunctional place

Fear of the unknown you would have to embrace

*

This place is chaotic but there is comfort

In the familiarity of this place, you want to avert

The temptation of walking away, towards the unknown

From the frying pan into the fire you don’t want to be thrown

*

Staying in chaos and suffering in silence

Is destroying your peace of mind and confidence

Making it harder to embrace changes that could take you

Out of this prison of chaos to some place new

*

There is a life outside your chaotic world , you have to take

The first most crucial step, and make

A firm decision to move beyond this disorganized place

And let change make in your head some space

I read that the best hack for productivity

Is to do the hardest task first and then be free

To address everything else, with a sense

Of accomplishment, your focus intense

Has been spent on the first, most daunting task

In the motivation provided by its completion you can bask

And finish everything else fast and energetically

Thus enhancing your productivity…

*

I need to place my own spin on this actually

Usually the hardest task does not quite bother me

I would start with it and procrastinate away

Leaving uncomfortable tasks for the end of the day..

It’s the simple tasks that come loaded with emotions

That tear down my productivity, I can go through the motions

Of work that does not trigger emotional distress

But if something perturbs me, I am an unproductive mess..

*

In order to complete my to-do list I should first do

The most uncomfortable task, so that I can get through

The worst part for me, the rest seems easier

If I do not have difficult emotions to fear…

I wonder when being lost became my default state

Mindlessly I kept filling up my plate

In the hope that something somewhere would click

And provide me with the fuel and a much-needed kick

To propel me in a single direction where I would find

Purpose that would align with my heart and mind

*

My plate seems to be overflowing, but I cannot say

That with a sense of purpose I travel on my way

In multiple directions at the same time I go

Mostly confused, I end up just going with the flow

*

I keep waiting for the proverbial sign to be revealed

So that less directionless I would finally feel

My patience is being tested severely, it appears

And precious time is running out, I fear

*

Somewhere some day my purpose I shall find

And that discovery shall bring comfort to my wandering mind

I just learnt that artificial intelligence can be a good tool to use

When you have to send an e-mail and your composure you’re about to lose

When you know your message would come out

Snarky, sarcastic, rude-all attributes you could do without

You could enlist the assistance of ChatGPT to rephrase

The same message in more professional or toned-down ways

The idea would be to make your point and not antagonize

The recipient, AI can be more diplomatic than you realize..

*

It would work well to separate your emotions from the e-mail

At least you would have a more professional sounding paper trail

But I wonder what would happen if every e-mail was worded such

Generic language would not make an impact much

In sounding much nicer the point you were trying to get across

Could get watered down, or completely lost

*

Maybe I am skeptical about AI, maybe I’m different..

Of a dissatisfied person’s e-mail, if I were the recipient

I would take a message with rudeness, sarcasm or snark

Over an innocuous appearing message, where the bite is worse than the bark..

I worry I would miss the whole point if the message came from AI

I’d rather hear a hard truth than a more palatable half-lie

I chop and grate vegetables, soak lentils and grains, knead the dough

Preparation for a meal is extensive, I know

As I complete these steps, a frisson of excitement runs through me

To occupy myself in culinary pursuits for a few hours, I am ready

*

I stir the contents of the wok gently, shuffling each section

So that my curry gets cooked to perfection

The careful but practiced stirring motion provides comfort immense

To my mind, as I simultaneously inhale the fragrance

Of spices that in perfect harmony blend

To create the flavorful dish I intend..

With the sizzling of oil as I add tempering aromatic

To the lentils, my taste buds awaken in a manner automatic

When the flatbread puffs perfectly, accomplished I feel

A perfectly puffed bread my culinary expertise reveals

When the long grained rice is parboiled perfectly

And each grain separate from its companion I can see

I experience in that moment pure bliss

It implies that little details I did not miss..

After stirring milk constantly and adding sugar I create

A delectable rice pudding, my spirits by several notches I elevate

*

Cooking a multi-course Indian meal is a labor of love indeed

There is profound satisfaction in being able to feed

My family and myself with wholesome food from my roots

I hope in my home there would be no store-bought substitutes

Whether it is a romantic ballad by Keats written

Or the rousing speech in “Julius Caesar” given

By Mark Antony, penned by Shakespeare the great playwright

Or Ogden Nash’s poems, humorous and light

Whether it is Amanda Gorman’s call to the nation

Or Maya Angelou’s fearless proclamation

To rise despite all odds- I am enthralled

By the work of all poets, I tend to fall

For metaphors, meters, rhymes and alliteration

Poetry is of language itself a celebration..

*

If I look at ancient literature from my land

It was written in short verses, easy to remember and understand

When stories were passed down in oral tradition

Poetry was the preferred method of rendition

Sometimes in song and sometimes in recitation

Partially remembered, partially embellished in each iteration…

When I am perturbed, solace and peace of mind

By chanting verses from Hindu scriptures I find..

*

Poetry as a form of expression attracts me such

That writing in prose does not appeal to me much

I absorb the world and in verse distill

Thus the gap between the world and my senses I fill

Self-care seems to be a concept relatively new

Growing up, caring for “self” was not something one was supposed to do

Or publicly admit, the insinuation would have been

Narcissism or self-obsession, it would not have been seen

In a positive light, certainly not something people would proudly proclaim

They were indulging in-obviously things are no longer the same..

*

Our lives social media-heavy and constantly wired

Leave us with less mental space than desired

To be alone with our thoughts, in tune with our needs

We spend more time looking at others’ social media feeds

The concept of self-care is to bring the focus back

On building ourselves up, not ruminating over what we lack

*

The beauty of self-care is that there is no singular way

To practice it, it can be different from day to day

The idea is to do something that nourishes you from deep inside

That you practice self-care techniques is something you can say with pride