A “Plane” Ole Adventure!

With the window exit off, I stepped over the fuselage and into my shoes that were strategically placed outside. As I slipped back into them, I stood up, felt the welcome cool breeze and thought, “Whoa. This is SO COOL!” I was standing on the right wing of a Boeing 727, in the middle of the woods, outside of Portland, Oregon. This wasn’t an emergency. There were no commands that were being shouted or screaming panicked guests to corral. I wasn’t in uniform or at work or commuting to work. And the only danger I faced was accidentally falling off the wing because I was more focussed on getting the right angle to capture a photo, and even then, the fall would be 8ft, max, to the ground.

Angels in Disguise

I woke up today with a strange desire to bake. This is strange for many reasons: I don’t know how to bake, I’m trying to eat healthy, and who has time to bake today? And then I looked at the calendar at it made sense. My dear friend Ashley, and one of the most incredible bakers I’ve ever know, passed away 5 years ago today. 

Legacy of Love

Happy New Year! 2017 has come and gone in a flash–though I feel like I say that about every year. Personally, I’m glad the new year is here. Not because 2017 was terrible–it challenged me in so many different ways and there were many highs and lows to the year, but because with this new year comes new change and new challenges and new opportunities. The end of the year was bittersweet for a few different reasons but the main reason being family.

My last living grandparent, my baa (dad’s mom), passed away. I miss her immensely (as I’m typing this, I’m feeling this burning in my nose and water in my eyes) but am at peace with her passing. 

The Healing Power of Music

As a Hindu, we believe that a person’s body is temporary. It’s simply a vessel to carry their athma, or their eternal soul. Your soul stays consistent but comes back in different forms in different lifetimes but the goal is to escape samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth, and achieve moksha. Your actions and words is what will dictate whether you are reborn again, and in what form, or whether you are liberated from the cycle and achieve moksha. This ties in to how Hindu funerals are conducted as well as the grieving process. In Hinduism, the body is cremated and then ashes are spread at a sacred body of water or some other place of importance to the person who passed. At the funeral, you wear white, there are prayers conducted asking for liberation of the person’s soul and acceptance of them. You wear white. You share memories. And you pray.

Two Types of Work Days

Some days, I come home from work and wonder why I even bothered to show up? I could swear that no one noticed my presence, nor would they notice my absence. Or maybe it’s a day where no matter what I do, I keep hitting dead ends or getting blank stares or seem to get criticized for whatever I do, or don’t do. It’s when decisions make no sense or your frustrations seem to fall on deaf ears or no matter how much you try to be transparent and fair, it backfires in your face. It’s days like those that make me wonder why I do what I do. It’s days like those that I go home and I re-evaluate what I’m doing and what I set out to do. 

My Friend’s Parents

As a kid, I would go to India with my parents and we’d be dragged to random people’s houses for chai and a quick visit. Sometimes it would be family members, but from time to time, my parents would go visit the parents of their friends. I never really understood why–they weren’t necessarily close with their friends’ parents, why go visit them? I’m finally understanding why.

30 Day Challenges

I have four days left in my NoBloPoMo challenge and I’m really proud of how far I’ve come. It hasn’t always been easy, but I’ve managed to write every day (I consider a day before I go to bed, not necessarily midnight). While my posts have been random, they’ve been getting done and I’m proud that I’ve managed to stay on task and focussed so far. And I’ve been getting it done, even with being out of town and what not. 

Thankful for New Beginnings

Tonight I celebrated Friendsgiving with some friends who I’ve known for almost 15 years. It also marked a huge change for one couple as they were moving to New Mexico after one of them had spent his entire life in Illinois. As someone who’s done the pick-up-and-leave-everything-you’ve-ever-known-behind move, I’m excited for them but can also relate to the boatload of emotions that come with the move. 

My Advice to Parents

A lot of my friends are married and having babies. A lot. How many you ask? Enough that I can tell you about breastfeeding and tongue ties and different sleep training methods and feeding techniques as well as personal parenting styles and bedtime routines. I can change a diaper, I can carry a kid with one hand (leaving the other one free for having a drink), I’m perfecting my raspberries, and I genuinely believe that having a baby/kid fall asleep in your arms or on your chest is one of the best feelings in the world.