Thursday, July 9, 2009

In My Element

It is quite hard to be in your element when life turns routine. Daily chores make your days normal, and everything chugs on in the usual way. And sometimes, that is all it takes to rob your mind of its creative instinct. It is quite easy to fall prey to life’s monotony. When you don’t spare time to smell the roses along your journey, your creative senses start to hibernate quietly. You know you are thinking differently when you wake up to listen to the news instead of the cheerful wind chimes in your balcony, and you begin to worry about how you’ll cook for lunch instead of being excited about trying something new. You realize it when you start to write only to discover that it now takes some serious effort to narrate those same old stories which flowed with effortless grace though your fingertips a long time ago. If your creativity isn’t fluid, you will now see nothing of interest in places that hold even the most precious of secrets. And I guess that’s why I’ve been away from my blog for an entire month.

A mystery novel lay forgotten behind a heavy chemistry textbook. As days wore on, the pages of the chemistry book turned. They were highlighted, underlined, dog-eared and understood. The Agatha Christie beckoned, but I told myself I was just too busy. The four letter word was an answer to all complaints. It was easy to play the blame game. It was after many days that I admitted that I needed to catch up with life. I guess life was waiting for just that. It was kind enough to immediately change the plans for me. It made sure that I had one of the most relaxing summer holidays ever, allowing me to escape routine so quickly.


Something stirred deep inside when I looked out through my car window and thought the midsummer skies were beautiful. Favorite rhythms repeated in my ears and the drive turned longer. The world dissolved into a blissful daydream, imagination reignited. It was a quiet getaway like none other. I was off to Big Sur County.

I never knew this place, and didn’t have expectations. But the experience gave me much more than I thought I would receive. When I arrived, the Pacific was at it again. Squeezing through the gaps in crumbling rocks, twisting through them to sculpt caverns, creating tide pools which hid a thousand life forms. These sights held me long. I enjoyed the scenery. There were the picnic benches and the lively laughter. I was shoeless on the shore, talking....Now, the world awakened to my provocation, more bold and interesting than ever.

There were also the panoramic views of sandy beaches, and I nostalgically recollected my visit to the 17 mile drive. The bloated ocean calmly sweeping such large expanses of water aroused so many mixed emotions. I was breathless. Engineering marvels of bridges captivated me. I was thankful that I was looking at them in those terms instead of viewing them as to merely consist of steel and arches.




Late evening was spent relaxing by a creek side, legs thrown into the cool waters. Steaming coffee, the comfortable shade of trees and soft singing. Receding heat and changing colours—it was contentment at its deepest. I observed the little rocks inside the creek catch the sun, a blue-jay fretting about innocently. They both looked beautiful. People sang the songs I had heard so many times. But this time, something was different. This time, I actually listened, keenly following the words being carried away by the wind. This time, I appreciated & applauded. The blue-jay hung about to listen too and that excited me. Yes, something had changed again, my brain said…and I couldn’t possibly have asked for more. In that deep contentment, I realised at the bottom of my heart that I was back in my element....

16 comments:

RAJI MUTHUKRISHNAN said...

Very interesting, and well-written. I like the opening lines immensely.

Anup B Prakash said...

The honesty of the post is its highlight!

flowergirl said...

I shall remember this post when I think "routine"!

kallu said...

Lovely Lakshmi. You are certainly back in your creative element. You certainly manage to stir up feelings in us old hojos too and make us wonder have I lost something somewhere?

pradipwritenow said...

This is a very lucidly written enjoying blog.

Praveen Krishnan said...

Wow, absolutely brilliant!!
Too poetic :-) Fantastic!
Glad you had a good time, and that certainly was a self-reflective journey :-)

Lakshmi Bharadwaj said...

@raji maami: Thank yoU!
@Anup Sir: :) That was precisely my intention, sir...if my posts arent honest, I do tend to feel a lil guilty.
@flowergirl: yes yes yes! remember! And escape, once in a while...:) then, life becomes FUNN!! what say?
@kallu: Thanks for the comment. :) You know, you should start planning a trip somewhere...:) run, play..the world's beautiful, I'd say!!! You live in a beautiful place..such pleasures are so easy to find!and that makes escaping frm work even more easry. me jealous...;)
@ Pradeep sir: Thanks so much. not as much as yours though! There is so much I need to learn from your experiences as well! :) do keep dropping in!
@ Mr. G.K: Hehe...:) Hope your browser's ok now, i recieved three comments! :) and published one! It was sooo much fun, i tell u! For once, I couldn't believe I enjoyed so much, especially in the comany I had..(all uncles and older aunties!). Initially i thought nothign might come out of the trip...but now, here you have it: another blog! :) wish i could keep escaping more oftne thou..its simply so much fun!

praneshachar said...

nicely penned down (keyed in too!!!)
u r back in your element gr8 and simply marvellous
wonderfully crafted post with lot of depth. keep posting u hv gr8 stuff in store
please do post regularly I adore your posts
pranesh

Swapna Sagi said...

Lakshmi..pleasure to read ur post.Lovely place n very lovely written :-). It makes me yearn for a vacation to some beautiful place.

Smitha said...

Beautiful post! My first time here and your words totally captivated me..

sundar said...

Loved it.

Keep your creativity flowing.

Cheers

Kamini said...

Beautiful. There are few things more rewarding than a relaxing vacation after the slog of studies/work. So glad you could visit this lovely place and share about it with us!

Ashwini Ramakrishna said...

I really surprised... how will you write such a nice blogs...HOw you managed to put all your thoughts,emotions,experience on this blogs...Really nice Blog...

mouna said...

i don't think that routine stuff does subdue one's element. it may seem initially, but as time passes, ones consciousness takes over, making us fill the daily schedule with things that we like. and we tend to enjoy it.

Just went thru' your profile. and was surprised to see that u study biochemistry. guess, many people these days do not opt for that subject. I'm a biochemistry student myself, have completed my post-grad in that.

ARJuna said...

Thank you for visiting my blog.
I agree with you completely, you have captured the gist of what I have been trying to say in my post.

Anya Padyam said...

That was beautifully written. I love the first paragraph - Amazing! You put it into words so well... Great read!

I feel that way, right now and this spoke to me and reading it was like hearing myself think!

Take care,