What the Moon Teaches Me Every Fortnight

The moon, which is the very reason for many of the planetary happenings on earth, is more than just a satellite.

Every time I used to stare at the moon, I used to find a face on it. On my sad days, the face too seemed sad and on all the other days it seemed just like a normal face.

I have wondered why different people see different images on the moon and the some who see nothing at all called us Lunatics; and I don't deny that I am one. Because lunatic comes from Lunar, which is the moon :)

My friend and I always found full moons fascinating. We noted how every full moon night made us do something crazy; both good and bad.

But only very recently have I learnt how the moon reminds us of a fundamental truth of life, that EVERYTHING IS CHANGING, YET IS JUST THE SAME.

On the surface, moon is continuously evolving for the first 15 days since the new moon and continuously depleting itself back for the next 15 days till the next new moon. Yet, the real shape of the moon, the real effect of the Moon, it's inner self, it's reality, it's highest truth, REMAINS JUST THE SAME.

That's how our human life too is. On the surface, our lives are continuously evolving and depleting and Changing for the better and changing for the worst. What we often keep seeing is that surface alone. We see our lives as the moon that keeps changing but not as the one that stays the same.

But little do we notice that our inner self is what we are. That's what will never change. It'll never deplete. It'll be the same throughout. Our body will cease like the moon ceases after every fortnight but it'll be born again, and we'll start afresh and shine bright on the earth all over again, till it again start to cease.

But we won't cease for We're the real moon, the one that stays the same throughout time. It's been staying the same for a million years now. Yet, every fortnight it's a new journey.

That's how I think we should take our lives. Nothing is too big a deal. Any day is a good day to start afresh because Change happens only around us and it hardly happens to the real us. Change is on the surface alone. Deep within, we are all the same whole moon that's been bringing tides to the oceans for hundreds of centuries together.

That's what the moon makes me learn.

That I am more than what I perceive myself to be. We all are the same moon.

Do you get what I mean?

The Letter About the Branch Above

(This is a letter that I wrote to a friend, at a time when we'd both been away for too long and the only suited way to communicate was through letters like this. This letter made as big a difference in her life as it made in mine and I keep reading this every now and then for a reminder. With some edits, here's the Letter for you all.)

Dear Love,

I told you I would write to you. And this is something I wanna tell you today.

One of the many things I have noticed about my life that keeps me happy is that I have made peace with the past. Whatever it was, it is over. However good or bad, it ain't coming back.

I found myself with a choice between bitterness and indifference.Bitterness is not my cup of tea and trust me, indifference is acquired only after going through painful, teary nights. But then one day, when I was probably done crying about my life, I wondered how many more days am I going to whine about these things?

These things had to happen for us to understand something, for us to learn something. I still don't know what the learning is, but I'm stronger than I was yesterday.

I saw, that for a long time i was looking at life from one branch below where I am today. And so everything seemed hopeless.

After tirelessly trying to keep myself happy, busy and distracted for months together, I finally climbed up one branch and now I see things making a little more sense.

I hope you remember what I told you on the day when we stayed over together: "It all begins with you taking responsibility for your happiness."

God won't fix everything for us, we need to be our own god for certain things, especially our happiness.

I noted that as and when i get sad, if tears did come out, I let them out. After crying for a while I realise how my tears won't mend things nor would bring back those who left me, nor would reverse the time for me to fix everything back from where it started.

That's what I still do. I have taken this responsibility of my own happiness and when I do happen to face low days, I let myself be for a while, and then pick myself right back up and walk ahead, whenever I'm ready. 

If it had to work out, it would have worked out right then... And if it is to work out in future, it will, eventually.

We have only one power in our hands: to bring ourselves back to happiness. 

So, as you keep writing down sad things, there will certainly come a point where you'd be so exhausted and done with writing sad things that you would not want to write sad things anymore. When you do feel that way, My love, you will realise that you have taken responsibility for your happiness.

Until then, all you have to do is let things flow but do not let it flow you along, do not let anything drown you. Be aware.

Don't force yourself to move on,

Make peace with the idea of love and Believe that it exists.

Do not give yourself false hopes but nevertheless, pray for a miracle for you never know when a prayer might get fulfilled.

Love you!