NaPoWriMo – Day 30: The Last Day!

So, inevitably all good things draw to an end, as does NaPoWriMo 2013! What a journey it has been! When I began – I didn’t expect much – of the contest nor of myself. But of course that’s exactly what Life’s waiting for – for us to make silly assumptions so it can jump right in and show us in just how many ways we are wrong 😛 I have learned a lot about myself through this challenge – first of all being, ‘If the Challenge is Right, I Am Up For It’! Does that make sense? I hope it does coz I have not the words to make it any clearer 😉

Secondly – I really do enjoy poetry 🙂 I’d forgotten until lately how much! Also what I really dig, is the combination of photography and poetry – it’s an irresistibly potent blend for me, and certainly THE reason why I didn’t get bored of this challenge halfway 🙂 The other reason is of course the kindness of my readers who supported and encouraged me with the sweetest words throughout. I could never have done this without you 🙂 Thank You from the bottom of my heart ❤

I was uncertain about what I would do for the last post. I was running out of ideas and was kinda stuck in a rut, until what else but a wheel got me out 😉 This picture is of a random wagon wheel I found on our visit to Wildernest – a fabulous eco-friendly resort on the border of my home state Goa and the state I’m going to be moving to soon – Karnataka! It’s a place after my own heart and there was this wheel just asking to be photographed 😛 You think of wheels and automatically motion comes to mind. Static wheels don’t seem as attractive do they? I always associate wheels with either the relentless march of time or mankind’s relentless progress towards…don’t really know the answer to that…but towards a better future I suppose!

And yet – the importance of a resting wheel is paramount isn’t it? Long drives are hard on their rubber and the constant friction with the road can cause meltdowns…you’re getting where I’m going with this right?! So although they take us wherever we want to go, it’s important that we pay attention to their well-being; cause after all, ‘A driver is only as good as his wheels’! Non? 😉 And so I just thought this was a perfect way to say Goodbye to this year’s NaPoWriMo, while ending with the promise of a new beginning 🙂 Life mirrors the virtual world I guess…because after I’m back from vacation, we’ll be moving from Mumbai to Bangalore! So the wheels are resting for now, recouping and recuperating for the drive to Bangalore!

Safe Journeys to all my Friends 🙂

Endings…

“Lets start at the very beginning…a very good place to start…” goes the famous line from one of my all time favourite musicals, The Sound of Music. With the approach of every New Year, we humans, make a huge deal about ‘New Beginnings’…new resolutions, new commitments, new jobs, new lovers, new diets, new plans, new hopes, new dreams…a new Life!

But pause…a deep breath…before we rush to make the first in a litany of new promises to ourselves, our friends and the world in general…consider…are these truly ‘new’ or just ‘renewed’? Cause, be honest, what is a new life, but a renewal of the old? Recycled resolutions, reaffirmed hopes, plans, dreams, renewed commitments to old, incomplete goals, projects, jobs, and people! Ah! Guilty as charged! Although in recent years, the sweeping statements and passionate declarations of my youth, have taken a backseat, I haven’t been able to resist making the same resolutions, if only, in the more subdued tones of my alleged adulthood :). So instead of appearing a fool in front of the whole world, I do so now, only to the one person that matters – ME! How sad that the fact now offers NO consolation!

So recently, with such profound thoughts 😉 occupying my generally distracted mind, I’ve been thinking about how human beings in general and me in particular, ignore the importance of a good ending, except in movies or books, where they are essential, nay, crucial! What got this train of thought started, were a couple of books that began promisingly, only to fizzle out with weak, unsatisfactory endings. You know what I mean! An utter let down! And yet, I continue to ignore and underestimate the value of a proper ending in Life. And by proper, I do not mean fairytale! Nah, am not that naïve! I mean, the feeling that I get, when I know (in my bones) I’m done, I’m through…for better or for worse, this far and no further, generally accompanied or followed, by a sense of moving forward, letting go.

I have begun now to appreciate the importance of a solid ending, in Life, especially my own. An Ending – that says closure, completion, a tying up of loose ends, that allows fresh perspective, clears the air and the mind for the inevitable new beginnings that must follow! Yes, I am grateful for endings  🙂

So now, at the ending of this life-changing, coming-of-age year that was, I am thankful to have survived it all and made it this far, battered and bruised, but stronger and wiser. Thankful for letting go the past, abandoning fractured dreams and hopes and for the ability to recognize the difference between what’s good and what’s good for me! I can honestly say, I’m happy with the way 2009 is ending for me. I have no new resolutions for 2010…the old ones, still linger and will do, but they are not my focus anymore. If 2009, has taught me anything, it is the futility of the ‘best laid plans’.

And so, I surrender, to the ending of this, my 41^st year of Life on Planet Earth – tumultuous, life-altering, chaotic. No doubt, 2010 will be identical! Bring it On!