Author - Jui Purohit.

  The floor is bone-chilling, as if walking on ice, barefoot. Wasn't it warm the night before? Glass-finish tiles that usually reflect faces now lay mucky, bespattered with dirt that was alien, but now feels native. The sofa is lying crooked as if doing some yoga pose, that has gone wrong. The centre table has lost it's centre of gravity. Tea was served on this table, now the table stands in the muddy water that looks like spilled tea. Shoe cupboard is hoarding shoes like a fisherman carries fish in a tub to sell. Doors of this cupboard show empty spaces but the top is burdened with the weight, the weight of shoes that usually carry the weight of feet. Vases are down on the ground and the flowers have lost their colours. Even if artifical, the fragrance is now putrid. You cannot distinguish a rose from a lily. Show pieces, enthusiastically bought from far off places, are now unrecognisable. Where did they belong to before this debacle? What was their origin? Were they meant to ...

 A constant feeling of anxiety. "What is the water level? Is it rising? Oh no! Not again.....Is it receding? Alas! Some relief..... however, until when? Check the forecast, keep checking". The water logging is taking away your peace. Heart beats, it races, not because of adrenaline but because you can't bear to see your house, which you keep clean, decorate and embellish in every way you can, that house is getting water logged.  Rains are important. But what has happened these days? It doesn't rain for a month and then it pours cats and dogs, destroying, damaging property, nature and everything that comes in the way. The tall rise buildings adorn the city. The mesh of flyovers make it easy to travel huge distances, skipping the traffic underneath. The chain of roads without trees feels empty but connects and aids rapid movements across vastness. You need them all but you need the balance too. Too much of everything is injurious. Getting up early, without having slept ...

 "Don't burn the bridges", he keeps saying.  "Yes, Mr. Hubby, I understand where this is coming from. But what about mental peace?", I argue. If I place 'me' before others, am I wrong?  A bridge connects people but if the people are not interested in connecting, then why keep the bridge? Forgiving someone doesn't mean giving access to them again. Nor does healing requires reconnection. Without trust, reconciliation is just a performance. Let them misunderstand. Not every accusation deserves your energy.  Sometimes peace is found in letting people have their opinions - Unknown.  I used to think, kindness was agreeing. Even when I wasn't keen, I would say yes, to not escalate the situation. My silence overtook my speech, and I carried their storms in my heart. Somewhere down the line, I started realising that to make others comfortable I was sacrificing my peace. Can't I guard my peace and still have a soft heart? Thus, it dawned upon me that ...

 "Are you sure this is the right way?" "My gut feeling says so". "Do you trust it?" "That's my inner voice, it won't be wrong". These are not question- answers with ChatGPT, it's me and my head— having a normal conversation.  Every now and then, I guess, we all keep having this conversation. We start our journey and halfway through, we cultivate doubts. "It's getting difficult. We shouldn't have begun. We could've done it some other way. May be we should stop. We cannot hold on". Mind starts playing the usual games. And the moment we get swayed by these doubts, the tempo is broken.  We had thought of all this before we started. We had a plan, we had a layout and thus we commenced. Then why is it that now we are skeptical?  Yes, there's more to figure out. Enroute, we do come across obstacles, it's a struggle. But our vision should be extended. Long term sustainability is the focus. If we could survive hal...

 I knew I would make it happen. But there was a time when I had doubts. Self-doubts can be injurious- not to your physical health purhaps, but to your mental well-being for sure. "Ahh! It's difficult. How will you manage? Your job, your kids, your joint family.....everything demands time. And there are only 24 hours in a day. Don't exert yourself. It'll take a toll on your health too. The day before, you couldn't sleep. Yesterday, you had acidity. A few days ago, it was an upset stomach. And for the past month, you've been struggling to meet deadlines....".  This voice sounds familiar because it is familiar. It is not the world speaking. It is your own mind- reminding you of your limits, your fears, your exhaustion. Whispering how weak you might be, how many obstacles lie ahead, and how fragile your body feels in those moments.  It builds walls with logic,  brick by brick,  until even your dreams start to feel distant. But beyond all this noise, there is a...

  Link to the previous part - Previous Part. ************************************************************ Vipul moved his fingers through his hair, as he got up, in the morning. His head was spinning. Curtains were drawn back and the room beamed with sun's bright rays. He gulped some water and freshened up. And rushed to Manavi's room. It was a daily ritual that he kissed her forehead before going to sleep. But, Vipul had missed doing it for the first time since he was drunk. He always avoided alcohol, even at business parties. However, yesterday, he had over-indulged in the heat of the moment.  He unlatched the room  hastily and halted, all of a sudden. Manavi was sleeping with her head on Manasi's lap. Manasi, leaning against the headrest of the bed, was fast asleep. Manavi had clutched Manasi's hand tightly.  "The bond sure never breaks", Vipul thought and shook his head to steer clear of those ideas . "But why is Manasi here?". And in a flash he...