Lessons from the garden - 1

This year I've been out in the garden the moment spring peeked out through the snow after the long, weary cold. By the end of winter, its wonderful standing out in the crisp breezes. If you listened carefully, you could hear the earth stretching and stirring slowly, waking up after the long cold sleep. Then when the winds warm up, the new growth gives me goosebumps. Just dancing in the winds and growing. The plants, they don't advise, they don't demand They somehow create an atmosphere so calm that it forces me to speak to myself. And listen. And so here goes random thoughts from my observations and experiences in the garden.

Dandelions on Earth

In the short time that spring has been here, we've been fighting what seems to be a losing battle against the ubiquitous and ever so hardy dandelions. They have to picked one by one. They are very healthy too, I hear. My friend Vaishali has a yummy recipe here.
But I see the frenzy with which they grow and multiply. The golden flowers so pretty and loud in the backdrop of bright green.
They are kind of like us.
We humans. Pretty, free thinking, and useful. Yet its the very quality that make us prolific which makes us a weed. We multiply, overflowing from land and seas, sometimes choking out the rest of the growth around us.
We are...
...the dandelions of Earth.

Liebster

This morning, I got a message from Anjali that she's passed me the Liebster Award. I accept thankfully. I  do have less than 200 followers for my blog. I'll take any appreciation that I can get.


The Leibster Award is for those interesting blogs with less than 200 followers. The rules of the Liebster are threefold: 1) Answer questions from the award giver 2) Make your own list of questions and 3) Pass along the award to other deserving bloggers. Simple enough?
Here goes nothing, my answers to Anjali's questions:
1) Is your blog an integral part of your life?
Almost. It genuinely gives me a home for the random thoughts emerging from my head!
2) Do you regret having posted anything in your blog?
Not yet, but of course the beauty of having a blog is that you control it! (Yeaargh! Power!) But seriously, just remove it off it you dont like what you've put up.
Urp. Does this mean I dont live dangerously?
3) Do you get embarrassed reading your initial posts?
Probably. Maybe thats why I dont do it!
4) Crayons or paints? (because I felt like .. :P)
Paints, of course. Try going swish with a crayon.
5) Which is your favorite book character?
I thought a lot about the answer to this question. I guess I am schizophrenic! If you read my April blog posts, you'll know what I'm talking about. So many characters that I love as much as the next.
6) If you were a musical instrument, which one would you be? And why?
Ah, Anjali, no fair, that's two questions.
It would be the iktara, the ancient Indian musical with merely one string. Just one string, but one can create haunting melodies with it. That's the uncomplicated creativity I aspire for.
7) Your favorite day-dream?
Am sitting at a desk, and writing. And writing.
And writing.
And my stories, my books all surrounding me.
And the critics...
8) Which is that one song that has been stuck in your head of late?
Lord help me, it's Aloutte gentille alouette. And it refuses to get unstuck.
9) A stupid movie you watched recently?
Twilight.
Double ug.
10) Which one of these inspire you to write - beaches or mountains? Why?
Mountains. I love the sea more, but it speaks to me incessantly.
11) Name a song that would have suited the most poignant moment of your life so far.
Not a song but a poem:
Robert Frost's Road not taken. Especially the last lines in the poem.

Here's my list of exceptional blogs:
Shelly Wright
Spectrum Voice
My Llama and me
The girl with the long tresses
Etchings from my soul and spirit
Oh, the humanity of it all
Science fiction mommy
My eleven:

1. If you were to meet your favorite author what would you ask her/him?
2. What's your favorite beverage?
3. What is the next book or movie on your list?
4. What's the one thing about yourself that you would change? 
5. What's your superpower?
6. What's the one thing that bothers you about the world?
7. Think about your favorite movie. Whats the one thing you'd change about it?
8. How do you feel about spiders?
9. What's the one place on earth that you'd love to travel to?
10. What book/character by your favorite author did you hate?
11. What one new language would you like to learn and why?

Don't forget the rules - Pass on this award to at least 5 of your favorite bloggers (with less than 200 followers) along with your own eleven questions!

Again, thanks Anjali by the way, your blog Akoustik really rocks!

On motivation...

I have often wondered what external stimulus has to do with writing. Last week was mostly spent in a lull and total block and moping around. Every word that came out of my head took immense time and effort. It was a total verbal constipation.
Then I got a letter in my mail. My story had been accepted for publication in Talking Stick vol 22.
I was on top of the world! After that words seemed to flow out of my fingertips.
I was amazed.

http://www.thetalkingstick.com

I didn't think blocks get unplugged by a letter.
But they did.
I'm still smiling.

Talking Stick Vol 22 will be published in September this year.
Here's a link to Vol 21.