Talking Captions
As promised, I am back in the New Year 2021 like the proverbial penny; good or bad depends upon you.
During the break, once in two or three days I had a look at the statistics of my blogs on Medium and it gave me great joy that the views and reads have increased across all the entries right from the first one. I suppose everyone needs time to read, think, assimilate and critique. And, the break was good
for me too. I think I have been walking around with a vague, faraway look in my eyes as thoughts, and words and structure go round and around in my head. Keeping all this in mind, I have decided to write just two blogs in a month.
A few days ago, I was exercising behind the sofa on which husband sat reading a newspaper. A caption ‘Inside out’ caught my eye — and it spoke to me. So I picked up the newspapers of two days and flipped through the pages, allowing captions to call out to me for attention. I got quite a number and a variety. It was also interesting to play with the captions and discover a possible thread running through them.
(The captions will appear in bold in the article)
I am sure all of us are looking for a great start to 2021 to experience a brighter New World. And so, we think of New Beginnings every New Year.
A priest friend sent me New Year blessings and Best wishes for my plans and dreams. I spent a bit of time on that wish — Do I have any plans? Do I have any dreams?
How can I even think about new beginnings and plans and dreams without journeying within? That first caption, ‘Inside Out’ waiting in the queue said it was its turn to be included in the story.
‘Inside Out’ reminds me of putting clothes out to dry in the sun — inside out. This is obviously done to increase the life span of the clothes and to keep the colours from fading, in order to retain the original texture and colours.
The new year was an ideal time to turn myself inside out to get to the real me and bring it out, giving an opportunity to examine the original. Years of wearing different kinds of masks may have buried the real me, letting the world see only the false / fake me. This could be for various reasons for e.g.,
fear.
Fear of fear itself
Fear of being judged and ridiculed
Fear of letting the outside world know my reality
Fear of the unknown and so on.
New beginnings can happen only if I can give myself the permission to take a journey within. To have the courage and confidence to allow the real me to stand up and be counted.
There will always be the side show or shows to divert attention from the goals, vision and mission. There are plenty of them to keep one distracted, moving from one side show to another as a form of escapism from the reality.
I remember this heart breaking case of a college student, brought to me by her parents for counselling. You name it and she had done it. Everything, from friends with benefits, smoking, alcohol, drugs, running away from home … …
On talking to her I realized that she was trying to fill a bottomless hole within her, with one side show after another. She craved love, especially from her father. She readily agreed to psychological therapy and family counselling. (School and college managements need to be vigilant, as she said there were many nooks and crannies on a campus to have sex.)
The journey within has commenced and will be a continuous process.
Get your game face on says the next caption. This could mean different things to different people. For e.g., “Come on, be a sport”. For me, it means that I should be game to take on challenges, planned or those that come my way.
The year gone by has been the year of the digital embrace and that has been my greatest challenge among others. I have stepped out of my comfort zone in this area, but evidently still have a long way to go.
Getting down to work and raising the bar will be my motto for the simple reason that I miss, really miss what I do best ……. as schools are closed. So digital embrace it will be.
In the kind of work I do, “May I help you?” is a question often used, even when not approached. Some accept the offer and some give you a polite ‘no’, probably wanting to tell you to mind your own business. However, let’s look at the flip side, what would happen if someone asked you the same question — May I help you?
What will be your response?
You know, at times we have to accept the need of someone to be generous –
With their time
With small gifts
With food they want to share
With sharing their talents
And the list could be long….
In accepting their generosity, I am also being generous.
Something to learn from children as they do this so effortlessly.
There are a few more captions that did not speak strongly enough to me like — Sing to stardom. That would have been fun, except that I can’t sing a single musical note.
Finally, I have decided that I am making everyday healthy, mind, body, heart and soul.
Well! The captions spoke.
What do you think? Are they doable, strong, “All year Resolutions”?
I believe they are.
