Modern Times

Struggles are real.
Even the ones who seem to have it all, the smart kids, the popular ones. Everyone goes through their own personal wars.
Peer pressure is a killer.
Performance issues to be tackled.
Wanting to belong, cliques are all important for a teenager.
A mid teen crisis.

Love in the times of internet,
this affects the young and old alike.
Internet romance is the way to go today.
Maintaining anonymity, falling in love over words.
Is that real?

A young boy who knows what he wants and who he wants. A rare breed.

The book has everything a young adult wants, love, romance, friendship, family support, laughter, failure, tears, drama.
The prose and flow makes you want to laugh and smile.

Love the emails that are exchanged and how slowly they fall in love.
Flirtatious, cute!
How many of us can actually relate to this today! young and old alike!!

We all want to be him, her, them!

So many mails exchanged, about young love, the fear, support, dreams, insecurity.
It can apply to any one today.
No wonder it resonates so well with the youngsters.

Read it to experience the innocence of youth, the rush of passion and young love.
It's adorable!!

Come, fall in love.

“He talked about the ocean between people. And how the whole point of everything is to find a shore worth swimming to.”

― Becky Albertalli, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

The Number Game

It is the season of 'marks and school and college admissions'. 

Common questions: 

What did your son/daughter score?

What are they going to do next?

Answers have been constant :

90% and more! 

Every student has been an outstanding performer.

How is this possible? are they all so good and so perfect that they scored perfect numbers even in theoretical papers?

Were their essays and grammar flawless?

This puts pressure on children who sit for their exams the following year.

Score high, score more, A scored so much, B studied so hard she got so much.

The pressure on average students to get 90% is now high.

The expectations on above average students to get 95% and more is now seen in the parent's eye.

College admissions have become more stringent, with top colleges demanding a 95% average for an admit. 

What is a child supposed to do? 

Reservations

"Cowards die many times before their deaths.

The valiant never taste of death but once."

Were they brave, were they cowards?

The past month, media spoke about the deaths of two celebrities.

Cause of death: Depression.

Today, Depression is the silent killer. 

It makes no reservations, no announcements. 

It does not discriminate.

It makes a corpse of moving beings, it kills passion, feelings, emotions, leading to apathy. 

''Yes, I will show up at work, I will smile and talk to you, I will complete all my tasks and go home at the end of the day. 

But would anyone understand the effort and energy it took from me to maintain that false sense of normalcy, when all I wanted was to stay locked up in my room on my bed, staring into nothingness and emptying my mind. ''

In a connected world we live in, where help is considered just a phone call away, why do we hesitate to seek that help?

Is the fear of stigma attached to the word worse than overcoming and living a peaceful life? 

Or, are our relationships so flimsy and based on social obligations, not on kindness and understanding?

Why don't so called friends, wonder why their once bubbly and chatty friend suddenly not want to talk to anyone? 

Why do we cut ourselves off considering them " drama queens" if they come to us with their issues? 

Are we doing enough for each other or are we content flaunting our seemingly happy lives for the social world. 

A 'hello' can make a difference to someone.

It could be the one word between living and dying! 

Pause, think of that friend, reach out! Call. Now....

Sounds of Silence

It's been a while since I put my thoughts into words.

There were too many days of anxiety, anger, fear which could not get translated. 

The questions never came because I was scared to know the answer.

Acceptance helped.

Doctors forced questions, some comfort, more tests.

Till, the answers we were looking for came. 

Were the answers sufficient to stop the questions?

Was prayer the answer? 

This was something we had to work on together as a family.

When the cause is unknown, we wonder if everything was the problem. 

So there are multiple solutions to address every perceivable problem!!

Today, there is a calm.

There are changes we have made within and external.

Confidence to step out, 

to eat what the tongue craves and heart desires. 

When she decides to read more on what can be done to prevent any further episodes. 

Knowing she is in charge of her life. 

Yes, anxiety still troubles me, I hit the panic button and yell on days.

I do spend nights watching... when a slight movement or noise wakes me up.

When the day was spent watching too much TV or eating something worrisome.

Or staying up too late at night.

This is not lack of faith, it is a mother's natural tendency to worry.

Today, after 6 months, she says" I am going for a sleep-over to my friend's house" 

This makes me happy even though I still question the need for it.

Knowing she has the confidence to let go of my hand.

Knowing she is prepared to face anything that may come her way.

"Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Mathew 17:20