Ignatius Raphael - cosmic traveller

Day #100:  Our Creator (100 days gratitude challenge) Today is the last of the 100-day gratitude challenge and it is dedicated to my Creator, the creator of all that we see, hold, enjoy and experience. He is the reason that I am here, you are here and we are having this conversation (or monologue). He is the reason behind everything in my world and yours. The minute I say that then a few bright minds ask, “Is he behind the murders, the crime, the poverty and the ills that ails our world?” Why would a God do that?  Answer: The beauty of our creation is, he made us in his spitting image and gave us free will to do as we please. So we wield as much power as He has but since we are a prisoner of our collective consciousness we are unable to see our pure potential and live bounded by the mediocrity and weaknesses of our flesh. I am grateful to our Creator for making us the way he did and giving us the power to become Him. I am discovering more and more in myself and ...

Day #97:     Sharing (100 day gratitude challenge) There are people in this world who genuinely want the best for you and willing to share what they know and their time to grow others. I can name many and I’m sure you would have your own list too. But today I would like to thank one person who shared this post on facebook so thousands of people who read it and implement it can benefit from the nuggets of wisdom. She’s someone I met a few years back and has always come across as someone who has the best of intentions towards people she meets. She is Puja Kapoor Gupta. I’m glad to share her post here so you can benefit too from this simple but powerful technique. The three easy steps to the best way to set goals for next year:  Are you ready? Clarity is key  🔑 Quickly do 3 rounds of walking in whichever room it is that you are sitting in Go get a paper and a pad Get into your most Happy energetic self Get your heart pumping ...

Day #96:     Rituals (100 day gratitude challenge) The rituals associated with the passing away of a family member are elaborate in most customs. The Indian Hindu customs are very elaborate and spread over a longer period than for us Indian Catholics for whom it is just 3 days of mourning and then life gets back to normal. There are a funeral service and a third-day memorial mass. The family stays together during this time. There are lots of discussions on what happened, how it happened, old memories, recent memories and a lot more so it takes the mind off the subject for the grieving members of the family. They get time to grieve heal and adjust to the new reality of a life without this person who was an integral part for so long. My sister and her sons were dealing with all of this that the shock of learning of the passing of the man of the house was cushioned and they could slowly wrap their head around the fact that he was no more amongst them. Rit...

Day #95:     Passing away of a loved one (100 Day gratitude challenge) This month on 26 th December my sister lost her husband (just 57 yrs old) and their sons lost a father, I lost a brother-in-law and we all lost a family member who has been with us for close to 30 years. It was sudden – a heart attack and a flesh-and-bone person who was amongst us celebrating Christmas the previous day was no more in this world and has moved on during his sleep. This man was one amongst us in our Christmas get-together the previous day, talking, laughing, eating, and participating in the family discussions. The next morning he was gone. The connection to life is so tenuous that we never know when our time will come or the time of a loved one will show up. We take for granted that we will be around for a long time and people we love and care about will still be with us and we can make our mistakes now and later we can correct them. But sometimes the later is not there. And t...

Day #94:     Christmas (100 Day Gratitude Challenge) You may be wondering why I’m writing about Christmas a full 5 days after it has passed. You will discover that in the next post of mine (Day #95). This Christmas was a lovely one spent with family – from Christmas eve to Lunch the next day, we have had fun – Church, food, chatting and more. The lights, the decorations, music and general festivities evoke memories of younger days when Christmas was a really important event annually in our life. It draws memories of a time when relationships were built on face-to-face interactions, handshakes, hugs and cozy togetherness rather than emoticons and hurried messages passed through electronic devices. I’m grateful for Christmas day. Though it’s symbolic of the birth of Christ, there are so many stories and legends around this day that it’s rich with stories and traditions that fire up the imaginations in our mind. It is also the season where one can give thanks, t...

Day #93:     Sapiens (100 Day Gratitude Challenge) Yuval Noah Harari’s book, “Sapiens – A brief history of mankind”, is a rare book that gives a glimpse of how we have evolved to what we are today. Our worldview and how we approach it will change radically when you read it – at least it has for me. I’ve always had the weight of our history on my mind and am curious on where we are headed to from here.  This book has shed a lot of light on the subject and I’m looking forward to completing it and taking on its sequel “Homme Deus” This book takes me on a journey to the beginning of time and when and how humans have developed to what we are today. Many of our assumptions are questioned. It dispels many of our ignorance on who we are, and how we have developed to what we are today. It starts with “100,000 years ago, at least six human species inhabited the earth. Today there is just one.” I’m grateful to this author and the book for throwing light on s...

Day #92: Love (100 days of gratitude) I love, love. It is the most powerful emotion that I can have. It helps me move mountains, overcome obstacles and move towards my destiny. It helps me connect with people and create relationships that last over many lifetimes. It helps me overcome gravity and fly. It helps me be who I am and become who I can be. Love is the most endearing thing in my life. I’ve been in love all my life. When I was a kid, I loved the Church, Mass, the readings, the retreats and the thought of working for God for the rest of my life. When I became an adult, I loved college, meeting girls, falling in love, adventure and more. When I started working I loved my work – the creativity, the discussions with clients, the ideation and ultimate production of the concept. I love creating something out of nothing. So I love start-ups, learning something new, meeting new people, new discussions, new ideas, new books, new songs, new businesses and more. I’m grateful...

Day #91: Plum Cakes (100 days of gratitude) Plum cakes are so synonomous with Christmas and celebrations. And when the plum cakes are soaked in wine for weeks and baked, it is so yummy that we can keep on belting it till the last crumb. This season too we have had our tryst with some yummy plum cake. One such was given to us by my sister who had got it from a baker in Perambur. This was the best for this season. I’m taken back to the time when cake making was ritual in our home every Christmas where my mom and her little helpers gathered around to prepare the Christmas delicacies. We took turns whipping the batter, tasting it when it spilled over on us, separating the egg whites, preparing the mix and finally watching the cake brown inside the oven. The special cakes where the ones where dry fruits were added. They were not just dry fruits but dry fruits soaked in wine or brandy for a few weeks. The aroma was heady and the fumes could give a high. There were so many family...

Day #87: Jim Reeves (100 Day Gratitude Challenge) Have you listened to Jim Reeves? If never, look him up on youtube and put on your headphones and listen to his evergreen numbers. If you have heard him long, long ago, you could also do the same. It’s been a long time for me and this week I’ve been listening to some Christmas songs and I stumbled upon his songs again. It brought back lots of long lost memories. It reminded me of a time when a song could be enjoyed with just a voice and a guitar. We didn’t need technology and synthesisers to create hits. The lyrics, the voice and a string instrument and an occasional percussion is enough to mesmerise you and take you into fantasy land. As I’m writing here, I’m listening to his “Twelve songs of Christmas” and being transported on a magical journey across yuletide land. His voice is what one can die for. It makes my heart pop out and go pitter-patter over his words. I wish i could be born again with his voice. God must have...

Day #86: (100 day gratitude challenge) Happy birthday to me... happy birthday to mee.... happy birthday to mee.... mee... happy birthday to meeee.... Weird, right? That’s how some people celebrate their birthdays, alone, no one to share with... no one to wish them. There are billions of people in this world but many individuals are alienated and feel all alone. Sometimes it is driven by the desire for privacy. Sometimes it is because they really don’t have so many friends that they feel that their life is full. But it need not be so..... Yesterday was my birthday. I see myself as a private person, But still, over the years, I seem to have built a large base of friends, relatives, colleagues, neighbours, clients, vendors, acquaintances, FB friends, etc. I was literally flooded with messages on FB, FB Messenger, Linkedin, Google messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS and calls with some people using 2 or 3 mediums to reach out.  I remember my birthdays in the 20s when I ...

Day #84: (100 day gratitude challenge) It is nearing the end of the year 2017. This is a time when we look back at our year and see the hits and the misses that we have had. This part of the year can be fantastic for some as they look at the huge progress and successes that they have scored. For some people, it could have been a really bad year and they are able to see only the losses and failures that they experienced that year. For some others, it could be bittersweet where there have been some successes but there have also been some losses that hurt. But invariably it is made up of gains and losses, successes and failures, love and rejection, and hurt and happiness. Depending on what we remember, the emotions associated with it well up and we look at our year through those glasses. But whatever we experienced is in the past. If it powers us to perform better it is fine to remember them. But if it hurts or pulls us down it is time to let go of them and move on to more empow...

Day #81: My reading glasses (100 Day gratitude challenge) A few years back I was struggling to read visiting cards. I was wondering why people are printing such small size fonts nowadays. Terms and Conditions, Credit card, restaurant bills and even some books were becoming difficult to read and I was convinced that people are not designing well or printing well. Then I realised that not everyone was struggling to read this information. It was only then it struck me that the problem may be with my eyes. When I asked my friends they laughed at me and said that I must grow up and realise that I was over 50. Their argument was that most people over 40 require reading glasses and that that I should not be surprised with the deterioration in my eye sight. So that is how I visited an optician and did an eye test to find out what was wrong. My friends were right and my vision was not what it used to be. So I got my glasses which I was supposed to wear while reading and while driv...

Day #77: Hugs 100 Day Gratitude challenge When was the last time you were hugged by a friend? If you are living in Chennai and you are a Southie it will be a long long time back. Punjabis and several north Indian communities have a habit of hugging their friends when they meet them.  In my community during a festive carnival day there was this group of people giving away free hugs. Most people including me tip toed around them so they wouldn’t find us and hug us. I did it because I had come without having had a bath. So didn’t want to get hugged like that. But I think even if I had had a bath I may still have done the same. We’re shy to be hugged. But when it happens it feels really good. We feel warm and fuzzy and the world seems just right. Hugging is easy and highly theraupeutic. I hear it has healing properties too. Humans are social animals and we need to feel loved and cared for. A hug does that for us. Hugging therapy is definitely a powerful way of healing. Re...

Day #76:               Generosity 100 Day Gratitude Challenge In my office building, we have a cafeteria where there are different food outlets. I normally buy lunch from one of these outlets. It is managed by 4 ladies who run it like it’s their mission to feed all those hungry souls who stop by for a meal there. They serve meals, dosas, pooris and aloo parathas for lunch and some assorted snacks like medu vadai and masala vadais. When we ask for masala with dosa, they generously serve that too even though it is not part of their package. And do you know how much we pay for the plate of dosas? Rs 20/- for 2 dosas. And they serve chutney, sambar and when we ask even masala. Two of us can have a meal for Rs 40 or Rs 100 depending on what we eat. I would call these people extremely generous. They are giving more value than they are receiving. They are happy and pass on their smiles to every customer. They c...

Day #75: Teachers 100 Day Gratitude Challenge You will not be reading this and I will not be writing this if not for the teachers in my life. They have made me who I am. They have shaped and moulded me to what I have turned out to be. The good in me is because of them. The weaknesses or failures in me are in spite of their efforts to make me what I could be. I have had many teachers in my life who have impacted me. And I discover new teachers every once in a while who shift my beliefs or impart some knowledge that I did not possess before I met them. When we speak of teachers we only think of our school teachers, college teachers or tuition teachers. These are all formal teachers. But we also have many informal teachers who can be all around us. It’s an interesting and rich life that keeps changing and metamorphing every once in a while and these teachers show us sign posts that help us lead our life well. We can learn from anyone and everyone in our life. It could be a...

Day 74: Smile 100 Day Gratitude Challenge Today I was going with my friend to the city. At the toll he handed out a biscuit packet to the toll collector after swiping his toll card.  The toll collector first wondered  what was being handed to him and then when he realised what it was, his face broke into a big smile. It absolutely lit up his face and all of us in the car smiled in return.  It struck me then that a smile will almost always elicit a return smile. It’s the simplest and easiest thing to give anyone and you will get it back in return multifold. It improves the mood of the giver and the receiver. I’m grateful for the smile. It is the simplest and warmest gift we can gift anyone. It is easy to do and there is no limit to how much we can give. Benefits of Smiling ·         Smiling is contagious Even in bad situations, if you smile, others are likely to mimic the expression. ·         Smiling lowers stress ...

Day #73: Flexibility (100 days Gratitude Challenge) Have you experienced dealing with old people? Many of them are unable to tolerate any change from routine and can be quite inflexible. They can make life very miserable for everyone in the household. Have you noticed whether their body is also as inflexible as their approach? More often than not it would be. I know an old lady who just turned 90 who is adored by everyone in her household. She does not bother anyone at all. She is active. Does as much work at home as possible so she can be and feel useful. She sits on the floor, cuts vegetables, cooks, cleans, and ensures that everyone is well taken care of. She is flexible to people and their schedules and does not throw tantrums or attitudes. And her body is flexible. We have people who have just crossed 50 or 60 and their body is stiff and their attitude is stiffer. I believe there is a connection there somewhere. If you find yourself being intolerant and inflexible just che...

Day #71: Random Acts of Kindness  (100 day gratitude challenge) Have you noticed how some people radiate warmth and happiness? What makes them like that? Would you like to be like that? If you notice closely you will notice that they feel positively towards most people they meet. They believe that they can make the world a better place. And they do this through kind actions some of which are preplanned and some of which are random acts. They notice where they can help and they do it. Let me share a few examples of what they do. 1. While passing a toll gate, along with the toll hand out a biscuit packet or some chocolates. The toll keepers have long hours and they get tired over a period of time with the monotony of their job. This small act can make their day. 2. Feed a stranded animal on the road. The act of looking for them and alleviating their hunger can make you feel warm and radiant. 3. Hand out usable clothes or bedsheets or food to homeless people you ...

Day #70: People with a heart (100 Days Gratitude Challenge) Outside my housing complex there is a stray dog, a pup that must be around 4 months old now. It’s been around for over 2 months and is really scrawny, clingy and a pest, because he runs under the vehicle’s wheels when it stops at the gate and we have to look out for him all the time. He runs after anyone who is crossing the road and startles even those who  cannot stand dogs. When I walk Alfie he comes close and wants to smell us and I try and avoid him because I’m not sure whether Alfie will contract anything from him. I’ve never thought of feeding him or encouraging him in any manner since I just wanted him gone since there were enough stray dogs around as it is. In my pet owners group there was a person who put a post a few days back saying that she has adopted this fellow and is feeding him daily and is planning to get him his vaccination. There are a few others, who feed him and pet him and generally shower love...

Yesterday I went to a coffee shop called The Brew Room @ Savera hotel. I used to be a regular here till around 6 months ago. But since I moved office away from this area I have not been able to visit this place in a long time. The Brew Room is so soothing and welcoming that in the hurry burry of a normal work day this place is a cool oasis where you can put your feet up and let your hair down while refreshing yourself with a cool drink and some yummy dishes. I'm grateful for the Brew Room. It's a place i love to visit and spend some quality time with myself or friends or for a business discussion. It's centrally located so easy to fix this place as the meeting room and for people to find it. The menu is varied and offers something for everyone... More conti... Though. The thin crust pizza is to die for. A few other similar places are amethyst and the writers cafe. These places are what makes Chennai interesting and liveable.