On learning new things and embracing the journey

On learning new things

Reya had her first ice skating lesson last week. It’s something I’ve been meaning to enroll her in for a while now. We’ve been skating together a few times, and she always looked so happy doing it, so I knew she would be delighted.

I also knew that being new at something is hard, so we discussed a few key concepts in the days before the class.

💫 We can be really bad at something the first time we try it.

💫 It’s okay to be bad at things.

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Words that matter; conversations with children

Reya stepped on Gautham’s head while he was laying down and an argument ensued. Gautham tried to talk to her but she was too upset. He left the room and Reya was crying. I went over to her and we talked. Here are some parts of that conversation.

Reya: *Crying* Daddy is angry at me and he was so rude to me!
Me: I saw that. How did it make you feel?
Reya: It made me sooo sad 😭
Me: Why do you think daddy acted that way?
Reya: I don’t wanna talk about that part. (*lol I love her honesty)
Me: I think we need to talk about all the parts but we can do after some time has passed.

Minutes later, when she was ready to talk about that part;

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Honest reflections on my first 3 months of Intern Year

I initially planned to write this blog post after my first week. It’s been 3 months now, and I am1 day away from my c-section and the birth of our little boy! I wanted to put this out there before I have a new story to tell 🙂

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My IMG Internal Medicine Match Story!

I finally sit down to tell you a story that has been central to my life for the last 6 years. I’ve been wanting to share this with you since March, but morning sickness had other plans for me.

In March, I found out that I matched into an Internal Medicine residency program in Baltimore, Maryland. It was been a surreal, glorious and almost overwhelming day and I took a good long nap to find some kind of balance in it.

Baltimore, MD

What this means for those unfamiliar with the process, is that I have been accepted into a 3 year internal medicine training program that begins THIS MONTH! This is something I have been working towards since I graduated medical school 5 years ago. It is something that I, for some unknown reason, never felt worthy of. It’s something that has taken countless detours to get too – detours that forced me to find peace with the unique timing and purpose of my life. It is something that was once a hope, once a dream, once a wish, and now is finally real. Match day to me, represented the culmination of years of persistence and overcoming of so many limitations I had placed around myself.

My mind excitedly jumps to the next steps in joyful anticipation for what is to come. But I gently pull myself back to this moment. To remind myself that life is now. Here is now. And it is worthwhile to sit in the great aligned effort and energy that brought me to this moment.

The dream that I pursued.

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Little things that make a big difference

Hello! I’m back, after a 2 month hiatus. I have lots of interesting articles lined up to share over the next few weeks. Today I wanted to start with an intentional living topic. I have a page in Notion called “This works” where I collect a list of small changes and ideas that have had a big impact in my daily life. I thought I’d share them with you today!

✨ Spend 10 minutes a day doing a digital declutter for 30 days. Then keep up as required.

✨ Approach your job like it’s your hobby, and your hobby like it’s your job.

✨ Make one low-waste swap every month.

✨ Listen to/watch videos on 2x speed (when the purpose is to extract information.)

✨ Embrace the reverse sleep-in (especially for parents) and go to bed really early.

✨ 10 minutes HIIT on the treadmill (1 minute sprinting, 1 minute walking)

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From woman to a force

My husband does this hilarious impression of me. He pretends we’re in the middle of a really tough work-out, and in the middle of the struggle, he, as me, pauses and says “I am not a woman. I am not a human being, I am a FORCE of LIFE. The power of the universe runs through my veins. Come on let’s do the next set!”

It cracks me up.

I don’t actually do this (okay maybe I have once) but it is a subject that I’ve talked about with him a few times.

I noticed there are certain moments when I feel as though I break through the some of the very normal constraints of being a human being in this physical body, and somehow access a different dimension of myself.

I think of my self containing a physical body, an emotional body and an energetic body. Most of the time I dwell in my physical and emotional body. On the rare occasion, I activate my energetic body – and when this happens – this is what I describe as the feeling of transcending from a person to a force of life.

Time spent in this state are powerful periods of creation. Things just happen, everything flows, and concepts are brought to life.

There are three activities that I have identified that makes me feel this way;

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5 December rituals to welcome the New Year

Wowowowow. Hold up. It’s not even Christmas yet, not even Thanksgiving, and I’m already talking about New Years Eve

Well, if you’ve been here a while you must know by now that New Years is my absolute favourite! And my preparations for it begin in late November, so yes, we do have to talk about it now.

Here are some of my annual rituals that create that New Year magic!

Declutter & donate

From the beginning of December, I begin my annual declutter. Creating physical space in my home brings a sense of lightness that I crave in the new year.

What can I let go of this year? How can I live a little lighter? In the past I have done this room by room, but this year I will try working through Marie Kondo’s categories of clothes, books, paper, komono, & sentimental.

I also pay particular attention to my digital clutter. For me, digital clutter is more overwhelming than physical clutter! My Evernote overflows with notes upon notes of my thoughts and musings. However, I have learned that even spending a quick 10-15 minutes a day organizing my laptop, documents, photos, and Evernote, makes a big difference!

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3 questions I ask myself when parenting my daughter

This parenting experience I am having is truly fascinating. I’ve spend the last almost 3 years building this brand new relationship with a brand new human being, and yet, I’m the one who feels brand new.

My daughter invites me to examine life more closely. To experience simple things with more depth and intention. To see so much of myself mirrored in another person. Everything has become a giant question mark, and life is more exciting this way.

Reya is almost 3. And there is a lot going on at almost 3. I’m just trying to keep up.

My very best parenting lessons come when I pay attention.

One day, I was paying attention, and I noticed that whenever Reya does something that I do not like or approve of, my go-to phrase is “That isn’t very nice, Reya.” or something of that variety.

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Simple solutions for inner aches

If you’re caught in an awful procrastination cycle

  • Take a life admin day – a whole day devoted to running those pesky errands.

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Inviting Akashik magic to my life

A few weeks ago I came across an Isha Hata Yoga instagram post, which shared a quote from Sadhguru about akashic energy.

“To nourish the human being into a greater possibility, it is very important how the water, the air, the earth, the fire and the fifth dimension, which is the largest one, the space or akash, behave. Today, modern science is recognizing there is something called as akashik intelligence; that is, empty space has a certain intelligence. Whether this intelligence works for you or against you will determine the nature of your life, whether you are a blessed being or one who is going to be knocked around for the rest of your life.

If you know how to get the cooperation of the akash into your life, this will be a blessed life. An intelligence that you have never thought possible will become yours, because an intelligence which is beyond your understanding and grasp is right now functioning right here within you, isn’t it? It is that intelligence which is holding the whole cosmos together; it is that intelligence which is the womb for creation. It is in the womb of that intelligence that all creation is happening, and it is not denied to you. Access is not blocked, it is just that you have never looked that way.

So to get the cooperation of the akash, there is one simple process you could do. After sunrise, before the sun crosses the 30-degree angle from the horizon, look up at the sky once and bow down to it for holding you in place today. After the sun crosses 30 degrees, sometime during the day, any time, look up and bow down again. After the sun sets, once again look up and bow down; not to some god up there, just to the empty space for holding you in place for today. If you just do this, life will change dramatically. If you consciously do this three times a day, if you get cooperation from akash, life will happen in magical ways.”

I decided that I would do this every day. Though I was earnest in my intentions, the practice initially felt somewhat mechanical. I would stand by the window or on our balcony, look up at the sky and express gratitude. After a week or so, my daughter decided to join me. It was very sweet. On one particular day, I was standing at my window in meditation, while she played in the living room. But, when I opened my eyes, she was beside me, facing the window with her eyes squeezed shut and palms together. It made me smile.

This went on for a couple of weeks.

A daily existential crisis

And then, Reya started to take a special interest in the planets, solar system and space. We’ve been watching videos, having conversations, and reading about it. At night she likes to fall asleep to the sound of me reading a wikipedia article about a space related topic (haha). What began as me simply delighting her curiosity, ended up with me tumbling into it too. I would continue to read after she fell asleep, and noticed a gradual inner restlessness build within me. I joked that I was having a daily existential crisis after she slept, but truthfully, it really shook me up. I read about the beginning of the universe, the birth and death of stars, and other monumental cosmic events. I look at the dark and glittering photos of space on reddit, and sometimes it sends shivers through my body.

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