Yesterday afternoon I visited the local Crosswords book shop and spent time browsing through some amazing books. I was so enjoying my Sunday me time that I hardly realized how the day had turned to late evening as I stepped out. Walking down an aisle of steps my eyes fell on a very poignant sight. There was this little boy with a little basket, sitting by a busy street selling the very colorful & delicious Java/blackplum called Jamun in India.
He looked no older than 6 or 7 years. But there he was confidently telling me a price. I went near him, to pick up some myself, but realized his entire basket was really ripe and ready. I watched how he had a little steel glass by which he measured and gave me the quantity I asked for.
I watched his tiny hands at work and I thought to myself this little boy should be holding a book to read or write and here was this child ,selling fruits.
I struck a little conversation asking him if he goes to school, he said the last few years there has been no school, although he likes to study but now he is helping him family this way and this is fun too! There was something in the way he said it, that my heart warmed up to him.
Yes he is right, the school of life has a lesson for each of us at every turn. If we choose to see it so.
Although fate has ordained his life to be so in this now, I blessed him silently from my heart for a better life in time. I salute the little boy’s budding entrepreneurial spirit.
Practice is to engage and rehearse repeatedly in order to perfect a skill to mastery , but not all who practice acheive the level of an expert even with structured and deliberate practice standards in place . So we can safely say practice makes one better gradually.
A consistent practice of any talent or skill will begin to show results for sure. It could be tangible jump or it could be a little step according to the amount to time, focus and energy given to practice. In time the results could be exponential in its rewards as well.
Practice can be truly rewarding and a great source of confidence.But practice needs not only consistency but also determination in perseverance.
A few tips to improve and implement a practice routine..
Be ready to self reflect so as understand why you are motivated to continue practicing.
Be willing to develop the learners mindset and maintain it.
Be mindful of your behavioral changes as you improve and work on it positively to sustain you.
Be engaged proactively to adjust your practice levels as per requirement.
Be focused to set short and long term goals and work on achieving them.
Most of all…
Continuity of practice is important after achieving a set goal…
Everyday make sure to walk and laugh , sing and dance and see the beauty in every beat of a living heart and that’s a step to tuning yourself to loving this world a little more.
All is in the acknowledgement in hope and positivity.
A man, who regularly attended family & group meetings suddenly, without any notice, stopped participating. After a few weeks, one very cold night the leader of that group decided to visit him.
He found the man at home, alone, sitting in front of a fireplace where a bright fire burned.
The man welcomed the leader. There was great calm & silence.
The two men only watched the dancing flames around the logs that crackled in the fireplace.
After a few minutes the leader, without saying a word, examined the logs that formed the fire and selected one of them, glowing most brightly of all, and removed it to the side with a pair of tongs. Then he sat down again.
The host was paying attention to everything, fascinated. Before long, the lone log’s flame subsided, until there was only a momentary glow and the fire soon went out. In a short time what was previously bright light and heat had become nothing more than a black dead piece of wood. Very few words had been spoken since the greeting.
Before preparing to leave, the leader picked up the useless piece of wood with the tongs and placed it again in the middle of the fire. Immediately, the piece of wood was rekindled, fuelled by the light and heat of the burning logs around it.
When the leader was about to leave & had reached the door, the host said: ‘Thank you for your visit and for your beautiful lesson. I’ll return to the group soon.’
Why is a group important in our lives ?
Very simple: Because each member that withdraws takes fire and heat from the rest.
It’s worth reminding group members that they are a part of the flame.
It’s also good to remind us that we are all responsible for keeping each other’s flame burning. And we must promote the union among us so that the fire is really strong, effective and lasting. Keep the fire burning.
THEGROUPISALSOAFAMILY It doesn’t matter if sometimes we are bothered by so many messages, quarrels and misunderstandings.
What matters is to be connected. We are here to meet, message, learn, exchange ideas or simply to know that we are not alone
Intelligence Quotient (IQ): this is the measure of your level of comprehension. You need IQ to solve maths, memorize things, and recall lessons.
Emotional Quotient (EQ): this is the measure of your ability to maintain peace with others, keep to time, be responsible, be honest, respect boundaries, be humble, genuine and considerate.
Social Quotient (SQ): this is the measure of your ability to build a network of friends and maintain it over a long period of time.
People that have higher EQ and SQ tend to go further in life than those with a high IQ but low EQ and SQ. Most schools capitalize on improving IQ levels while EQ and SQ are played down.
A man of high IQ can end up being employed by a man of high EQ and SQ even though he has an average IQ.
Your EQ represents your Character, while your SQ represents your Charisma. Give in to habits that will improve these three Qs, especially your EQ and SQ.
Now there is a 4th one, a new paradigm:
The Adversity Quotient (AQ): The measure of your ability to go through a rough patch in life, and come out of it without losing your mind.
When faced with troubles, AQ determines who will give up, who will abandon their family, and who will consider suicide.
Parents please expose your children to other areas of life than just Academics. They should adore manual labour (never use work as a form of punishment), Sports and Arts.
Develop their IQ, as well as their EQ, SQ and AQ. They should become multifaceted human beings able to do things independently of their parents.
Finally, do not prepare the road for your children. Prepare your children for the road.”
My friend Ali Anani from Jordan proposed an interesting question last evening.
“As a poet dear Savvy I just wonder how much do you trust planning?”
Here are my musings…
Poets and Planning
A poet has a lot of structuring to do… The poet steps out of the box Knowing only too well that thoughts needs to align in time. Without trust in the divine plan there is no way the poet can create. And without a plan that visualizes the bigger picture as much as the little details, the verse will not make sense. So poets and planning have much to do in trustfulness.
Now speaking personally, Spontaneity seems to surge In the throes of a thought wave. Yet much is happens in following the flow. Synergies are sensed In the amalgamation and associations. Of thoughts into verses.
As words then fill the void spaces Making meaning out of matter. Spontaneity too then is preordained in the divine plan And poets are simply messengers Enriching thoughts in a meter of sorts. To make the ordinary words come alive!
When we realise the Eternity of time in the Circle of Life we will be able to see beyond the illusory perceptions… And most of all accept and respect the significance of every being in the cosmos as they are…
Each of us here is divinely orchestrated towards the purpose of our being, strengthened by the Circle of Interconnects that run deeper than we can fathom …. we may not need all the answers that we seek but they are always there with us for us to understand.
If we must seek… Let us Seek Connectedness,
If we must awaken… Let us Awaken the Spirit of Being
If we must move, Let us Move with Empathy in Action
If we must choose Let us Choose the Simplicity of Authenticity
If we must rest… Let us Rest with Contentment
If we must pursue… Let us Pursue Thankfulness in Gratitude
If we must strive…Let us Strive for Patience and Tolerance
If we must fight… Let us Fight Apathy and Ignorance
If we must reach …Let us Reach out with Kindness
If we must become …Let us Become a Better version of Us!
Life reflects itself through the things you do, the people you meet as well as in your passions and perseverances, in so many intriguing yet enthralling ways.
One such beautiful reflection I experienced in my travels earlier in France.
A sense of deja vu, a throwback to the fond memories of teaching dances to people in the different places, all thanks to the Dance & the magic of movements.
While visiting France I met my colleague from the world of dance, Celine Maheo who resides in Rennes Celine is a practicing clinical psychologist and an Argentine tango dancer. What’s beautiful is that she is a dedicated professional who uses the dance therapy for helping Parkinson’s patients with their movements through Tango dance sessions.
My interest was piqued, as earlier I had been conducting very similar dance sessions as well, especially remembered our Seniors Dance for Wellness workshops back in India.
So over a beautiful meet and greet sipping cups of hot herbal tea at the Les Grands Gamin at the heart of Rennes, ensued a free flowing conversation where we exchanged notes on each others life. Our passion for dancing was the visible to see as we hardly knew how moments passed by.
To dance is to sense connections beyond the dancing bodies.
To dance is to honour life and its unique expressions in the movements.
Savvy Raj
And when Celine invited me to her next Tango Therapy Workshop, it was an offer I could not refuse. I was actually keen to understand whether and how the cultural differences change the way of conducting and experiencing workshops here.
Dancing can improve the mobility and balance in senior adults. Adapting the dance to suit the requirements of the group, like simplifying the steps, the placement of the feet, improves their coordination, mobility and balance.
The dance session was deeply engrossing & truly inspiring to witness and participate as well. The music played that day stayed with me well after the session.
So the next step turned out to be me conducting a Cha Cha session for them. The challenges of language barriers were surrmounted easily as Celine offered to translate my teaching from English to French.
Everything fell in place beautifully and voila time flew again.We danced a bit of ChaCha that day and also some more in the next few sessions as well. I was told later by the learners how much they enjoyed it.
It was an amazing experience sharing the joys of movements and I thank Celine for her inclusivity in requesting me to conduct the dance sessions as well. And I deeply appreciate all her beautiful learners that I met,connected and danced with. It was a truly warm and wonderful time spent with them all.
After the sessions we would gather together and discuss, opening many more facets of the learning and imbibing. It was a beautiful way of empathising and understanding each other.
Some of the beautiful souls I got to interact with in the few months I was there.
Dance has a way of soothing your entire being and bringing forth and connecting you with the depth of who you are. That is when dance begins to feel meaningful and transforms life. The dance connects established in those sessions is a beautiful memory etched in my heart, that I will cherish forever.
I chanced on these beautiful moments again as I found the photos I clicked back then and I decided to give them a little artistic effect.
All across the world April 29th every year is celebrated as International Dance Day, although every day is a great day to dance!
I dedicate this post to all my dance friends and colleagues and all the dance educators in the world who are making the world a better place, with every step in time.
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