DANGEROUS KITCHEN AND FOOD PRACTICES THAT WE NEED TO STOP!

 You might be having a good day or a bad day. You might be depressed or delighted. You might be having a stressful day ahead or an easy-going one; the only thing that can make you smile after a human contact is “food.”

 If you are sad, it makes you feel better. If you are happy, it doubles your happiness. In this article, let us learn about some dangerous kitchen and food practices that we follow every day and how can we stop them, so that we can be happy and healthy.

Using Separate Cutting Boards:

Most of us use the same cutting board for vegetables, fruits, raw meat, cooked meat etc. Never do this, this very harmful and wrong practice. If you use the same board for cooked and raw meat, there is a big chance of cross-contamination of food.

If you use the same board for cutting fruits and vegetables for your salad and resting the raw meat, there is a significant chance that the bacteria in the meat will enter the salad and cause severe health issues. Use separate boards to keep it clean and efficient.

Preheating The Cooking Utensil Correctly:

The typical cooking mistake is not preheating the pan cooking utensil correctly before you start cooking. By not preheating correctly, it delays the process of cooking and even leads to serving raw food.

It is very dangerous, mainly when you are cooking meat or mushrooms. They cause food poisoning, and even there are cases of intestine damage. So preheat the pan correctly before you start cooking.  

Stirring Or Turning The Food Too Often:

It is a classic rookie mistake we all make, checking the food and stirring it often. Many experts chefs say ” stir occasionally” don’t stir frequently. By stirring food frequently there will be a huge quality issue to the food. It may stick to the bottom of the pot, may not cook properly, may lose the flavor and even remain uncooked. Let the food settle down; don’t stir it frequently.

Turning the food frequently, especially meat, omeletes, pancakes, etc., can make it undercook or overcook it. By this, it may be undercooked, lose its texture, lose its flavor, lose its texture, and maybe burnt. Please don’t turn it frequently; let it cook entirely so that it can be healthy and delicious. 

Don’t Eat Hot Food In Plastic Plates: 

Most of us don’t consider this seriously, but this is very important, we should try to avoid plastic, plates, cups etc. for hot foods. Some of the chemicals are harmful to the human body, such as BPA (bisphenol-A) and phthalates. BPA, mainly found in a type of plastic called polycarbonate.

They interact with hot food, which we consume them, and it causes severe health problems. It can lead it various types of cancers, heart diseases and sometimes organ failure. Never consume hot foods in plastic containers. 

In the end, if we avoid the things above we can be safe and keep our loves one safe.

PARANOIA UNLOCK!

It has been four months since I have seen the daylight. My skin has gone pale, and my eyes have gotten used to less light. The pandemic has taken a significant toll on me. I kept myself locked inside my bunker of a house. The doors only open when my groceries are delivered. My living room has turned into a sanitation station. I have arranged germ sprays which I used to clean the grocery bags and myself for touching them. Then I go inside, and I take a bath with some Dettol in the water. I also made my balcony a washing station, equipped with germ sprays and sanitisers too. I have my windows shut, and the sun burns me. I live on artificial D vitamin supplements and the oxygen released by my indoor plants.

 

I have already stopped contacting more people since Chicken Pox attacked me. The worst thing a human can do to the other is not a backstab, it is being reckless and passing on germs. What mistake did I commit? It was supposed to be a birthday party, and the guy who thought he had a fever felt that he was doing us a favour. He thought it would be cool to appear to party even being sick. He did not even consider carrying a handkerchief. He also shared cigarettes with me, who did not know his sickness until he told me at the end. What a douche! He did not just pass me an expensive cigarette it was also a rare virus that I had no immunity for. All the others already had the disease when they were young, and I never got exposed to it; hence, no antibodies.

 

The germs remained with me. They got on to the cigarette, I have ingested them directly into my body by puffing them in. There was a battle going inside my body, and the temperature was high in less than a week. There were blisters almost everywhere on my body; my beautiful face, my tender pecs, biceps, thighs and even on my feet. My back that recovered from my teenage acne got attacked with something bigger now. It has been two years now, and the scars remain. I’m now embarrassed to wear sleeveless tops, show off my lats and go topless. What was supposed to be a hot thing only to be soon followed by sympathising looks and cheering-ups that I don’t need. My face somehow recovered, and so did my front side of the body. But my back is still a horror show of spots that won’t fade away. The thing I’m about to say has nothing to do with all this. But this is the consequence of being reckless about a fever. The heroic act of a douche traumatised me that ended up killing my esteem. I feel like Deadpool, I guess I look like an avocado without my shirt.

 

So, no humans! No kisses too, I can pleasure myself; I’m self-sufficient. I have been going out but to enjoy minimal pleasures like eating outside, carnivals and festivals. But no social contacts that’s a ban from 2 years. You can video call me if you miss me a lot, that’s what I said to everyone. But these four months is a big thing. I’m a lot of road person for someone who does not prefer to meet people. I have been among these closed walls and dark rooms for so long, I became obsessive. I have compulsions about germs getting to me. My body suffering from more than just blisters is my worst nightmare. But today! What a day! What a shitty day! I’m hungry, my internet doesn’t work. I am unable to order anything. The groceries won’t come till the next day, and I ate off all the supplies. I kept drinking water, but it has been 13 hours. It feels like something is eating my insides. I have to go out—just this one time. But I’m trembling, and I don’t want contamination.

 

The government had removed the curfew, and I see people jumping on roads like apes as if the vaccine is here. They think their cloth masks are hazmat suits and they scratch their nose through their masks. No one is even wearing gloves. It is a garbage bin outside the door of my house. I can starve, I guess. Thinking of going out is making me anxious. It’s better to die starving than getting contaminated, I believe. But this one time, I can go out. I will be okay; I have the sanitising station. Okay!

 

I wore my facemask, gloves and a face shield. I set foot, and a current passed all my body. The sun was piercing through my clothes. I see people with no masks. It’s crazy, it feels like everything is filthy and germs are all around me. I should throw these clothes off, the face shield too. Damn! It is like a circus out here. People in queues, no masks, spitting on roads and I can see this dude pissing on a wall few yards far from me. My heart started pounding, and my breath grew intense. My breathing was harsh that it began to form vapour on my shield. The sound!

 

Oh god, horns from everywhere, people talking jumping, bouncing and scratching like apes. I turned around and round and round; it felt like nausea. I feel discomfort in my stomach. I rushed towards a place that sells breakfast. It was crowdy and scared me. The cook was sweaty, and his mask looked old and worn off. I think I’m having a panic attack! My anxiety is kicking in, and soon everything became silent. I heard no sounds and the roads were empty, and cars were too—no people around me, and It felt peaceful for a moment, but the disturbance started again. The sounds resumed but were different. I hear monkeys screeching around me. Different kinds of apes surrounded me—apes walking on roads, driving in cars, honking at each other and yelling at each other. It was apes that sold breakfast and apes that bought them too.

 

The boards of shops were changed. “Fresh and warm COVID-19 at 35 Rupees only” the board of breakfast read. I could not understand what was going on. I turned around to see a fast-food centre. It’s menu board read COVID-19 80 Rs, Typhoid 60 Rs, Dengue 60 Rs and so on with many diseases that are still running their course in India. One hairy ape with glasses on went to the fast-food dealing ape and asked “What is the cheap one you got?” the dealer ape said “Diarrhoea is cheapest just at 20 Rs, but only effects for three days. You can try Common flu for 25 Rs; it makes you feel like shit for a week” the ape with glasses smiled and ordered one common flu. I don’t have an option; I have to choose among one. Would I select flu? no, it weakens my immunity. “Brother pack me some Diarrhoea” I yelled. The ape packed some Poori – Korma and gave it to me. I held the packet and started moving back to home.

 

I had to stop because a prison bus was going and the road had jammed. I can recognise the prison bus by its colour, but there was something else written on it. As the bus neared me, it became more apparent. “Hepatitis, AIDS and Syphilis center for criminals” it read. Nothing made sense anymore. I walked back into my apartment. Something inside me couldn’t take the Diarrhoea packet inside. I just threw it in the bin. Luckily for me, I found my mobile connected to the neighbour’s WiFi. Why didn’t I think of this? I ordered some vegetables to cook myself a good meal. I entered, removed my clothes shield, mask and gloves. Threw them in the bin that was inside my apartment. I sprayed the chemicals all over my body. I tied a towel around my waist, and tied the cover of trash inside the bin, threw it out. I went in and had a good bath.

 

The vegetables are here, and it is time for me to cook now. I arranged everything I need to prepare, I took the veggies out and put them on the chopping pad. I jumped, looking at the worms crawling on the cabbage. I just stood there, my eyes wide shut!

 

Most Important Line b/w COMPROMISE and SACRIFICE

At some point in life, we may have made a few compromises and few sacrifices for the happiness of the self or to satisfy people we love or summoning to the situation. What is the line between them? What is the difference? To understand the difference between the two words, we need to know the meanings of them. So what is the meaning of Compromise and Sacrifice? Compromise means “expediently accept standards that are lower than is desirable.” Sacrifice means “give up (something valued) for the sake of other considerations.” By the literal meaning of them, they seem very different. But are we using them correctly in reality? Let us consider the following story.

There is a kid named Micheal. His father was rigorous on him. He used to verbally abuse and hit Micheal when he used to play with his friends for a longer time. He wants Micheal to be an Engineer. He always taught him to sacrifice his time for studies, and he can enjoy the results in future. Micheal had a passion for studying literature and becoming a poet. He finished his matriculation and wanted to pursue arts for his schooling. He is scared to talk to his dad. Somehow he gathered courage, went to his dad and told him about his passion. His dad snapped out, and the words he said left the first permanent scar on Micheals’s heart. He Said, ” You want to study arts?” “Where did you learn talking against me?” “What passion are you talking about?” “You can compromise the dream for the future, Just shut up and study Engineering.” He said this and bashed Micheal and sent him away.

Micheal was helpless. He cried a lot and tried to forget it. His schooling continued, and for obvious reasons, the grades were low. His father used to abuse him to get good grades and those two years were like hell for him. Once the schooling is complete, Micheal wanted to speak again to his father so that he can pursue his graduation in Arts. He again gathered courage and asked him the same. Here comes the second scar, his father snapped and said, “Didn’t your brain grow?” “What will you do by studying literature?” “Do you think yourselves as Shakespeare?” and was bashed again.

Micheal does his graduation in Engineering, and he hardly passed it. His father again used to bash or verbally abuse for his grades. As graduation is done and he got an “Engineering” tag. He wanted to give a final try on his passion and talks to his dad again. His dad became furious and left the final scar. Here is what his father said, “How should I tell you?” “Why are you born to me?” “I wish I never gave birth to you.” “You are a disgrace to me.” “Go get a job you worthless scum.” Micheal is now completely broken and starts searching for a job.

Micheal finally joins in a big MNC and starts his career. He goes into depression, and don’t know what to or who to speak to. One day he sees a pop up saying “Worried about your work? Join us! We will assist you.” The program name is “We have all been there.” He signs up for it and goes for it. He sees around two hundred people there. They are divided into twenty groups with ten members each, and a psychiatrist is assigned. The doctor, Micheal’s group, got was Dr Raymond. He points to one the candidates and asks “Have you ever been in a situation, where you are sad about your work, but still got to do it?” He replies ” I have been there.” He asks the next candidate. “Have you been in a situation where you hate your work and still got to do it? She replies ” I have been there.” Now he asks Micheal “Have you ever been in a situation where your family forced you to work?” Micheal was shaken to the core, and he is stunned for a moment, clears his throat and says ” I have been there.” In the same way, the doctor asks everyone work-related questions, and the reply is the same ” I have been there.” The doctor now says “You all have been there.” Let us unite and say “We have all been there. come on” Slowly they Yell ” We have all been there.” The doctor says ” Louder!” They yell ” we have all been there!” Micheal was in shock that these many people are suffering from the same and shakes his head.

Now Micheal is working in the same company and is earning a considerable amount of money. But he lacks the most important thing every human craves for, that is “Happiness.” Micheal was, is and never will be happy with the trauma he has. He is Just leading the life with the help of a doctor.

Now if we think of the above story what Micheal did was not a compromise, it was a sacrifice. So what is the important line between compromise and sacrifice? It is “Happiness.” Why should a kid compromise or sacrifice his passion? The only compromise or sacrifice needed to achieve ones passion is time and energy. Nothing more than that.

What Micheal fathers did to him happens to most of the kids, maybe in a less violent way, but the impact is the same. According to a survey from Monster.com ( one of the biggest recruiting sites in the world), 83% of the employees, Would Opt To Work For Passion. Why is the number so high? Do we need only corporate employees to run the world? Don’t we need a good writer? A good dancer? Or a good painter? Why are we killing the dream of a kid before it blooms?

In the end, if your passion was or is a part of compromise or sacrifice, then my friend, you know what to say. Yes, that’s right! “we have all been there!” You might have had or have difficulties on your dreams from any side, but stick to your gut and let your dreams blossom. I know it is difficult, but trust me the fruits at the topmost branch of the tree are very tasty.

THE TALE OF HONESTY " YES".

THE TALE OF HONESTY"YES".

present - day 2:00 AM:

Nisha’s phone chimes as she receives a message. The message is from Munna.

Munna: “Hey! I want to meet you today at our regular place. Got to say something important.”

Nisha reads the message, smiles and replies.

Nisha: “Sure Mun. Is 4 PM, okay? Will the King in the North be out of his bed? :P”

Munna: “Lol! If the queen of 7 kingdoms is calling, any king will come rushing :D.”

Nisha: “Hahaha! See you at 4 then.”

Munna: “Sure! Bye.”

Munna keeps his phone aside and blushes. His friend Sri comes, sees it and asks.

Sri: “Dude, It is time to log out, and you are still in the office with that blushy face? Is it Nisha?”

Munna: “Yes, we are going to meet tomorrow. I’m going to open up about my feelings to her.”

Sri: “Buddy, That’s awesome! That’s a huge step you are taking, and I’m very happy for you. It is time. Let’s go, or else we might miss the cab.”

Munna and Sri log out for the day and start climbing down the stairs having a conversation.

Sri: “How are you feeling? Are you excited about tomorrow?”

Munna: “Yes, very excited! I don’t know how I’m going to tell, but I’ve got to say.”

Sri: “Awesome! What do you like most of Nisha?”

Munna: “The curious eyes that read my last message wording,

The excitement she got when she read that message, “we are meeting.”

The moment her hair curls in the air,

The way she cares for me.

The way she talks,

The way she walks.”

Sri: Okay, Okay. Calm down Shakespear. I can see the feelings for her in your eyes, and I’m sure she will see it too. Good night buddy. I will be waiting for the happy news.

Munna and Sri sit in their respective cabs. Munna leans back and goes into the past when he first saw Nisha.

1 Year Back, morning 8 AM

It was the first day of the office for Munna, and as a 22-year-old who finished graduation, he was pretty excited. He enters the building goes to room number 104 as instructed and sits there. There are around 30 people in the room. He looks around the room and is awestruck at the most beautiful sight. He saw Nisha for the first time, and his heart skips a beat. Nisha was looking at her phone and smiling. Munna remained spellbound by looking at those expressive eyes and that innocent smile.

In the meantime, HR walks in and asks them to give an introduction. Munna is eagerly waiting to know the name. Then comes Nisha’s turn and Munna is at the peak of this enthusiasm and curiosity. Nisha stands up and speaks.

Nisha: “Hello. My name is Nisha. I did my Engineering in Computer Science. It is my first job. I love watching movies, series, and currently, I’m watching Naruto and Game of Thrones ( This was before season 8 :P). My hobbies include reading books, blogging and that is it.”

Munna is astonished and happy as Nisha shares similar interests. He always imagined various scenarios of talking to her and smiled like an idiot. A couple of months pass by, and Munna is just staring at her.

She is like the Sirius A (brightest start in the universe) to his life of emptiness and darkness. They work under the same team and have formal conversations about work.

One day he gathers the courage to speak to her.

Munna: “Valar Morghulis.” How are you?

Nisha startles for a moment, smiles and says.

Nisha: “Valar Dohaeris.” I’m good, how are you?

Munna: “I’m good. I’m hungry, shall we go and grab something to eat? Probably Ichiraku Ramen?”

Nisha smiles and replies

Nisha: “Some other time, For now, the world shall know pain. Almighty push!”

Munna gets sad, turns back and starts walking. Nisha laughs, calls him and says

Nisha: “Dude! I’m kidding. Let’s go eat something.”

Munna squeaks like a child, and they go to grab a bite. It was the first official date in Munna’s life. He is having the best time of his life.

As days pass by, their relation grew. They become best friends. One day they bunk their office to watch a movie the other day they go to a lovely dinner. A day doesn’t go by without texting each other.

Munna’s feelings grew for Nisha. He feels incomplete when Nisha is not around. He always wanted to communicate with her. And he ever tried to express the same.

Present-day 3:15 AM:

The cab arrives at Munna’s house. He gets down, goes in and starts thinking about the evening. He tries to sleep but couldn’t. Finally, the time has come to meet. Munna gets ready and goes to the place. His eyes are searching for the arrival of his dream, and after a while, Nisha comes to the location.

The location is a garden with all the beautiful flowers. For Munna’s eyes, the most beautiful flower is talking to him and laughing at his jokes. He is on cloud nine. Finally, the moment has arrived. Munna holds Nisha’s hand and says

Munna: “Nisha, I have always wanted to say something to you. I couldn’t tell because I had a fear that I might lose you. Now no matter what, I want to express that. It always feels uncomfortable when you are not around me. It feels like a part of me is missing. In the ever-expanding universe, there is an infinite number of stars and self luminescent bodies. None match for the glow in your eyes. They might find the age of the universe one day, but they will never be able to calculate the amount of love I have for you.

If I don’t have you, life would be blue, and I would have no clue what is happening. You bring clarity to this messed up human. You bring a sense of completeness to this incomplete brain. I know the world is messed up, but if you are with me, it feels like I can face it. I want you to be the Hinata of this Naruto’s life. You are the moon of my life. That is all I know, and all I need to know. And if this is a dream, I will kill the man who tries to wake me.

I have much more to say, but I want to compress everything into three magical words that may seem common but are very powerful. I love you, Nisha. Will you accept my proposal?”

Nisha is in tears, she wipes it and says.

Nisha: “YES, I want to be the Hinata of your life. When I watch you, I feel strong, Like I can do anything, that even I’m worth something. Until the sun rises in the west and sets in the east, until the seas go dry, and mountains blow in the wind like leaves. You are my sun and stars.”

Both get very emotional and hug each other. They arrange a party for all their friends, and Sri walks in, congratulates Munna and says,

Sri: “Buddy, I’m very happy for you! I wanted to ask you something out of curiosity. What if she had Said no?”

Munna smiles and says.

Munna: “I would be delighted. If you truly love someone, and if they are happy without you in their life, you should let them go for their happiness. That is the meaning of true and honest love.”

SHE WAS CRYING INSIDE BUT NO ONE COULD SEE

Physical wounds are easy to spot because we can see them. You can see blood, you can see a broken bone, because there is physical evidence of the injury. If you were ever been in a situation like this know how it feels. You experience the anguish externally. You may even scream or shout in pain and everyone else becomes aware of everything you are feeling.

But emotional wounds they are different. Sometimes the experience is completely in ward. The depression, the anger, the stress, the pressure , the anxiety so much of that is experienced  within. When we were are dealing with an emotional wound whether some one we trusted break out trust, or just broke our heart , whether we are just been rejected for something, we have spent days , months and years working for those wounds are hard to spot because on one can see them.They are so much harder to see because they have been hidden or may be we have denied them for so long and they are not apparent to anyone around us.

When we have a physical wound like a large cut, we notice straight away that we are experiencing pain. The next step is to clean out the wound, stitch it up if needed finally bandaged . we have to make sure that we clean out wound effectively and the good thing is we can see it so that it does not get infected.

Healing from an emotional wound works in the same way apart from the fact that sometimes, we ignore it for long time. This means it has possibility of getting infected more and possibility of growing without us even knowing.

 Emotional wounds are just not obvious as blood pouring out of our bodies but they have familiar signs. It could be the  break of loved ones or abuse from  our parents, it could be an accident, a divorce or an unexpected situation in our life.

The common signs of emotional wounds are depression, anxiety , isolation and the loss of determination. Realizing you are wounded in step one, the second thing you need to ask yourself is, is this something you can deal with yourself or is it likely that you will need some help?

When it is emotional wound it’s so easy to really miss the intricacies and the detail of that experience we have to really live through it again . we have to really assess and become aware of every part of a challenge.

Cleaning an emotional wound means revisiting the traumatic event and allowing yourself to feel that emotional pain again. Its goona be painful, going to be hurtful, but in order to clean it properly we have to go through it again.

Physical wounds require stitching  when we physically hurt, its obvious whether we need help or not .but when we are emotionally hurt it feels like weakness to share with person , to tell people what's going on. When actually its sign of courage  but sometimes with an emotional wound we wait days , months , years before we approach anyone emotionally speaking, bandaging your wounds takes time.

It includes forgiveness, acceptance, and letting go. The emotional wound can leave you internal scar. We can expect it to just disappear just because we couldn’t see it in first place

Don't be mad at yourself if it takes time to heal. Feel every part of that wound and work trough it. 

THERE IS A VOICE THAT DOESN'T USE WORDS...........LISTEN

No one known’s when its going to happen?

You date a little , talk a lot........

Next thing you know you are in relationship.......

But the, reality strikes !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Long distance relationships are tough..................

They come with all slots of challenges .

All the same ones as normal relationships, but they are stretched because of  distance...

Long distance relationships are especially tough when they are new.....

                                                 #     TRUST     #

Can i trust this person when they are not with me?

Are they thinking about me?

Do they miss me?

                                        # LOYALTY #

Can i trust myself when i am not with them?

What if someone else makes me feel more special and i get carried away

                             #  TIME    #

Will they make time for me?

Will they have time for me?

Will the time difference work?

                                                    # PRIORITY   #

Will they make a priority?

Am i am real priority to them

These are pretty much the same in any relationship but it completely hightenes in a long distance relationship.

If you want to make long distance relationship work, there a few things you need  to known

You have to decide realistic commitments for communications.

Now, everyone wants thing to be spontaneous and random but this only way it will truly work.

When you make a plan to speak at the same time everyday or at same time in a week that makes it much more realistic  for both of you commit to that and  to be able to see whether the other person  actually cares

You also want to have a contingency plan. If some one isn’t able to make a call or face time or meet , then have a back up already in mind.

Be really care about who you are, spending time with in your private lives. Its not worth some finding out something through a picture or chat etc on social media.

Right! Even if its tough or awkward at first, its better to be transparent in the beginning because thats definitely the right thing to do.

Suprise vistis are amazing when they work but make sure its working both ways.

Reflect on how important this relationship is to you and whether the long distance relationships is truly worth it.

Its really important that you don’t feel pressure in your personal alone time

If you are spending time with  your family or your friends and you are worried about what the other person would be thinking or doing thats something you really need to talk through.

And finally known that arguments will happen , disagreement  will  occur.

Remember , long distance only gets tough when you truly let i get between you.

WILL YOUR RELATIONSHIP SURVIVE

Sometimes its better to be KIND than to be RIGHT.

*we  do not need an intelligent mind that speaks, but a patient heart that listens.

*we are spending more time in indoors, more time than ever. Living in close quarters  doing every activity together. They  call it CABIN FEAR – the distressing , claustrophic , irritability or restlessness experienced when a personal group is stuck at an isolation location or in a confined quarters for an extend period of time.

*we call it a relationship and they say its called relationship because we all need a boat. A ship to help us travel over trouble times. But sometimes it can feel like sinking . its tough , trying to be perfect partner, perfect parent, perfect person, when you have to be perfect all day.

*we all are in state of discomfort, so everything feels too close for comfort. HE/SHE  you don’t help me out around and SHE / HE  says I am trying to work and HE/SHE says” but I am just trying to get some face time and they SHE/HE  says I need some space ,why don’t you zoom out?

*you are going to make mistakes ,there going to a debates and conflict because of higher stacks. When everyone is feeling the pain, but no one wants to talk about it for other sake. Because we are scared of scaring the other person our fears are out of place.

*you know what  its like , our anxiety turns into anger, our pain turns into panic, our fatigue turns into friction. We end up saying mean things. Thing “we don’t even mean”. We start saying “ you always do this or you never do that”. But the truth is, no one is always do something and no never does anything.

*we all know that but this isn’t a logical ,rational argument so we are both losing. AS  BUDDHA TEACH WE ARE NOT PUNISHED FOR OUR ANGER , WE ARE PUNISHED BY OUR ANGER.

# WE need to stop judging ourselves for not having a plan ,no one expected that. We need to spot feeling guilty because we don’t have it all together. We need stop judging others because they did not expect it either
.

*we need stop making others feel guilty because we are in this together. We argue and bicker and wonder why we cant fatigue this out because there is something bigger at a play bigger than what is about.

# the only way we can beat it, is if we stick together, put aside our difference give each other space. still  make a plain and make those special dates. Remember , relationships “DON’T ALWAYS FAIL BECAUSE PEOPLE DO BAD THINGS TO EACH OTHER”.MORE OFTEN IT’S A BECAUSE THEY DID NOT DO GOOD THINGS FOR EACH OTHER.

#tell people HOW MUCH YOU MEAN to them you remind them every day. Because the biggest virus is if we forget to say I LOVE YOU, I NEED YOU, I MISS YOU.

Remember to be kind for people around you do not let this change the way you love people. don’t make  this virus. Make you love people less this time we need it the most.

THE QUEEN OF VEGETABLES

Once, there was a little girl called HEMA. She was twelve years old. Her parents were not wealthy. They worked very hard day and night to send their only child to a good English school. They wanted to give her best education.

Hema was a hard working and clever student. She always topped in her class. Her teachers were proud of her. At home too hema  helped her parents. She knew how much they had scarified to put in a good school.

Hema’s father had been left with a piece of land as a family property. In the centre was an old ramshackle building in which they were staying. Her father would grow all kinds of vegetables. There were many flowering plants too. They had put up a small shed near the front gate. All the produce from the garden they would sell and  then would bring bundles of jasmine, champak, roses, lilies etc. In the afternoons her mother would sit and then string them into garlands. In the evenings she would sell them along with vegetables  from  their garden. Hema  father worked in the garden the whole day long making beds, graining, weeding , watering, and plucking fresh vegetables. He would then weigh it and carefully put them into packets  of different kg’s. Though they were not making much money out of this, they were happy and contented. It was just enough to keep the family going.

Hema understand their position. She would never  make any demands. But like any other girl of her age, she wanted to have a bicycle. she would watch other girls riding  to school on their shinning bikes. Oh, how she longed to own a bicycle of her own. But she did not ask her parents. She knew that they could not afford to get her one. They would only start working even harder to save the money.

One evening Hema came home in greater excitement, “mother , mother”. She cried. “where are you?” her mother came from kitchen. “oh  mother,” said Hema. “ I have so much to tell you. Our school is celebrating its Silver Jubilee. It is 25 years since the school started.” Hema went on.. “ there are lots of competitions this year. Our teachers will select the best students from each class to participate in the singing and dance and debate competitions. But for the Fancy Dress competition, every one can participate, oh! Mother how  I wish  I could go as a princess. All the other girls hire princess costumes and fairy costumes. Just this once hire a shiny costume for me!”

Hema’s mother sighed. She did not want to disappoint her daughter . “ how much does it cost dear?” she asked. “ two hundred rupees for a day, mother” said Hema. She knew it as too much money to spend on a beautiful stain gown  and an artificial crown.

My child give me some time, I’ll see if it is possible, said Hema  mother. Hema nodded and went inside her room. For once she could not concentrate on her studies. She kept hopping against hope that somehow her mother would manage to hire the costume for her.

Later that evening , her mother called Hema. Hema my golden child, it is not possible to spend 200 Rupees on a dress just for a day.” Seeing Hema disappointed face, she added quickly “ but I have thought of a wonderful costume. You are going to participate in the Fancy Dress Competition not as a princess but as a Queen”.

“ o mother, I don’t understand you, How can I go as Queen when i don’t have a costume?” asked Hema. You leave that to me , said her mother mysteriously. “ just tell the date of the competition and your costume will be ready by then”.

The day of the competition was fast approaching. Every day Hema would ask her mother, but the only answer she git was that her dress would ready in time. Hema was curious  to see her dress, but her mother would not say that it was not yet completed.

Every night after Hema was asleep, her mother would begin to work on the costume. She had taken an old white frock belonging to Hema. She had been collecting  all the seeds from the garden. Even the seeds of the watermelon were not discarded . she would sit and then sort out seeds of similar sixes and colour. She would then string them together.

The day before the competition, Hema’s mother sent her to bed early. She then made some paste with maida to use as glue. She sat down with dress and carefully began the work. First the back of the frock was covered with spinach leaves, methi leaves and other greens. Then she turned the frock over. By the morning the costume was ready. Hema woke up to a big surprise.  Hema , get up my child. Hurry up with your bath. It is going to take quite some time to dress you today,” said her mother. Hema sat up in excitement .  today was the day of her Fancy Dress Competition.

Mother , can I see my dress now? She asked. “ after you finish your bath” her mother answered. Hema rushed through her brushing and bathing. “ now close your eyes and open slowly  when i tell you to” her mother said. She brought out the dress and asked Hema to open her eyes.

Hema gasped with astonishment. It was a most unusual dress. The front  of the  dress had tiny black buttons which are actually dried watermelon seeds. Rows and rows of peas covered the bodice. The lower portion of the dress made it look like a dance frock . layers and layers of cabbage leaves were carefully sewn one beneath the other. It looked as if the frock had frills of cabbage leaves. The sleeves of the back dress had tassels of blended  beans. The back of the dress was in various shades of green, made from spinach, mint etc..

You are going to be the Queen of vegetables, “ explained by her mother, “ Now stand  still while I put it on you carefully.” Hema did not know what to say her mother. She had taken so much pain to create the dress.

Her mother braided her hair with jasmine flowers. She then brought out a tray containing other treasures. There were chains of double beans, strings of pearl- like earrings, her mother had  found the tiniest of baby carrots . she had tied them with strings to loop over the ears. The belt of the dress had strip of carrot, radish and beetroot. For the hands , she had made bracelets out of bitter gourd, cut or strung together. Her socks has ever been covered with onion stalks and her black shoes had been transformed into cabbage leaf shoes. “And now for the last item,” said her mother finally and she brought out a silver crown. It was the hard rind of ash gourd cut in the shape of crown. She fixed it on her daughters head. “ Now take a look at yourself” she said.

Hema was a strange creature in the mirror. She did not recognize herself. The image really looked like a fairy from vegetables land. “ Mother, thank you so much, I am really looking like a princess,” she said.  You  are the princess of our family,” her father remarked  entering the room. He was carrying a slender snake gourd in his hand. “Here my child, this is your magic wand.” He said. “Go there  and tell them  no one can go without paying their respect to the Queen Of Vegetables. Come now,  I’ll escort my princess to school. Hema thanked her parents again set off with her father, full of confidence.

The school was really colourful that day. Children in all kinds of costume were present. Some parents were giving final touches to their children’s costumes before the bell rang. Some has dressed as jokers, others had come as Kings and Queens in their glittering finery. Seeing the strange looks of children at her costume. Hemas’s  confidence slowly evaporated. Most of them had hired  the costumes and had put on make up also.

Just then Jaya , her classmate , caught sight of Hema’s dress. She quickly called few friends and pointed at Hema. “ come let’s have a bit of fun with her” said Jaya. Now jaya had always been jealous of  Hema. No matter how well she did, it was always Hema who did better. Jaya hated be second best. She knew Hema background and never lost a chance to be spiteful. What irritated her more was that Hema did not anger with her, nor did she complain to the teachers.

Jaya dressed up as Cinderella. She wearing a beautiful lace  gown full of frills. But looking Hema ‘s  dress she felt jealous somehow the dress looked so different and unique. She went upto Hema and said loudly to her: “ have you not come to the wrong place? This is not vegetable market.” Jaya’s friends sniggered ludly.

Poor Hema! She felt tears coming to her eyes. She wished she had not participated in the competition . but it was too late to do anything. The participants were asked to line up near the stage. One by one children went up on the stage a few words and came down. The other children who were not participating were clapping loudly . they were 3 judges.

Suddenly it was Hema’s term. Her name was called . Hema went on stage very hesitantly . There was silence as she walked. For s second she didn’t know what to say. She was feeling ashamed of her dress. In her mind she saw her father’s proud look mother’s hard work and love  in making the costume.

“Good morning everybody. I am Queen of Vegetables. Just imagine a world without me or my subjects. No one can live without us,” Hema heard herself saying. “ one more thing I come from agricultural background and I am proud of my parents who created this dress. Thank you”.

Nobody clapped for few seconds. Hema turned away, tears flowing freely. Then the clapping started .they cheered for her words as well as for unusual dress. But Hema  was feeling miserable to care.

At last the programme was over. The Head mistress said that the names of prize winners would be announced shortly. The children waited impatiently discussing whose costume was the best. Finally the wait was over.

“first of all, I congratulate all the participants for participating in the fancy dress competition. It has been a pleasure to see so much enthusiasm and talent among our children. It was indeed difficult to choose only three prize winners. These prize winners of Middle school. The  Third prize goes to vidya of Std v dressed as Shabari , the old woman who waited with fruits for Lord Rama. The Second prize goes to Jaya of Std VI for having dressed as Cinderella.

Each time the prizes were announced there was loud applause.  Jaya got up and went on stage proudly. Poor Hema was lost in her own world. She had no hopes of winning at all. She just wanted to go home. “ Amd now the First prize ... the winner is HEMA.” The sound of the head mistress’s voice  was drowned in the  loud clapping. Hema , hema , her friens shook her hand , “ Go on , mam calling you. Hema just looked at them blankly. “Hema also of std VI for the most original costume as Queen Of  Vegetables. The head mistress announced again.

Hema could not believe her ears. She went up in daze. Jaya who was feeling ashamed of her earlier behaviour towards  Hema was glad for once. She too clapped again to receive prize.

The photographer clicked as she received her prize. Hema turned to go down. The head mistress brought her  forward again.

“children, I  have one more announcement to make. This year beign our Sliver Jubilee year . we have chosen three girls foe Best Achiever Award.  From Primary school it is Shivani from tejaswi high school from Higher school  it is Jyothi  and Hema  from Middel school.

“And do you know what these three girls will receive on Annual Day?  A Hero Bicycle.

Hema’s wish was being granted in a most unexpected way. Her hard work had been recognized. That day Hema was the happiest girl. She wanted nothing more in her life. She went home and hugged her mother. Her parents were proud of her achievements .

“see ,  I told you, you are really our princess. Even if you had not won in the competition, you would still be our darling daughter”, said her father.

SECRET OF WORK - NO ONE IS INFERIOR

I do not believe in reform; I  believe in growth. I  do not dare to put myself in the position of God and dedicate to our society, “This way thou should move and not that.” I simply want to be squirrel in building of Rama’s  bridge, who was quite content to put on the bridge his little quota of sand dust. This is my position.

NO WORK IS INFERIOR

There is, however ,one great danger in human nature, viz. That man never examines himself. He thinks he is quite as fit to be on the throne as the king. Even if he is, he must first show that he has done the duty of his own position; and then higher duties will come to him. When  we begin to work earnestly in the world , nature gives us blows right and left and soon enables us to find out our position. No  man can long occupy satisfactorily a position for which he is not fit. There is no use in grumbling against nature’s adjustment. He who does the lower work in it not therefore a lower man. No man is to be judged by the mere nature of his duties , but all should be judged by the manner and the spirit in which they perform.

Later on we shall find that even this idea of duty undergoes change, and that the greatest work is done only when there is no selfish motive to prompt it. Yet it is work through the sense of duty that leads us to work without any idea of duty; when work will become worship –nay; something higher- then will work be done for its own sake.

Duty is seldom sweet. It is only when love greases its wheel that it runs smoothly; it is a continuous friction otherwise. How else could parents do their duties to their children, husbands to their wives, and vice versa? Do we not meet with these cases of friction every day in our lives? Duty is sweet only through love, and love shines in freedom alone. Yet is it freedom to be a slave to the senses, to anger, to jealousies and a hundred other pretty things that must occur every day in human life? In all these little roughness that we meet with a life, the highest expression of freedom is to forebear.

BE LIKE THE SQUIRREL:  The monkeys removed whole hills , placed them in the sea and covered them with stones and tress, thus making a huge embankment. A little squirrel, so it is said, was there rolling himself in the sand and running backwards and forwards on to the bridge and shaking himself. Thus in his small way he was working for the bridge of Rama by putting in sand. The monkeys laughed, for they  were bringing whole mountains , whole forests, huge loads of sand for the bridge – so  they laughed at the little squirrel rolling in the sand and then shaking himself. But Rama saw it remarked : “Blessed be the little squirrel;  he is doing his work to the best of his ability, and he is therefore quite as great as the greatest of you”. Then  he gently stroked the squirrel on the back, and the Rama’s fingers, running lengthy ways, are seen on the squirrel’s back to this day.

My first story

I suddenly got a thought , comparing the human life with the life of a  seed ( transforming itself from the phase of burying under the soil into a big tree with  lots of endurance throughout a long journey by overcoming many obstacles and setbacks ).

 I just tried to put my thought in the form of  a rough story ( as I am not that much skilled in writing stories as of now 😊)
so please adjust with my English grammar and this is the first story which I wrote , I just tried to express what I understood from that  thought  to all through this story  )


So , Here is my First STORY

 A Lesson That Seeds wants to teach to Human beings

Once a mother told her kid to sow a seed in the garden  , but the kid who don't want to bury that seed in dirty soil , instead placed it in a glass bowl and did watering everyday , it started sprouting after few days and with in next few days it has degraded without any growth.

 And the kid asked the mother why it happened like this though he took care of it very well without placing it in the dirty soil, the mother understood the ignorance of  her child , and she took one more seed and went to garden with her kid , and this time she asked the kid to bury the seed beneath soil. And asked the kid to water it daily , after few days seed became sapling and started coming out of soil as a beautiful new life and energy.

And the mother told the kid that if one has to attain new life or transformation into greater being , one should go through life's cycles , as you initially hesitated at making the seed dirty and you want it to be clean , but that's not the process of a seed's transformation into  big tree in future .

The seed has to overcome certain period of darkness( under the soil ) in order see light with new life as a plant .

Coming to Human Life , Certain problems and moments of struggle is inevitable that's how the  life is destined and that's how we evolved by overcoming problems over the generations .

Just imagine what will happen the if the same seed once its been buried under soil thinks like why I came into this darkness and I don't know the way to go out and I don't have the ability to see the light again , soon as it thinks it will be degraded in the same soil without accomplishing its purpose of growing into a tree and providing its benefits to others.

But that's not the case with seeds. Seeds are not thinking like that negatively and hopelessly . They are coming out of the darkness by maintaining  persistence and patience and hope( that they will again see light ) when they are in soil. With all these endurance one day they are coming out of that darkness and seeing the light by completely transforming themselves as plants ( later into trees ).

The same way we the so called rationale human beings must and should  know and  accept  the greatest truth that life is difficult and once you accept this truth , you will soon starts evolving by overcoming all the difficulties life is posing at you.

 It is inevitable that in this life everyone of us will feel low or frustrated with life at any point of time  though the reasons may be different ( lost of loved ones , business failure , unhappy job, etc) .

 At that point of time its entirely our choice to be either stagnated there only and degrade our lives without ever utilising our potentials and fulfilling our purpose of life  OR with positive determination , persistence and patience will find a way to make life again wonderful and utilize your full potential to live your life completely to its full.

So please see the life as it is and enjoy and endure its process of transforming us into better ones through every experience it will give us either good or less good  rather than devastated by every small happening around us which we don't have control over them. Be Happy and Be Positive

All the Best 😍

** forgive and adjust with any spelling or grammatical mistakes