A Hundred Days Of This - Day 7

Day 7? Already?

It might not seem like much to you, my reader, but this is a tiny milestone worth mentioning for me.

Why? Because I am a monkey. Cannot sit still, cannot focus on one thing for long, my brain needs constant stimulation, get easily bored with things, have a hundred thoughts racing in my mind, I am no less than a little langoor jumping from one branch to another. As a certified non-stop yapper, when I am actually silent, my family immediately assumes that something went wrong. To me, consistency seems like rocket science and sticking to one thing feels like a punishment, honestly. Let us just say, I crave novelty every waking moment. (Could be ADHD too, we never got diagnosed)

I never thought I would sit down and type this on Day 7 because, for starters, I had no plan for what to write, why to write and for whom do I write this? Slowly, I remembered my own words as an answer when someone asked me why I write - I am a selfish writer and I bleed only on paper. (Victim of hundreds of literal papercuts too) When there is no structure, it is very easy to falter, not take any accountability and give up. But can creativity be structural? Sounds like a limitation, a contradiction that impedes the flow of my words. 

As a child, I used to think that all writers and poets are blessed with these bursts of imagination that they turn into masterpieces. Sure, writing is a gift, but it is also a skill. As and when I started devouring books I understood that every writer pulls up their chair, sits down and writes for hours, for days, for years, even when they are out of ideas. I started writing when I was 6 for my school magazine with the help of my mother, but never took it seriously. Hey, I never said I wanted to be a writer.

Maybe I do now. I know I can weave stories, I know I am good with words without (Deep) seeking help from ChatGPT, why not put that to some use? Just like getting better with Excel and Stata, why not get better with articulation even if it is really bad because Oscar Wilde had said "All bad poetry springs from genuine feeling." After all what is life but a genuine attempt at trying to express our true selves? It can be a .ppt file that needs to be presented at a meeting or a meticulous plan of a bridge to be constructed or this silly little blog post. Every little work has a huge life lesson behind it like those weird posts we read on LinkedIn. Only kidding.

If not sitting down for hours, I can start with 15 minutes. Write a post, review it, post it. That is all it takes to show up for myself. And as for the monkey that is holding the reins in my brain, I always tell it the story of another great monkey, sitting still somewhere in the Himalayas, chanting only a single name for billions of years now, known as a grammarian too, who turned every limitation into an opportunity.

Buddhir balam yasho dhairyam nirbhayatvam arōgitā

Ajāḍyaṁ vākpaṭutatā cha hanumat-smaraṇād bhavet

Little did I know as a child when my aunt made me recite before sleeping, these lines would keep coming back to help me survive. Congratulations, Soumya Onwards and upwards now! 

And that's Day 7 for you!