This is the last month of this year. A year that I would struggle to put into words. A year that is testing me, having fun with me and taking me on different journeys. When my wonderful friend, Dorothee, posted on her Facebook status about a month of December reflections, I thought to myself, why not? The original post is on this wonderful site, and these are what the author called “ponder prompts.” For December 1, the prompt was “On The Table.”

I don’t really have a table. I use a laptop table and the only other table in my house is the dining table. This was a gift from my Mom earlier this year, and the prompt made me smile and be immediately grateful to the amazing parents I have. I hardly sit there at the table, though. I have my meals usually in front of my laptop or with my Kindle on the sofa or the bed. I use one of the chairs as my workstation chair. The other three chairs wait forlornly to do the job they were made for. So, on my table, in no particular order, I found these:

• I found two bottles of water, my favorite drink, on the table and the glass I use to drink water.

• A bottle of Korean Ginseng pills I bought in London. That made me smile because it reminded me of being in London, at the Boots pharmacy, just about to board the bus to Scotland. I had had this problem with my cuticles peeling painfully and my friend walked into the pharmacy after we got off Victoria Station to buy me bandages for that. It made me think how lucky I am to be so loved for and cared for. Time and thought: these are two of the greatest gifts we can give to another. How well have you given of those this year?

• A newsletter by a grocery start-up. I haven’t thrown this yet for reasons I can’t comprehend. But I did have a wonderful conversation with the co-founder of the start-up because he was personally distributing these in the apartment complex I stay. I know that pain. The pain of starting something new, fraught with risk, and timeless with stress.
• An Amway protein powder box given to me by my sister who found the taste of it repulsive. I can’t have much protein, so I take it sparingly. Again I realized I had been gifted something by someone I love.

• A fruit basket with no fruits but a visiting card from another entrepreneur who is in the wellness industry. Powdered jeera by my mother for some cooking expedition I can’t remember now, a few rupees, and a little umbrella that was meant to be used over the fruit bowl. Again, given by my Mom. I am lucky, ain’t I?
• Tea coasters that I had bought from Japan. Memories of my solo travel to that beautiful country came rushing back to me. Each time my soul empties itself, I fill it with travel.

• An empty box of roasted wasabi peas that reminded me of the conversations over wasabi with my American family.
• And then, a calendar of quotes that was made for me on my 30th birthday by two dear friends. The quotes were supposedly words I had uttered at some point. I smiled at the quote, and I thought to myself, this is what people must have thought of me in my last job.

Who knew that just an activity like “On The Table” would bring back all these reflections? All of them made me smile, made me grateful, and mentally send notes of thanks to the ones who have given such love and care to me.

Life rushes past us, time heeds none of our imprecations. Yet, sometimes, we find that this life we lead is blessed in its littleness. In the tiniest, darkest corners of our mind do we find that the shadows were because of candles nearby. There are days I think these are cliches I fill my head with to console myself from the utter senselessness of living. But then, I think, cliches are not bad to live with.

What’s on the table is precisely what you have brought to it.

What is on your table today?

Go on. Spread the love!

email

Linkedin

Reddit

Twitter

Facebook

Pinterest