Be the best of whatever you are
newsletter preference, buying my own grocery, travel opens eyes, scent of our true nature, lessons from the old and the young, and travel pictures from the last three years
Dear Reader,
Thank you for joining me. I hope your week is going good.
As I am sending this newsletter in the middle of the week, I am going to keep it short. There is still a lot to read and see here, but I have shortened the narration part. Because the feedback I have mostly received is that most of you, that is the readers of Looking Inwards, prefer a longer newsletter on the weekend but a shorter one on the weekdays.
If that is not true, please reply to this email and let me know your preference. A long letter or a short one?
For now, I hope you are having a great 2024 so far. And so onwards.
For this week’s letter,
Some of my writing,
quotes I love,
things to read,
things to watch,
and
travel tips.
Articles of the Week,
A Green Affair in Siliguri–Picking Tomatoes and Turnips
Everywhere I go, I pocket carry bags and step out into the chaos that are vegetable street fairs in India. Here's the grocery market of Siliguri, West Bengal.
Read to know why I still pick my own fruits and vegetables.
Read the article now. Or Pocket it for later.
A Serendipitous Stop in Karnataka Near Nandi Hills
Travel helps me appreciate my surroundings. It also opens my eyes to things I might have ignored otherwise.
This is the story of one impromptu stop on the road that filled my eyes and heart with beauty, appreciation, and gratitude.
Enjoy the post now. Or Pocket the narration for later.
Quotes I Love
“I think this is why I now work much more fluently in watercolour, because for such a long time I did my best to draw more correctly.”
Vincent van Gogh
“You cannot work well if you don’t respect your own work.”
Javed Akhtar
“Best thing I ever did was stop telling people what’s going on in my life.”
Source Unknown
“So why do you do what you do? That’s the question you need to answer. Stare at it until you can. Only then will you understand what matters and what doesn’t. Only then can you say no, can you opt out of stupid races that don’t matter, or even exist. Only then is it easy to ignore “successful” people, because most of the time they aren’t—at least relative to you, and often even to themselves. Only then can you develop that quiet confidence Seneca talked about.”
Ryan Holiday
Everything changes that doubtless is true,
And nothing is separate from me or from you.
Nature’s magic that we find in the woods,
Is the scent of our true nature that is basically good.
Yours Truly
What I’ve Been Reading
I’ve been reading short stories, books, articles, and so much more. I can’t possibly list all what I have read in the past week so I’m putting down the things I found most relevant and worthwhile.
Starving by Danielle Joffe — Though the story is titled Starving, it is more about letting go. A poignant tale of a daughter and her mother who is slowly leaving and then she is gone.
Grief Math by Charlotte Maya — A wife’s journey after her husband’s suicide, and how healing may take an infinite time but love can fill the many voids.
These Should Be the Real Marriage Vows by Tatyana M. Sussex — A hilarious read on the realities of a couple’s life. One wants to go out and the other wants to sit. True for me and my partner.
A poem by Douglas Mallochsaid:
If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill. Be a scrub in the valley-but be The best little scrub by the side of the rill; Be a bush, if you can't be a tree. If you can't be a bush, be a bit of the grass. And some highway happier make; If you can't be a muskie, then just be a bass But the liveliest bass in the lake! We can't all be captains, we've got to be crew. There's something for all of us here. There's big work to do and there's lesser to do And the task we must do is the near. If you can't be a highway, then just be a trail, If you can't be the sun, be a star; It isn't by the size that you win or you fail Be the best of whatever you are!
Asafoetida’s Lingering Legacy Goes Beyond Aroma by Vidya Balachander — This is an old piece, and I’ve been meaning to share it for a while. The author shares a melodious story of how the pungent spice asafoetida not only found a permanent space in the spice boxes of India but in the palettes of the country’s residents. Quite a joyful read!
A reddit thread taught me how to choose a life partner. Though the advice was from a father to his son who was going to get married the next day, I think we all can use it.
Formatting one of the comments to copy-paste here,
The father asks the son, “What will she do if you are driving her to an event in which she was interested and your car breaks down?
Does she stay get mad and pout?
Does she sit there and quietly let you fix the car?
Does she find it an opportunity to make a memorable moment and have fun with it and think it'll be funny to show up dripping wet and dirty?
Then the father told his son that he did not need an answer. He just wanted him to think about it.
What would your partner do?
Answer yourself honestly.
The young can teach us so much.
Years ago, I was reading a Quora answer about an uncle and his nephew. The uncle was young and preparing for IAS ( Indian Administrative Services ). I can’t find the link to the answer now, so just sharing the conversation which I had, luckily, noted down somewhere safe.
The nephew wanted ice cream and asked his uncle for some money. Uncle did not have any money and showed the nephew his empty wallet.
After sometime, the nephew came back with a hundred rupee note and asked his uncle to put it inside his wallet. He told him to buy him ice cream the next day with that money.
Uncle went and asked his elder brother what had happened. The brother told him that his son had come and had said, “Papa you have so much money in your wallet. Let us keep some in uncle’s. He does not have any.”
What I’ve Been Watching/Listening
that’s worth mentioning
I haven’t seen or listened to anything new.
And for all adventure lovers!
As in the last newsletter, sharing some more random photographs from the past three years to show how unpredictable my life on the road has been.
taking pictures of a spice lady in Siliguri, West Bengal (Jan 2023). Even though I had taken her permission to photograph her stall, I was scared she would scold me.
More such pictures in the blog post on Siliguri above.
eating a homemade fish thali in Lonavala town in Maharashtra. March 2021. Right during the covid second wave. We were trying to be close to Mumbai because my partner’s parents had caught covid. If they needed help, we could have driven to Mumbai in a couple a hours.
enjoying morning writing with lemony homemade poha and Wordsworth. Again, Siliguri, January 2023.
entering Goa in November 2023 on Diwali. The local community—I was told the boys of the area—make the big demon every year. Every lane we turned into had one of these giants. Our experience of traveling through Goa that Diwali evening wasn’t great because the crowd was on the streets, very hard music was being played loudly, and we were once even stopped by the locals who were asking us to pay for their festival. It wasn’t a polite ask. Eventually when I folded my hands, they let us go. I didn’t pay.
The demon is burnt the next day.
getting down to our mountain abode after our second covid vaccination. June 2021. a small village in Himachal.
You cannot see our house in this picture. It was about 10 minutes walk downhill.
Holi, March 2023, Gangtok Main Square.
Having a simple and local Goan breakfast in our guesthouse in Goa. December 2023.
sunrise through my hotel window. Gangtok, April 2023
taking pictures of a dirty kitchen in case we had to show to the website from which we booked the homestay. This is how we got the place. Siliguri, Feb 2023
the leopard is at work, don't disturb. Siliguri, December 2022
What can be more amazing than this. June 2021. The Himalayas.
a few days ago in Bangalore.
Thank you for reading.
I hope you have a great rest of the week :)
Let me know what you think about this letter. Press reply.
Yours,
Priyanka
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