Simplicity drives away insanity

'It's the simple things in life that keeps us from going crazy'! Came across this while going through one of Ruskin Bond's books who happens to be one of my favourite authors. His descriptive style of writing is indeed appealing to the readers, transporting them back to the lush green planes of Dehradun where most of the authors' works are based on.

Coming back to the thought provoking statement above, I couldn't help but think that how true and pertinent it was. With external issues existing in abundance in several aspects of our lives, resorting to the simplest things acts as a stress buster not to mention the immense solace that it provides. Since my professional life consists of a great deal of cerebration, resorting to simple things becomes a necessity. Here are a few things which work wonders for me and makes me feel like a magic wand has just cast a spell on me.

Catching up on a movie: This is usually a must do every weekend/week day at times either on big screen preferably or a DVD if there’s nothing good being screened. Depending on my mood, I watch anything from Comedy, Romance, Drama or Animations.

Gym: Workout does wonders for me especially a good cardio session with upbeat music in the background. Being a daily routine, I ensure to make the most of it to ensure my happiness levels beyond a certain limit.

Listening to music: Blaring music on my speakers, no doubt lift's your spirits up. Sometimes its house music and at times it’s the latest Bollywood track playing. Sometimes I walk down the memory lane to listen to certain tracks which evoke nostalgic feelings and reminding me of the pleasant past.

Reading: No doubt they say books are man's best friend. Though I enjoy serious reading, times like these make me resort to light ones with humour or what one would call Chick flicks. Also dissolving myself in the characters makes me forget my temporary worries for a while.

Chocolate Shake: This is a last resort due to my fitness consciousness but one indulgence which enhances the feel good factor. Especially the one you get at Bachelors' in Chow patty is indeed therapeutic.

Playing with the Cats: The six cats in my building are quite a playful lot. Just being midst them and letting their furry paws brush against your hands is a beautiful feeling altogether. Makes you feel understood in a 'purrrr'fect way.:-)

A walk by the Sea: Living in the island city, there is no way you can escape the sea no matter how hard you try. Being a sea lover, I just have to take a walk down marine drive and stare at the massive waves which magically resolve my troubled mind.

A visit to Siddhivinayak: Visit the temple once a week. I definitely feel a sense of inner peace when I come out of the temple. It’s as though a transcendental wave has engulfed me with a voice reassuring me of unnecessary devils penetrating into my serene state of mind.

No doubt while complexity can be interesting and challenging at times, it leaves a mark of exhaustion and burn out eventually. It is simplicity which wins the battle at the end in a slow and steady manner. It sort of reminds me of the hare and the tortoise story here. And also the saying by the Cheshire cat in the Alice in Wonderland tale "It’s a mad, mad world and we are all mad here!!" This is more than one reason why simplicity needs to knock on our window panes more often.