Category: Food For Thought

Food For Thought, Myself

Gratitude

Sanjay Sabarwal

images (1)I admit that for a few moments last week (ok more than few), I had a difficult time finding reasons to be grateful. Attending a funeral for a friend’s father and watching helplessly as they broke down took an emotional toll. It made me wonder how quickly things can shift. In those moments, nothing else mattered. All the problems I thought I had, faded into noise . They meant nothing. So much of my time wasted on things that really didn’t matter in the long run.

Death is a reminder that we are not here to stay. I believe most of us will never know when we will go. All we have is the present moment. It’s not easy. Too often, I let the negative thoughts in my head take over, and then all I do is worry about the past and future. It’s a tough cycle to break. What good is it to waste so much time on things you cannot control? Yet, I seem hardwired to do it.

It is not a coincidence that a family friend and others started a gratitude chain few weeks ago. It is as if the universe conspired to forcefully remind me to count my blessings, love the ones that are in my life, and connect with all the ones and things that truly matter. It is not easy, but it is also yet another reason to not take myself and my life so seriously. There are more important things to do like take a moment, breath in, and be grateful for what I have.

Food For Thought, Myself, Preeti

Life Partnership

Sanjay Sabarwal

marriage-and-partnership-question-71010004258_xlargeThe warm buzz of a complete weekend still resides inside me.  Being witness to a couple taking the next step of commitment not only reminded me of how love progresses, but of how as humans we look for connection and a partnership.

What good are achievements if you don’t have someone to share them with?  We all need a cheerleader in our lives. Someone who believes in us more than we believe in ourselves sometimes. I admit it’s not easy to make the transition from a lone wolf to sharing all your moments with another. When my natural self is to always just count on myself, it’s a huge leap of faith to surrender myself to another completely.

Yet that is how a fulfilling life occurs. When you know someone has your back. Pure and simple. That emptiness in you dissipates when you know that no matter what, someone is there to listen to you.  Quoting my niece’s recent song “You matter,” that’s what marriage means to be. Someone saying to me I matter.

I am sure there will be some eye rolls at my post. After all, it can also sound like you need to be seen to matter. Or that you need to be praised. No actually, you don’t.  I just think that just like it takes two to create a human being, it takes another to see for who you are. It doesn’t matter as to gender, race or sexuality. Just that there is someone out there that you have a life connection.

P.S: Congrats Sabina and Ricky Sood. Looking forward to the wedding 🙂

Family, Food For Thought, Myself

25 Years

Sanjay Sabarwal

happy-25th-anniversary-4990511It’s great to see marriages that long, and you Sumita and Jagdeep, showed a 18-year-old boy what love at first sight meant. Merely 21, Sumita you knew who you would be with for the rest of your life.  You love like you do all things in life: fearlessly.   Jagdeep, your calm nature and love of Golf carried the day many, many times, but more than that, it’s how you let my sister be free and be the person she wanted to be especially when her whims were all over the place.  For that. I am forever grateful. But that’s what Sumita is best at. Enrolling people into her crazy visions because no matter what, her heart is pure. I have never met anyone who through the force of her energy convinced so many people into how she sees the world. It is a gift that I am truly envious of.

Of course, I picked a blog post to do this because standing in front of loved ones, I could not do justice to how much I love you both. Jagdeep, you are a gem and set the bar to be brother-in-law quite high. Through you, not only has my family grown but so has my heart and for that, thank you!  Sumita, you often say you are my second mother, and I have to admit you have been there in that way more often than a sister. Both you and Mom allowed me to figure out what it is what I wanted to do even though most of the times I am sure you wondered what the hell I was up to.

So thank you for being in my life, Jagdeep and Sumita. Together, you have created three amazing children that I love like I breath. Enjoy your day. You two created this amazing thing for all of us. Thank you!

Food For Thought, Myself

Another Monday

Sanjay Sabarwal

Zig ZiglarAnother chance at a new week. A week full of possibility. We get so many beginnings yet many of us squander them away. I woke up in a funk today. I wondered what to do instead of knowing immediately like I used to. I am unmoored, and with that mental drift comes uncertainty and sadness. Not knowing is the worst. I’d rather have structure, but as you know life doesn’t work that way. Each day is a choice to get up and fight or just lie there in defeat. Each moment, you get to remind yourself of your purpose and then go for it. Wallowing in misery is not an option.  Yet, I admit it can be hard to get up when the world seems to be weighing down on you, or loves ones questioning your motives about everything or losing faith in you completely.

So I breath. Shift. Take another breath. Then plunge right in. Giving up is not an option. Feeling sorry for myself  not even on the calendar.  Fight, Sanjay, Fight. That’s what’s on my mind. The reasons for my being become clearer. I may not change the world, but I can change my mind and day. And for now, that is enough.

Family, Food For Thought, Myself

Grateful

Sanjay Sabarwal

The weekend passed in a blink, carrying with it new experiences and memories. Plenty of laughter with the moms and my family. A chance to reconnect and strengthen the bonds, but also to immerse myself in gratitude for the people in my life. I see the next generation and with them the love comes easy, and it heartens me to know that they too get to experience what it means to be amongst people who care about them deeply. Silly conversations to complimenting the food and  four dogs took over our attention, yet more than anything else, the time spent together recharged me.

Each time we get together, I am reminded that the connection is not just because we are related or married to each other, but that we genuinely like being around each other. The one thing missing were dear friends, but I resolved to solve the issue soon. Each of these relationships are my way of charging back into things I want to accomplish in my life. It also reminds me why I do the things that I do in my life. Gratitude rules my life, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

After all, if I do not recognize what’s good in my life, then how I can grow?  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Food For Thought, Myself

A New Monday

Sanjay Sabarwal

d29eb96da040ebccca2f20e6f2f22017Another Monday. Another day to start the week right. Too often, in the past. I have greeted today as something to regret rather than see it as the opportunity it is. Truth be told, each day, each moment can be a new beginning, but something about the beginning of the week makes it a more complete beginning for me. The early morning quiet in my library allows me to ruminate about what I intend to create this week in my life. Not tasks, not just things to do to cross of my list, but real heavy weight things that will impact my future. That option is always there, yet too often I treat it as just another week.

My past experience has shown me how powerful intention can be, but what really stops me is how exhausting it is. No one tells you how living each day with integrity, intention and love takes time, energy and commitment. No one tells you that being worthy requires work. That being right isn’t enough, you have to live, act and breathe it. Otherwise, all you have are dreams. I will be the first one to tell you that I am a day dreamer, but lately fantasy is just not enough. Thinking without action just doesn’t do it for me anymore. I am more than my thoughts. More than “Should’ve”s, “Could’ve”s. More than empty promises. It’s funny how much shit gets done when you put the excuses and stories away. When you stop feeling sorry for yourself, and starting being more than a collection of words.

So yeah, I am happy its Monday. A new Monday. A new chance to be the Sanjay I know I can be. Happy Monday!