The dance of weather

Brought about a dance within

Hello and wish you a good evening!
First things first, there are 51 of us! It might be a small number for some but to me, it’s extremely rewarding to be writing to 50 people directly.

A writer needs a reader, so thank you for reading.

The weather in Bir, Himachal was quite funny the past week. It rained for a few days, was sunny in between and on other days, one could see sunshine on a few mountains while it was raining over some (not kidding, read about microclimate)

Last Wednesday, I had to go to the nearest bank (half an hour by bike) and while on my way back, I got drenched in ice-cold rain for a good 20 minutes. It was not just raining but there was a hailstorm too. Stopping anywhere between would mean waiting for the rain to subside which could take a very long time. So, I decided to rather get wet and reach home as soon as possible.

I reached home drenched from head to toe and no surprises here, I fell sick! Luckily, I didn’t fall sick in the sense of not being able to move but I could feel the onset of fever throughout the weekend.

I rested it out physically by being at home and eating well, but mentally I was hooked to work for a good part of the day.

Living alone is amazing and it’s precious to someone like me who thrives on spending time alone.

However, it’s at moments like these especially when unwell, that mountain loneliness strikes.

It is real. I felt it this time.

To be honest, I feel it at least once a month for a day or two. There is a spell that comes where for those 1-2 days, I don’t feel like doing anything but just keep lying on my bed. I don’t feel lonely or alone in the sense of wanting someone around but there is just a very powerful presence of that feeling all time round.

That’s part and parcel of wanting to live a romantic, artistic life in the mountains; loneliness comes as a package and it is bound to make its presence feel every now and then.

What helped -
- Going for a walk
- Listening to music
- Cooking meals
- Working
- Reading!

This week, I also bought this beautiful piece of technology!

Well, it’s not a fancy gadget that will take you to the metaverse. It’s only a humble 1000/- speaker but oh how it has brought so much life and joy to home.

I was feeling lonely this weekend and this came at the right time. I love listening to songs while cooking and working. However, with this cute speaker, I put a nice playlist and the songs keep running in the background and my house becomes a cafe in no time!

I have realised that there can also exist ‘Mindful Materialism’. Not every piece of technology is there to harm us and not every object we purchase is purely out of greed. Some can even genuinely bring a lot of meaningful joy. From cafe playlists to songs of RHTDM, I have literally heard at least 12 hours worth of music on this baby already and I LOVE it!

Another beautiful moment from this week was when my lovely neighbour got me this absolutely terrific handmade gift!

I keep my house very clean and maintain it well but I never thought of bringing anything other than the essentials to give the house some colour and personality.

This beauty sits right on my desk and while working, it feels so nice to have a pop of colours around, that too all foraged from the forest just around our house.

It is moments like these that make everything worth it.

Yesterday, I went to eat outside because I didn’t want to cook at home! Probably the first time since I moved to Bir.

I went to Cloud Door Cafe and devoured this beautiful vegan pizza all by myself.

Sometimes, it’s alright to eat out! Especially when it’s pizza!

The highlight of the week was again the beautiful space that was created thanks to these lovely ladies!

Creative Writing Lab is now 4 weeks old and I am super excited to do the 5th space this week. I am travelling home this weekend so I am planning to do it tomorrow evening. Short notice but come, please?

The last amazing news of the week is that I am now in the Top 1% of writers on Topmate.io! It made my week when I saw that I was in the Top 1%! I couldn’t stop staring at my page and refreshing to check if it was true.

It helps to get validation from the platforms! I have also started writing-based 1-1 services/mentorship. Excited to offer it to people and also learn from their journey.

As a feature of all my newsletters, I will be sharing one song, one book, one plant-based meal, one YouTube video that inspired me, and some photographic updates from my life.

• I am reading 'Keep Going' by Austin Kleon. I love how simple and profound Austin’s books are. This is his 3rd book and I have read the other 2 already. His books are like bibles of creativity! Packed with so much inspiration and motivation for creatives that you’d end up wanting to create SOMETHING once you’re done reading his books.

Before you assume that my reading speed is fast or that I just randomly take photos of books to put here, I genuinely am reading the several books whose photos I have been sharing in the newsletters. It’s just that I like to read 3-4 books at once.

• I made vegan sheera. I was craving something warm and sweet so thanks to YouTube I found a nice recipe. Again, sometimes technology is a blessing. The rich brown colour is because of jaggery.

• I didn’t get the time to watch anything this week, but I did attend a nice writing space which was held last week. The workshop was held by Amber Rae and I attended it to learn from other writing mentors about how they facilitate writing spaces. Amber has over 2.5L followers on Instagram and she is quite reputed so her approach was different, even though it was amazing!

• I have been listening to random playlists on YouTube and I really liked this one. Very soulful music that will make you feel like you’re sitting at a cafe.

• Lastly, here’s a photograph I took of my kitchen slab after I cut almost 100 veggies for a one-pot meal that I was preparing! I love the pop of colours!

Thank you for your time!
If you like what I share, do share it with your friends and family.

Hope your week was fine too! Wishing good health and lots of love to everyone.
Have a lovely week ahead :)