You will always get what is yours
a note on quiet, unhurried mornings
I woke up to the song of a cuckoo (koyal, in hindi) outside my window. She perched upon the branch of a neem tree, belting her heart out. I’m assuming it’s a she. Women can somehow do it all. Wake up early, groom their pits and pots, feed their squeaking bald featherless cheepers, find a stable brown branch, and rehearse their songs of the day. And boy, she sang her heart to the sky.
With my stale-fish morning breath and rusty blinking eyes, I noticed Dadi was up too. Why wouldn’t she be? It’s 8:30 AM, and I’m the one who’s behind schedule. I didn’t lift a leg. Instead, I shuffled over to my left and lazily stared out the glass window. My world slowly panning into frame to bird song and prayers from an old woman’s larynx.
It’s hard not to fall in love with koyals. There’s something about their song that makes the morning air feel alive & vibrant. A splash of cold water on a sleepy face. It says to me, life is bustling, even if I’m not quite ready to join in just yet. Pure, unfiltered joy. It cuts through the noise of everyday life.
"Hey, wake up, there's beauty here, right outside your window!"
Koyals are nature’s alarm clocks, but way better than the blaring buzzers we’ve grown to hate. They’re gentle yet persistent. Loving nudges from the universe. Get up and start living.
A bit about my grandmom.
She’s god’s favorite. No joke. In fact she has her favorite gods & goddesses too. She keeps switching what prayer songs she chants to which god and that’s how I can tell her mood without conversing with her.
If she’s talking out loud to Ram, it means, “I’m open, come sit with me. Tell me how you slept”. If she’s humming in devotion to Shiva, it means, “I had a rough night, let me lay my worries in your lap dear god, please”. & when it’s her best friend Saraswati, I know she’s conspiring another tea party with the goddesses. That’s what Maa Saraswati does best, brings order out of chaos.
Today she’s praying to Hanuman. I’m yet to find out what that means. I crawl out of the sheets. Like a lizard after nap time. Still figuring my hand-leg coordination.
You never know what is coming, so why get stuck in the same old routine?
Sometimes, it feels like we're fumbling in the dark, trying to find where each piece fits. Life needs nurturing and care to flourish. We plant seeds of hope, water them with love and kindness, and watch as they grow into something beautiful and unique. Every day, every moment, there's something new waiting for us, if we're willing to look. We've got to stay curious, keep exploring, because who knows what's around the corner? Life is a blink and you miss it kind of thing.
And then there's mornings like this one - quiet, unhurried, all mine.
A chance to read, to flow through my yoga practice, to write down these thoughts. It's in these moments of peace I feel most alive, most connected to the world around me.
I'm reminded of the incredible power we hold within us. The power to shape our world with the thoughts we choose to harbor.
In each moment, we have the freedom to craft our own reality, to paint our lives with love, kindness, and compassion. It's a gift, this ability to create heaven or hell with the workings of our mind.
And so, I choose love. Love for what is, for the beauty that surrounds me, and for the challenges that make me grow. Even in the midst of utter chaos, I find comfort in knowing that every experience is a lesson, a stepping stone on the path to self-discovery and the unfolding of my life. My grandmother always says in hindi “जो तुम्हारा है तुम्हें मिलकर ही रहेगा |” translated to - You Will Always Get What Is Yours.
Yes, life can be painful at times. A toothache, a parking ticket. But even in the face of discomfort, there's a silver lining, a lesson waiting to be learned, a chance to deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
As I grow up, nearing 25 years watching the sun in the sky, I’m learning to enjoy the highs and shake off the lows. Feel equally, joy and pain. If at all math can be applied to this. I am in the acceptance of life's inherent duality, I find peace. I find freedom. No matter what comes my way, I have the power to choose how I respond; to infuse each moment with love, gratitude, and an unwavering belief in the beauty of life itself.
How do you define a fulfilling life? Could you describe your perfect day? What actions can you take to ensure it becomes your most satisfying day?
Nature is brimming with poetry, if you just take the time to listen. This 9-page guide offers everything you need to dive into the beauty of nature with a poet’s eye. From choosing the right location to engaging all five senses, this guide will help you unlock the writing potential hidden in leaves, birdsongs, and morning dew. Bonus resources included for even more inspiration!
Another way to show your love for my work is to share my posts, buy me a coffee to help me travel to America, & leaving sweet comments under my posts🧡
Thank you Mohika, for your beautiful note beaming with hope. I really needed this. Right now. I am at the last leg of my Ph.D. , and I woke up feeling anxious about the looming deadlines. Your words felt like an assurance from the Universe that it's gonna be alright. So, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Sending you lots of love.
Sonali ❤️
I’m still figuring out what a fulfilling life looks like for me but I’m sure it involves a cup of freshly brewed coffee in the morning. Therefore, that is the only part of my day that I commit to unfailingly, the rest I’ll figure out in due time.
Beautiful piece, Mohika. I loved the vivid imagery you painted your words. It felt like I was in your house, in your grandma’s presence at some point.