Retail Therapy....works...

Yes yes...it does work for me !! Ya, today was one of those days where I was missing home, missing friends and generally missing being busy! And it was also one of those days where I truly understood the meaning of the age old adage...."An empty mind is a devils workshop"...so no matter what I did today, the negative thoughts kept returning....and the more I thought...the more negative they got.....No amount of watching fun shops, reading fun stuff...nothing helped...

So I decided I needed some fresh air and since the fresh air was so hot, I decided I would not mind some conditioned air as well..and decided to indulge in some shopping...well it was nothing much....and no...it wasn't the usual clothes or shoes...though I did end up buying two t-shirts, but that was only because they were on sale and I need something light when I run (well..and then its about time to even put an update on the running bit)....and in such moments of mindless buying I keep wondering whether I've turned shopaholic and then the very thought takes me to happy thoughts of all the Sophie Kinsella books and with a smile on my face I return to the shopping...

I bought very small things today...mostly all grocery and stationery (of course those who know me well, will probably wonder, if i can ever shop without buying some stationery...be it even a small pen), but even that managed to lift up my spirits..and I came home refreshed - and even home seemed brighter and cooler..!

So here I am looking forward to tomorrow - with new hopes and plans..!!!

Of Rainbows, Colours & Hope.....

It was the first time I was away from home, many years ago...in a place with no friends, a project to complete and no place to go...so basically very lonely and terribly homesick. I had been like this for the entire first week and was not at all looking forward to that weekend when suddenly while getting out of office on Friday evening I spotted a rainbow. The site was amazing and somehow immediately lifted my spirits...something nice and lucky is about to happen I thought! I stood there unable to contain my enthusiasm for the next few minutes pointing it to everyone who passed by and then I just couldn't stop smiling during the whole bus ride home and for the next two months that I was in that town..life was suddenly on a roll...

From then on I've always believed that a rainbow is a signal...someone up their telling us that "he" (ok "she" for the feminists among us) is very happy and has pulled out his water colours to express the joy and is signalling to us as well that we should be happy and everything will be alright!

Colours release some happy hormones into the body i think..that's why all these bright colours have a happy effect on me!! But I wasn't always a "Colour" person. I went through most of my teenage proclaiming white, black & grey to my colours! So when I look back now my wardrobe was probably dull with a capital D. I remember squirming when my parents tried to get some red into my room when it was being done up and another time when I read somewhere that "Yellow" was my lucky colour...I mean yellow?? - jaundice was all I could associate with it.... 

                                              

Colour came to me a little later in life - during B school thanks to two very dear friends (P &S). I don't think it was anything conscious on their part, but within the first year reds, maroons, greens and may I add a little yellow as well started making inroads into the black and whites. My mom was most ecstatic..!!! Though I must add I have a special affinity for black for the slimming effect it has and don't think that will ever go..!!

But finally I knew things had changed when "YELLOW" actual did become my favourite and lucky colour and S and I went looking around town for yellow socks...and we didn't really find the shade we wanted then...or maybe our student pockets couldn't afford the place that had the shade..but over the years I got many shades of yellow socks...and many many more colours...and each time I wear that I'm thankful to those who got the colour into my life. I think all I needed was a little confidence to wear the colours that I loved rather than be nondescript in black and grey....!

                                                    

So on a dull and boring rainy day...pull out the orange, red and yellow and see your day lighten up!!