Skip to main content

It's 100 - The Measure of Success

I seldom set off on a tour or a trek without a book. Books are my source of relaxation and a welcome diversion from the rigors of travel. On one such trip I found myself unwinding on a park bench overlooking a beautiful landscape. I reached for a book within my bag but soon realized that I had left the book behind at home. I had no other recourse but to pull out my mobile and start reading my own blog. 15-20 minutes later when I resumed my trek, the only feeling I had was that my blog made some sense, that for me was my first measure of success. 

Life gets very complicated when we refuse to understand or analyze the motivations behind our actions. Life Etc Etc should have been done years ago when a series of personal misfortunes rocked me. The blog and everything associated with it became the farthest thing on my mind during that period. While I was piecing my life together, I remembered something that my mother told me when I was at school. She advised me that things become easier to analyze and interpret once you put them on paper. I followed her advise diligently to figure out mathematical equations, chemical formulae, English grammar, logical reasoning questions..so on and so forth. Many years later at that critical juncture, I wondered why not follow the same method for figuring out life? 

I needed a medium to figure out life and it didn't take long for me to discover that Life Etc Etc was my go-to medium for filtering out my thoughts and laying the foundation for the way forward. Thus started the second chapter of not only my blog  but also my life. This chapter couldn't have taken off without a solid value system about which I talked at length in my 75th blog. Adhering to those values and reminding myself that I am not selling opinions every time I write a blog is a quality measure that I have for my success. 



Throughout the years I made it a point to never write this blog merely for adulation but whenever someone came back to me with a reply, feedback or observation about my blog it made my day. I cannot celebrate this 100th milestone without treasuring all my readers who have stayed firm with me over the years. Thank you for persevering with Life Etc Etc through all it's changes and manifestations.  Thank you for goading me to start writing when my next blog post was overdue. Thank you for adding your own experiences to my observations. Having all of you along with me on this expedition is a true measure of my success.

***

I got off at the Heathrow Aiport in London with a layover of almost a day before my next flight.  I had checked beforehand that hotels for overnight stay would be available around Terminal 5 of the airport. One particular Travelodge hotel attracted my attention based on the price and the amenities it offered. I made my way to Terminal 5 where I chanced upon a Hotel Reservation Kiosk. The Kiosk manager didn't work with the hotel I was interested in but was kind enough to help me procure shuttle tickets for the hotel and guided me to the exact spot where the shuttle would pick me up. The shuttle came soon enough and I boarded it along with an elderly couple. When I presented my ticket, the couple realized they had to purchase tickets prior to departure and that they could only pay in cash for the tickets on the shuttle. Since they didn't have the requisite foreign exchange they had no other option but to get off and wait for the next shuttle. I wondered what would have happened to me had I not run into the helpful Kiosk manager. 

My day wasn't done yet, I received a rude jolt at the hotel when the receptionist told me that they didn't accept walk-ins and that I had to book online prior to checking in. I was in a very awkward spot, the data plan on my phone was running out which meant I faced the possibility of returning to the airport and spending my night there. Destiny smiles upon you when you least expect it, a lady from amongst the customers who were checking in noticed my predicament and handed me her phone. "Here Dear! take my phone and finish your booking", I was startled by her generosity but jumped at the opportunity. I finished my booking soon enough and was duly checked in. I couldn't thank the lady enough for her magnanimity. She in her inimitable style just said "That's alright dear. You needed a place to rest for the night and I am glad I could be of some help".

Today morning, while I was recounting the sequence of events I understood a lot of good that happens in our life is not due to intellect or talent but just down to pure serendipity. I could have easily missed the Hotel Kiosk and could have ended up in the Airport without a room for the night. Yet I received the help exactly when I needed it. I take this piece of good fortune both as a blessing and as a learning which I can put to use during my future trips. As I am penning this blog an elderly gentleman who was waiting along with me at the Airport Lounge approached me with a network issue on his phone and I helped him connect to the Airport Wi-Fi. Maybe this is my way of paying it forward. Tipping my hat to life as I try to comprehend it's magic is probably my measure of success. 

I started Life Etc Etc as a student in Canada. I retired it almost in India before restarting it. I continued it in Canada before writing it's 100th post in England. A tale of three continents, a saga of several experiences and a journey of a lifetime. My romance with life continues and that ladies and gentlemen is definitely my measure of success. 

Until Next Time,

Yours Contently,

Chaitanya J.J.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Mahabharata by C.Rajagopalachari

There are books which you read and then there are books which make you read them and change your life. Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari's (Rajaji's) Mahabharata belongs to the latter category. Mahabharata introduced me to the joy of reading books as a kid and today I couldn't have picked a better topic for my 25th post. I cannot describe what a pleasure and honor it is to extol the virtues of this classic book during this holy festive season of  Makar Sankranti . Mahabharata by C.Rajagopalachari The story of Mahabharata is as old as the mountains and has been retold several times. Mahabharata by Rajaji however stands out in my mind because here is a story which is spiritual yet not religious, is thought provoking yet not preachy, is compelling yet not tedious. The story left an indelible impression upon me for several reasons which are: Rajaji uses extremely simple language to convey some of the finer aspects of the saga. I was 10 years old when I read Mahabharata
7 comments
Read more

KBR National Park

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the fifth largest city in India - Hyderabad lies KBR (Kasu Brahmananda Reddy) National Park . It's difficult to imagine a natural habitat in the center of a concrete jungle but that's exactly what KBR park is - an oasis in middle of an urban desert . One of Hyderabad's prized tourist attractions which in my opinion doesn't get the attention it deserves. The Entrance I don't remember when I first noticed the park but it soon became a sight which I couldn't miss during the course of my everyday commute to work. I always wondered what lay beyond the entrance but never found the time to check it out for myself until last year. But let me back up a bit, there's a back story to my first visit to the park. In my ' Count Your Blessings ' post, I talked about how a walk around my office building started a positive change in my life. That incident made ' walking ' a fixture in my everyday ro
21 comments
Read more

Zamarrud Theatre Hyderabad

More than two decades ago a 5 year old boy (yours truly) found himself in Abids which was certainly then the microcosm of Hyderabad. Abids in the 80s <Courtesy: OkaTeluguAbbayi > The occasion was a family outing to Zamarrud Cinema. And we are stepping out for not just any movie my friends, my parents decided that nothing less than the Raj Kapoor blockbuster Chori Chori was good enough for us. To be honest I wasn't exactly enthused about watching a black and white film of a bygone era even though the movie had all the credentials of a classic. But that was before I saw Zamarrud, the theatre where the movie was being played. Nested in the heart of Abids, Zamarrud was the perfect amalgamation of Hyderabad's old world charm and new fangled ways. Zamarrud was not just any theatre, it was one of the first air conditioned halls in Hyderabad, a premiere cinema hall which used to host the best of what the film industry had to offer and the place to go for Hyderabad'
6 comments
Read more

Chhatrapati Shivaji Biography - Challenging Destiny by Medha Deshmukh-Bhaskaran

I guess it was destiny that the 150th post of Life Etc Etc had to be about Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Shivaji rose like a phoenix from humble beginnings in the 17th century and laid the foundation for the Maratha empire which changed the course of  history. The history I studied at school restricted his life and achievements to a single chapter and quite erroneously credited the British Rule with the decline of the Mughal empire. I found out later on that it was in fact the Marathas under the able leadership of Shivaji who hastened the Mughal empire's downfall. They were the preeminent power whom the British had to checkmate in order to wrest control of the Indian subcontinent. Despite such monumental achievements my history syllabi had very little information about Shivaji. It was therefore a no-brainer for me to pick up this book and discover for myself why the history of India would never be complete without the mention of Shivaji.  In order to understand any historical c
Post a Comment
Read more

Black Eagle (1988)

I have a soft corner in my heart for the action films of the eighties . I am also a huge fan of movies where stars are cast against type ( see Vera Cruz ). So, when I got a chance to watch 1988's  Black Eagle  pitting international action star Jean-Claude Van Damme as the 'villain' against acclaimed martial arts guru Sho Kosugi ,   I just couldn't let it pass by. Black Eagle 1988 Plot When a US F-111 jet carrying a laser tracking device goes missing in the Mediterranean, agent Ken Tani (Sho Kosugi) code-named ' Black Eagle ' is summoned to retrieve the device before the Soviet KGB acquires it. Ken unwillingly lands in Malta and is immediately targeted by Soviet Agent Andrei (Jean-Claude Van Damme). Will Ken acquire the tracking device? Who wins? (Guess that answer is obvious!) The Cliches Cliches are the life and soul of action movies. When you have a martial arts movie in the spy genre those cliches only double. So here are all the noteworthy cli
3 comments
Read more