The little black dot
Apologies if you have come here looking for a post to read. This will soon appear in my 3rd book called 'A 2nd Jar of Bubblegums and Candies'. I had to remove it as making it available online would be very unfair to my publishers who have placed so much trust in me.
I hope your children feel better soon, and that the business trip is short!
ReplyDeleteYou could be talking right to me, when you are talking about not only focusing on the little black dot....
I'm trying to be better! :)
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ReplyDeleteits true..
ReplyDeletejust a slight movement of percieving life makes a huge difference isint it..
is like what they say in the song from this new movie"jaane tu ya jaane na"
"me kahoon glass aadha khali..
woh kahe aadha bhara..,me kahoon din hai to woh kahe raat nahi..baat to bus wahi hai na.. phir koi baat nahi.."
same issue.. same thing, just a slightly changed "angle" :)
aww..shucks...both kids down with viral? that can be so draining for both you and them...this too will pass...
ReplyDeleteand yes, its all a matter of perspective...you can choose to dwell on that black spot or you can choose not to...that seems to be my mantra these days...growing older sure is making me smarter...
have a great week :)
Sue: Me too :)
ReplyDeleteSwathy: Yeah--my dad used to always talk about the glss being half empty or half full.
Suma: Of course it will :) While it does is the hard part :)
U too have a good week.
Strangely the first thing I did when I saw the black dot, was to make it the centre of a flower....draw petals around it...bright and colorful...
ReplyDeleteThats how life is....its upto us to draw the colors in them...the centre can be anything...dark, deep, mysterious or just plain blank....
How are the kiddos now? Hugs to the very exhausted momma....and more for the lil ones....
take care
I hope they get well really soon. Right now I'm dealing with viral relapse of Anirudh and man handling one child is so difficult so I can truly imagine what you are going through.
ReplyDeleteSo what did that friend say? Probably I will also learn to look it in another light :)
yeah I can just imagine the situation but u seem to have it in control:-).
ReplyDeletep.s - Black dot theory is bang on target
Same like this, if a small stone kept closer to our eyes will look bigger, if you take it away ...it will become smaller!
ReplyDeletebig picture view is what keeps us going... but the devil is always in the details!!!
ReplyDeleteIf one looks at any relationship for that matter, a big picture view may convey happiness.... but it's the small squabbles that make a difference...
Arjun: Small dots add depth and definition, and a meaning to the big picture. :)
ReplyDeleteSri: yes--The stone is always the same size though.
Reflections: I sure hope so!;-)
NM: We just had a general chat..Nothing in specific.But what i was trying to say it helped me not to focus on black dot.Hope Anirudh gets better soon.
Prats: True--one can make flowers out of it.They are much better today..thank you.
My husband, my house help and my one year old were all down with viral fever this weekend. I can surely relate to what you went through. But just like you said, I kept reminding myself of the bigger picture and everyone is much better today :)
ReplyDeleteWell said Preeti.
ReplyDeleteAnd u are lucky again. Wish your children a speedy recovery to add more colours to the white expanse of your world.
Hey Preeti,
ReplyDeleteReally nice post...keep paintin..splashes from your painting..paints a lil of my white board!!
As a child we all learned how Arjun could only see the eye of the bird, and w were all told to similarly concentrate on our goals and shut out everything else. But yes the big picture is also important. Seeing only an eye is of no sense. I also need to see the bird and the tree where its sitting
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post....thank you and hope the kids are fit again...
ReplyDeleteGood to know the kids are feeling better...hope they shipshape and running around soon :)
ReplyDeleteI think the black dots accentuates the better things which we experience in life..its a reminder of the value of white space..
ReplyDeleteRightly said P! Difficult to practice though!
ReplyDeleteVery inspiring post! :)
ReplyDeleteHow are the kids now?? Hope they are doing fine...
ReplyDeleteAnd the post was great! Thought Provoking indeed.
There wont b any problems in life if we start practising this philosophy of the black dot.
Tk Cr
Glad to hear the kids are doing well and I hope you're getting some rest as well.
ReplyDeleteAs for those black dots, I really hate seeing them on my driving license :p
Thank you for the post, I'm gonna try n make the glass look half full again.
Preeti,
ReplyDeleteI can well understand time you must have gone through. After bringing up our 2 now it is 3 of theirs who make us sit up. A word of advice, never let temperature cross 102. Moment it goes beyond start cold compress without delay.
Take care
Tough time indeed..n ya the Black Dot theory is wonderful! will do my best to put it to practice in real life.
ReplyDeleteGlad to know the kids are better.. Hope they resume runnin n playing n screamin n troubling u(in the nice way) with too much of action rather than No action soon :P
pavi: I think that will take a while as they are only marginally better..and thanks!
ReplyDeleteJack:Thanks for that--yes I am sponging them regularly.
Still thinking: :-) Glad to hear that
Akanksha:Thanks--they are better than yesterday.
Sameera:welcome to my blog and thanks!
Pointblank:One HAS to practise it then one will be happy :)
Mathew:Very rightly said.
ReplyDeleteSMM: I hope so too..
Ceedy:thanks--I hope so too.
Prakhar:Thanks for that lovely comment!
Hari:Thank you.
SS: Yes--and i hope tomo is a bit better.Its awful when everyone is down isn't it?
Glad to hear that the kids are doing better. I guess sometimes we can't help but looking at some black dots. What's important is not to let our gaze linger on them for too long. Great post PS.
ReplyDeletePink dogwood:very rightly said that the gaze should not linger long.
ReplyDeletesometimes you need a bolt of lightening (or atleast a small spark) to make you unfocus from that black dot..
ReplyDeleteI needed this...
Thanks :-)
I like your new blog picture - very cute :)
ReplyDeleteso glad the kids are doing better. your teacher was right, it is so true that we only tend to focus on that teeny black dot and forget all the good things that exist around it, i try not to do that, but it's surely not easy at times :-)
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteGood post..But sometimes how much ever I try..I tend to focus on the DOT..Its like the black dot getting replaced by a white dot..!!Later on it all feels silly..I should try harder I guess..btw..nice foto..:)
Geets.
very philosophical... but very nicely put... its funny how teachers say the right thing in the right way... probably thats why they are teachers...
ReplyDeleteThat's right! We should focus on the bigger picture.
ReplyDeleteGlad the kids are doing better.
i am one of those grumpy ones, i think, and this is timely - will remember the black dot theory.
ReplyDeletehope the kids get well soon!
Surrounding with friends who help us to look at the brighter side of the life is a blessing. Great post!!!
ReplyDeleteGood to know that ur kids are better now. Have a nice day!!
Cheers:-)
it is exhausting to look after ...
ReplyDeleteu have done it
after they get well
u relax
cheers
My mom had also faced the same situation when my father was out of station. Don't know how she handled me when I cried due to suffering in the midnight.
ReplyDeletecouldnt help saying this..
ReplyDeleteits the little black dots that creates beauty in Niall's white space..Porbably the only person who wouldnt be able to agree with the post..hehehe..
;-P
One of my teachers did something similar way back when...
ReplyDeleteThe only difference being that there was an almost imperceptible white dot at the centre.
Most of us answered that we could only see a big black dot while a few answered that they could see the light at the end of the tunnel...
:)
ReplyDeletegood to know they are doing better!
i too keep telling everyone the same thing! how can you fret so much over petty stuff when there is so much good to be experienced! the good that can easily wipe out these small black dots!!
great post!
cheers!
abha
so true...
ReplyDeleteglad to know that the kids are getting better
That was a much-needed dose of optimism! It's all about perception right?
ReplyDeleteBeen a long time since I read such a feel-good post. Thanks!
And yeah you rock! :D
I like the black dot theory. And nice blog.
ReplyDeleteWonderfully written!
ReplyDeleteAll the best for d black dot! :) I really have learnt a lot today! Maybe I will write about it after many years..."There was a blog which had an article about a black dot theory..." :-)
I'm glad they're doing better. This is the kind of thing that is true at every age, anywhere and any time in the history of the World :) But I'm sure you're thankful to your teacher.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, what a lovely new profile picture you have :)
How did i miss ur blog all these days..!! just came across ur blog on orkut...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, this post really got me thinking, imagining and recollecting abt the 'good-past'.
'Observe the 'black', Feel the 'white', as the presence of black makes the white look more meaningful and enjoyable.'
Cheers..!!
Arjun
ahh good to know that the kids r feeling better...
ReplyDeleteYa its so true that everyone focuses on the black dots in life....well true that i ma learning to look at the bigger picture and learning to to bother with the silly little things...
B'ful blog template... nice one :-)
ReplyDeleteand dnt worry u r childrens wil be alright soon
New Post :
मेरी पहली कविता...... अधूरा प्रयास
Wow!! Your post made me add you to my blog roll :)
ReplyDeleteAm sure your kids will be alright...
Hi Preeti, Guess Atul & Purvi are bouncing back to health. Hugs to you & to both of them. The black Dot does come in life just to make you aware that More and more bright days like you have enjoyed earlier are to be enjoyed in future too. Take care.
ReplyDeleteRajashree
Black dots are not easy to spot though, I mean, sometimes it takes time for me to recognize that what I am focusing on is actually a black dot and not the bigger picture. I need someone to poke me and tell me. But it is always so relieving when I know that there is more to life.
ReplyDeleteOkaaaaayyyy....an ambiguous comment here. :)
Hope-loaded post.
A get-well-soon kiss for the kids.
Take care!
Adi Crazy: It made perfect sense to me! :)
ReplyDeleteRajashree:Thanks! And thans for showing my blog to Prabhu Uncle too.
Varun:Thank you! One has recovered and is going to school.The other one is getting there too :)
Rohit:Thank you.
Arjun:Thank you! :) yes i agree--its the presence of black that makes us appreciate the white.
Devil Mood:Thanks!It was clicked by Satish when we were saliling on river Nile--maybe the magic of Nile shows in the picture :-)
ReplyDeletePranay:Thanks for all the wonderful comments you have been leaving on my blog and glad you liked it :-)
Akshaya:thank you!
Hari:Thanks for the much needed morale boost!:-) And yeah--its all about perception.
Gazal:Thanks!
ReplyDeleteMama-mia:Sometimes the black dots seem larger than life--thats why it is hard is guess.
Scotty:That was a very interesting addition to the black dot theory.I really liked it.
Mathew: Each dot of Niall's is PLANNED and PRECISE unlike the black ones that crop up randomly.:-)
Manasa:Handling one is tough enough :-)Handling two is nightmare!!
Uma: Thanks for the comment--and yes--i somehow struggle--Friends help too :-)
Karthik:Friends are indeed a blessing.
ReplyDeleteDharmabum:Well--hope you focus less on the black ones.
Solitaire:Thanks.
Siddarth.Yes--perhaps!
Ranjini:Not easy at all--i agree.We have to constantly remind ourselves.
Pink Dogwood:Thanks :-) Satish clicked it when we were cruising river Nile.
See this is why I lurk..:)
ReplyDeleteDarn, that touch of the wand really worked. So here I am leaving a comment... love ur posts. Ur knack of putting things in perspective... awsome. I'm an optimist myself... so I totally agree, the glass is always full, tho there are times when I go thru the poor me phase too. 3 kids with a hubby in the merchant navy pretty much puts things in proper perspective.
ReplyDeleteCheers!!
P.S. I ahve to thank Guru for leading me to ur posts. My gain.
ReplyDeleteHow true Indeed !
ReplyDeleteVery rarely one gets a person as a friend,mentor,or whatever in ones life..One should be lucky i guess or is it one just that one puts blinkers on, in not trying to identify one !!
TC
CU
Hi Ps How are you doing? Thanks for this wisdom At the moment a lot of things are happening for me. Many good things but I was just focussing on one little thing that didn't want to go well. This lesson came in the right moment Thanks. I wish you a great day
ReplyDeleteHi Di,
ReplyDeleteThanks for that "HI"
Check what it did to my blog page!!
:) :) :)
have a nice weekend!!
:)
An excellent post again...btw i went thorugh your poems and jus loved them...after reading them i was inspired 2 try n rite one...so i have...:)
ReplyDeletehttp://jus-like-tat.blogspot.com/2008/08/success.html
do chk it wen u hav time...thanx...:)
n btw i hav mentioned rudyard kipling as the author of "IF" now...:)
True... Missing the forest for the tree is so common for this day and age....
ReplyDeleteAnd yet, I am reminded how there is a story to every saying... a counter-moral for every moral... Like 'Birds of a feather flock together' v/s 'Opposites attract', and 'Look before you leap' v/s 'He who hesitates is lost'...
When I read your story on the black dot, I was reminded of that old textbook tale where Arjuna is being coached, and how he is the only one focused enough to fire his arrow... Drona decides this when he finds that Arjuna is only able to see the specific target - the eye of a bird - and NOTHING else...
Here's a link to the tale...
Geetha:Which is why? Didnt get you!
ReplyDeleteMia Adam:Heh heh--Glad the wand worked!
CU: one should sometimes take off the blinkers, i guess.
Marja: Whatever it is it shall soon pass. I wish you luck.
Swathy: did! :) :)
Manoj;Thank you!Glad it inspired you.
Hammy: Yes--there is a corollary to everything.What is important is to know when to use what! :)Thanks for the link.(I have read the story before)
Geetha: Thanks so much for mailing me!! Amends made madam! As regards balck dot becoming a white dot--yes--sometimes it does happen.It is only human.It is not possible to be positive and happy ALL the time.I am sure even Robin Sharma has his moments of sadness and negativity.The thing is one has to quickly come out of it.
ReplyDeletei'll keep this one in mind....the "bigger picture" rather than the minuscule black dot...
ReplyDelete