Birthdays have always been a big important thing for me. It excites me
every single year. But maybe this year it excited me a bit too much.
Cause at the end of the day, i was in tears with a sure feeling that it
was one of the worst 28th June ever. :'(
Since a year back, i had promised myself that i would do at least something good on my birthdays every year from now on. My purpose was basically to spread smiles; more importantly to the less fortunate ones. Which is then, i visited an orphanage full of innocent and very well disciplined children on my birthday last year. Along with my mother, my sisters and a friend, we took a white-forest flavored cake, sweets, and essential goodies for them. Seeing their glowing smiley faces, i couldn't be more proud of my decision at the end of that day. :)
This year, with my special day already on the verge of arriving but still no ideas popping into my head, i was worried. But thankfully, a gracious woman named Robyn Bomar came to my rescue. I don't exactly remember how but i happened to visit her blog where i read a very inspiring article. Robyn on her 38th birthday, went out with her family and did 38 Random Act of Kindness for every year of her life thus far. Woah! That beautiful woman won my heart in just a click. And right then, i knew i had found the perfect way to make others happy on my happy day. :)
And so on the morning of 'the' day, with a smiley heart and an energetic soul, i went out on the streets with my best friend. All set to perform 22 Random Act of Kindness. But thanks to the scorching 33 degree summer sun, the never-ending traffic jam of Kathmandu, and also because of the very limited time, we returned home all worn out and 'amusingly yet irritatingly' sunburned with only 7 deeds ticked on the list. With frowned faces, we thought that maybe we should have had planned it out more carefully. I was very very very upset. :(
Then at home, the continuous all day long cooking led to a tired body and the unexpected/unwanted guests dropping by led to a tired mind. Everything was so hectic. It was certainly not surprising when most of my friends remarked on how stressed i looked by the time they arrived. And to top it all, i happened to hurt one of my loved one at the end of the day. I swear it was very UN-intended but i guess my mind was in too much a chaotic state to have realized making that mistake. It left me in terrible regret and guilt. There i was wanting to spread smiles, but instead i made somebody cry. As soon as my friends left, i let it all out. All the tears i was holding back all that time. I'm sure you know how when one thing hurts, we tend to remember all the reasons why our life is not perfect. Well, that's what happened to me that night. I felt pathetic and unlucky and lonely. Like i will never do anything right. Like i will never be successful. Like i will never be loved. In one sentence, i screwed up my own birthday.
My 22nd year on Earth certainly did not start on a happy note. At least not anything like i had expected it to. And that scares me with the feeling that the rest of the year is going to be like how it started. But still, there is this optimistic part of me that foolishly wants to believe that God has good things in store for me. Because for quite some time now, i have been in constant struggle with my career, with my weight issues and with my love life. But i continue fighting for each of those cause i know that i will succeed. Sooner or later, but i will. God cannot be that cruel.
Thank you to each one of you who wished me and to each one of my friends who came and joined me in my celebration. To my best friend who helped me financially for the deeds, who suffered the sunburns along with me and who patiently comforted me as i poured out my wounded heart at night. And especially to each of my family members for allowing me waste a whole lot of hard-earned money every year on my birthday and yet still not complaining about it. I am truly blessed to have you all in my life. :')
Before ending my post, i would here like to share the 'only' 7 deeds we did that morning.
1.) Every time i pass the streets of New Road, my eye catches this middle aged visually-impaired guy who sits on a plastic sack and plays the 'maadal'. I knew the first thing in my list was to go to him. So, i bought him samosas and a bottle of mineral water and gave it to him which he happily ate that very moment. I could feel his hunger. But i was glad i could give him at least that much. :)
2.) The next act we did was; we bought 5 bottles of refrigerated mineral water and distributed it to people who deserved it. People like rickshaw pullers and footpath store owners who works hard under that harsh angry sun. To quench off their thirst. :)
3.) We bought a copy of the Kantipur Daily and placed it on the top of a random cab, thinking that the driver could read it while waiting for passengers. I hope he was happy to see it when he returned back to his ride. :)
4.) How lucky we would feel if we find an unscratched recharge card lying somewhere, wouldn't we? Well, we hope we made somebody feel lucky by placing one in a corner of a small temple. For them kindred soul who prays. :)
5.) Who wouldn't be happy with sweet treats? Anyone and Everyone. Especially small kids. And more specially, kids who can never afford to buy them. So we got this small street boy a Nutty Snickers bar. You should have seen the excitement on his face. :)
6.) Our next stop was Cafe Hessed in Jawalakhel where we bought a pretty little chocolate cupcake and left it right there as we instructed the shop owner to give it to the first person who walks through that door. :)
7.) As for the final act, i did what i knew best. What i love doing the most. Making children happy. So with tubs of strawberry flavored ice-cream, off we went to a neighborhood Montessori. They were so happy they even sang a birthday song for me. Twice. :)
True they say that when we do good, we feel good. Even though i failed in doing my 22 Random Acts of Kindness, i am content that i managed to do at least 7. Something is definitely better than nothing. Spreading a few smiles is better than spreading none. :)
Just like Robyn Bomar inspired me to do such kind deeds, i hope you also get inspired by me. To help those in need. To make people happy. To make this world a more beautiful place for everyone. :)
Till my next post, Eat-Pray-Love !
:D
Since a year back, i had promised myself that i would do at least something good on my birthdays every year from now on. My purpose was basically to spread smiles; more importantly to the less fortunate ones. Which is then, i visited an orphanage full of innocent and very well disciplined children on my birthday last year. Along with my mother, my sisters and a friend, we took a white-forest flavored cake, sweets, and essential goodies for them. Seeing their glowing smiley faces, i couldn't be more proud of my decision at the end of that day. :)
This year, with my special day already on the verge of arriving but still no ideas popping into my head, i was worried. But thankfully, a gracious woman named Robyn Bomar came to my rescue. I don't exactly remember how but i happened to visit her blog where i read a very inspiring article. Robyn on her 38th birthday, went out with her family and did 38 Random Act of Kindness for every year of her life thus far. Woah! That beautiful woman won my heart in just a click. And right then, i knew i had found the perfect way to make others happy on my happy day. :)
And so on the morning of 'the' day, with a smiley heart and an energetic soul, i went out on the streets with my best friend. All set to perform 22 Random Act of Kindness. But thanks to the scorching 33 degree summer sun, the never-ending traffic jam of Kathmandu, and also because of the very limited time, we returned home all worn out and 'amusingly yet irritatingly' sunburned with only 7 deeds ticked on the list. With frowned faces, we thought that maybe we should have had planned it out more carefully. I was very very very upset. :(
Then at home, the continuous all day long cooking led to a tired body and the unexpected/unwanted guests dropping by led to a tired mind. Everything was so hectic. It was certainly not surprising when most of my friends remarked on how stressed i looked by the time they arrived. And to top it all, i happened to hurt one of my loved one at the end of the day. I swear it was very UN-intended but i guess my mind was in too much a chaotic state to have realized making that mistake. It left me in terrible regret and guilt. There i was wanting to spread smiles, but instead i made somebody cry. As soon as my friends left, i let it all out. All the tears i was holding back all that time. I'm sure you know how when one thing hurts, we tend to remember all the reasons why our life is not perfect. Well, that's what happened to me that night. I felt pathetic and unlucky and lonely. Like i will never do anything right. Like i will never be successful. Like i will never be loved. In one sentence, i screwed up my own birthday.
My 22nd year on Earth certainly did not start on a happy note. At least not anything like i had expected it to. And that scares me with the feeling that the rest of the year is going to be like how it started. But still, there is this optimistic part of me that foolishly wants to believe that God has good things in store for me. Because for quite some time now, i have been in constant struggle with my career, with my weight issues and with my love life. But i continue fighting for each of those cause i know that i will succeed. Sooner or later, but i will. God cannot be that cruel.
Thank you to each one of you who wished me and to each one of my friends who came and joined me in my celebration. To my best friend who helped me financially for the deeds, who suffered the sunburns along with me and who patiently comforted me as i poured out my wounded heart at night. And especially to each of my family members for allowing me waste a whole lot of hard-earned money every year on my birthday and yet still not complaining about it. I am truly blessed to have you all in my life. :')
Before ending my post, i would here like to share the 'only' 7 deeds we did that morning.
1.) Every time i pass the streets of New Road, my eye catches this middle aged visually-impaired guy who sits on a plastic sack and plays the 'maadal'. I knew the first thing in my list was to go to him. So, i bought him samosas and a bottle of mineral water and gave it to him which he happily ate that very moment. I could feel his hunger. But i was glad i could give him at least that much. :)
2.) The next act we did was; we bought 5 bottles of refrigerated mineral water and distributed it to people who deserved it. People like rickshaw pullers and footpath store owners who works hard under that harsh angry sun. To quench off their thirst. :)
3.) We bought a copy of the Kantipur Daily and placed it on the top of a random cab, thinking that the driver could read it while waiting for passengers. I hope he was happy to see it when he returned back to his ride. :)
4.) How lucky we would feel if we find an unscratched recharge card lying somewhere, wouldn't we? Well, we hope we made somebody feel lucky by placing one in a corner of a small temple. For them kindred soul who prays. :)
5.) Who wouldn't be happy with sweet treats? Anyone and Everyone. Especially small kids. And more specially, kids who can never afford to buy them. So we got this small street boy a Nutty Snickers bar. You should have seen the excitement on his face. :)
6.) Our next stop was Cafe Hessed in Jawalakhel where we bought a pretty little chocolate cupcake and left it right there as we instructed the shop owner to give it to the first person who walks through that door. :)
7.) As for the final act, i did what i knew best. What i love doing the most. Making children happy. So with tubs of strawberry flavored ice-cream, off we went to a neighborhood Montessori. They were so happy they even sang a birthday song for me. Twice. :)
True they say that when we do good, we feel good. Even though i failed in doing my 22 Random Acts of Kindness, i am content that i managed to do at least 7. Something is definitely better than nothing. Spreading a few smiles is better than spreading none. :)
Just like Robyn Bomar inspired me to do such kind deeds, i hope you also get inspired by me. To help those in need. To make people happy. To make this world a more beautiful place for everyone. :)
Till my next post, Eat-Pray-Love !
:D
