Get moodling to recharge your batteries
When I called up my cousin Sudeep recently, both of us lamented our busy lives consumed by daily chores and bogged down by work. He suggested a reunion of cousins to wash away the fatigue. The sheer idea of a casual holiday with family seemed divine.
In childhood, we cousins were inseparable buddies who shared silly secrets and stifled giggles as we gossiped and swore each other to eternal friendship. Then in the pre-net working era, we gradually got immersed in family commitments. But when we met after a long break, in an instant the hands of the clock turned back and we rode high on memories as we swapped ‘remember when’ stories of great conversations, inside jokes, unexpected pranks, hours of unbridled laughter and a world where strange quirks were accepted.
We sat in a quiet verdant resort, a complete urban detox, with no blaring TV, ringing cellphones or e-mail alerts chiming in the background. The human mind yearns for change. Getting away from the humdrum routine and meeting the extended family was rejuvenating and recharging. The reunion acted as a balm to the bruised body and strained soul. The words of Fyodor Dostoyevsky echoed in my heart, “I wanted peace, to be left alone in my underground world. Real life oppressed me with its novelty so much that I could hardly breathe.”
These days, planning a family get-together may not be easy, but it is practicable. This moodling time leads to happy, healthy and harmonious relationships.
At times when creativity seems to slip away, and stress levels go through the roof, one can either sit and brood or think of ways to regain one’s smile. Then it is time for moodling. The word comes from American author Brenda Ueland’s classic ‘If you want to Write: A book About Art, Independence and Spirit’ in which she observes, “So you see imagination needs moodling – long, inefficient, happy idling, dawdling and puttering”. It is a cogitating and composting time, which makes creativity bounce back. It can come from meeting your dear ones. In my case, it worked wonderfully.
After a short holiday with my cousins, I bounced back to my daily life with renewed energy, raring to execute my plans and projects.
Moodling is all about time spent in a state of flow be it reading a book, feasting on a rainbow, making a colourful mess, or honing your singing skills. Pamper yourself with any activity that engages you in something other than the mundane.
One of my friends, in her fifties, has been learning to paint. The rhythmic movement of the hands soothes her.
My maid of 20 years goes off to Mathura and Vrindavan after every three months, and returns with a plethora of sights and stories.
Moodling is an alternative activity that fertilises the imagination, and helps to overcome the high and low notes of life.
As children, we are naturally creative but as we grow older, anxieties and apprehensions creep in. We need to recharge our batteries by redirecting our attention to what is truly therapeutic.
So nourish your drooping spirits with Lord Alfred Tennyson, who said, ‘Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control, these three alone lead life to sovereign power.’ Happy moodling!
MOODLING IS ALL ABOUT TIME SPENT IN A STATE OF FLOW BE IT READING A BOOK, FEASTING ON A RAINBOW, MAKING A COLOURFUL MESS, OR HONING YOUR SINGING SKILLS. PAMPER YOURSELF WITH ANY ACTIVITY THAT ENGAGES YOU IN SOMETHING OTHER THAN THE MUNDANE