"In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back." ~ Albert Camus 

These last few days a theme or rather an insight has struck me. It is that in the past one or two years every time something has happened, I have asked God why this lemon—why a lemon when I was asking for grapes? And as I look back it dawns on me that actually if my mind hadn't been so set on grapes and on the disappointment of not getting what I wanted, I would have actually realised that I had got something way better. Something that was so custom-designed for me that I questioned if it was good enough... but the more I stopped focusing on my disappointment and started looking at what I had got for what it was, I couldn't believe I had been so blind. I couldn't have planned for this because it was so out of the ordinary but we are so used to the ordinary, so used to fitting into well-laid out structures, so trained to want what we want... that we never dare to want something or appreciate something different. When it comes to us, we want to trade it for the ordinary. How dumb of us, isn't it? And people around you, mind you, will make you want to do the trade-off. They will make you want to believe that until you buy into the standard or ordinary, you don't have it good. It takes considerable reflection and examination to stand your ground. To evaluate lemons and grapes on their own terms and in terms of what fulfils you rather than the value placed on them by the world. And by mediocre folks who probably cannot rise above the ordinary anyway. 

I am leaving for China in day or so. It's likely I won't be able to post blogs while I am there... If I can, I should have exciting stuff to talk about... hehe... China has always been at the top of the list of countries I find intriguing and exciting and my two visits there aeons ago did not disappoint... If I can't, you have something to look forward to ;)