Listen.
Listen.
Listen.
Consciously listen.
Not just 'hear', but 'listen'.
(This is not a post about developing listening skills - which many experts have already written about)
😀
If you are the parent of a teenager, you would know what 'not listening' means.
Actually, leave the poor teenagers alone. We have all 'been there, done that'.
Parents talk... children use the ear-to-ear tunnel to let the words pass by without stimulating any of the brain cells that are responsible for listening.
So a series of wise words enter their system, gets converted to bla-bla and leave the system without any impact, whatsoever.
The bed does not get made, the empty cola can stays on the floor, the books remain scattered, the reading table is a mess, the clothes do not reach the washing machine on time and so on - you know what I mean.
- a classic, well-understood, generation-independent example of "not listening".
Well, we adults also do not listen much.
We talk.
...and because we have been around on this planet for a few decades, we think we know it all.
So we talk.
All we need is to 'hear' a few words...
That's it. Off we go.....
We talk.
😀
Example of a conversation that I just observed, a few weeks back.
A: I am trying to sell my house but....
B: Good decision and good timing. I sold mine last year, and I could get a decent price.
C: Actually these days, it is best not to have property in your name. Too many hassles - best to have the money in the bank.
D: Which bank would you recommend?
B: Well... all of them are frauds, only working for personal benefit.
C: I have this personal accountant who is very good, helped me last time.....when I was trying to make some investments.
'A' became silent and we happily moved on to the topic of investments or something else....
We are all so keen to tell OUR OWN stories, that we do not LISTEN much.
I have decided to 'listen' more this year - consciously.
Conscious listening is a beautiful experience.
The more I practice, the better it gets.
Amen.😀
Ok, now returning to the topic of food (did I ever move away from it? :-))...
I ended 2024 by making Lamb Biryani.
For the first time.
I thought I had outsourced the responsibility for life, but life had other plans.
Years back, Nanda Boudi had introduced me to the best Biryani and A-senior made me fall in love with it by repeatedly recreating her recipe.
Original Biryani post with recipe here.
I have been pondering over the idea of making it 'some day' - was just not happening.
I had the perfect rice but lacked confidence.
I had all the spices but did not dare to face the emotions.
I had the recipe but the memories blurred my vision every time.
...31st December 2024, I decided to cook it.
Gambatte kudasai!!!! 😀
I bought the meat.
I took out the handwritten recipe.
I prepared the spices.
..But I still hesitated.
Finally A-junior gave me the right push ...
"Ma ekdin jokhon banabei, why not TODAY?"
(If you have decided to make it someday, why not today?)
So I listened to my heart (pun intended) and made Lamb Biryani.
I could make it - a blessing.
The taste was good, A-junior and friends confirmed - a blessing.
We had friends around us to eat it with - a blessing.
This is a tribute to Nanda boudi and A-senior for the biryani they cooked for us and all the good time we had eating together.💕💕
I hope A-junior carries on this legacy recipe in his kitchen!!
'When people we love leave this world, they don’t leave us empty—they leave us full. Full of memories, full of lessons, full of love. And that love, even in their absence, has the power to sustain us, to heal us, and to remind us that they are never truly gone. They live on in us, in every step we take and every breath we draw.'
Life is beautiful- listen to your heart and Biryani will happen.
