Those who don't believe in magic won't find it.
Hello cuties.
The world is a strange, specially-lit place. Moments unravel out of nowhere. Colours that looked dull just moments ago pop up now in technicolour. Sounds that felt like background noise moments ago hit a chord in my little heart, when I’m paying attention to myself and how I want to grow.
Is it the world’s magic? Is it just my eyes? Yes. Yes. Look up.
Some cute moments, below. (Some are more funny “strange” than funny “haha”, but I LOL at many things.)
~
Man with Snake
The other day, I ran into a man on our corner holding three giant snakes. One took up all of his backpack, having fun. I asked the man if he’d always loved snakes.
“Yes!” he replied. “I’ve always loved snakes! I couldn’t wait to become an adult so that I could finally get my own snake! In fact, I couldn’t wait to have kids so that I could get THEM snakes! The one in the backpack is my 10-y-o son’s.”
There you have it, ladies and gents - one of the lesser known benefits of having a child.
~
Walking Around With Pans Is a Good Way to Strike Up Conversation
I was walking back from a Thingses store a few blocks away (hardware store, more commonly called) with a new pot, because I’d just irreparably burned mine making chai. Don’t ask.
You won’t believe the number of older ladies that struck up conversation with me during my walk back.
“I love that pot! It’s beautiful!” (Is it? Thank you, Thingses store.)
“I just bought that pot!”
“Are you trying to shield yourself?”
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John Just John meets Raha
There is a man who joins my Bollywood cardio classes when he can sneak out of his muscle class.
“Hi, I’m Raha,” I introduced myself.
“Is Raha short for something?” he asked.
“No it is not,” I replied. “Is John short for something?”
“No,” he replied. “I HATE it when people call me Jonathan!!!!!! Why on earth do people keep assuming that?”
Amen, John.
~
No Iftar for You
I accompanied my dear friend Humera to the first iftar of the year last month. We went to a restaurant that had a Ramadan special, sweetly enough. Not so sweetly enough, they had managed to run out of it by the time fasting had ended for the day and iftar had begun. (Oddly, the server in training thought that fasting BEGAN at iftar. Sorry to burst your bubble, if not your business model!)
I’ve noticed 2 things in this little life:
The world comes into technicolour when I am making a life pivot (voluntarily or involuntarily) that forces me to grow. I begin to hear things more closely, and see brighter colours. Strange.
The more consistent moves I make in line with my intuition and the world I want to create, the more consistently the world comes alive to me. (Note that these are from not just big pivots, but also little daily moves to build out of responsiveness to the moment - like making this wonderful newsletter, or chats with momma, or teaching dance, or navigating difficult moments with intentionality, or coaching wonderful people). Also strange.
How do I explain this sudden/gradual technicolour to myself? When my deeper intuitions align with responsiveness to the current moment, my growth mindset comes alive. It’s almost like my mind’s chatter gets out of its own way, so that I can build and pay attention to myself and the world around me.
Features of a growth mindset:
We begin to ask “how”, rather than “if” or “until”;
We feel a deeper sense of alignment with our Why (the intersection of our super-strengths, our value-add, and the way that we come alive in the everyday), which leads down paths of compounding beauty and intensity that can’t be replicated, and that feel deeply sustainable.
Non-value-add comparisons fall into irrelevance. It’s startling, how much a deep sense of self-curiosity can unclog the mind. Meaningful comparisons flower, which expose us to people and moments that align with our intuitions and desires for growth. This results in a “How?” reflex, and a desire to build together or alongside each other.
Our past becomes something to marvel at, insofar as every moment of paying attention within it has led us on this path - and to these delicious realizations.
Our future feels full of both unknown possibility and inevitability - and a unique sense of urgency to create the world we desire to see.
Most importantly! The present reveals its importance in full force.
A rooted growth mindset reminds us that, at our core, we build in order to be deeply responsive to the PRESENT - to our feelings, to our intuitions, and to the world around us. Combined, these observations let us create deeply resonant threads to build with, with their own irreplicable blueprint.
The results of a growth mindset aligned with my intuitions:
A life that I’ve been able to marvel at- wild, sweet, compounding, and uniquely impactful beyond my greatest goals or dreams.
Wondering about how to systematically implement a growth mindset in the everyday? To embrace the beautiful, we’ve got to embrace the dark. More to come on 3 almost funnily unhelpful pits of self-doubt, in our next post.
Much <3,
Raha
PS: Speaking of some beautiful sources of light and magic:
RIP Ryuichi Sakamoto. One of my most cherished memories is hearing my brother play Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence on the piano at night, through the floorboards.
Yaeji was in Van!!
Last Film Show <3. So many touching memories triggered of our family visit to India’s countryside.