Vacation Booked!

My recent visit to Karur to see my aunt and grandparents was very enjoyable. It also had something else in store for me – my aunt’s long kept book “The Power Of Positive Thinking” by Norman Vincent Peale.  I initially borrowed it for a few days but as was my nature, I forgot to return it and brought it back with me to Coimbatore (Sorry Chithi!) I usually skim self-help books but I couldn’t help reading every line of this brilliant book.

My mom says that I’m very pessimistic. My mouth always gets me into trouble. Once she asked me “why don’t you learn tailoring Swetha?”

“I don’t think I’m capable of doing anything with that. It’ll be waste,” I replied.

And…. You already know what must’ve happened after that.

When my struggle with ‘I can’t..’s, ‘But..’s, ‘What if…’s and ‘Oh no!’s never seemed to end,  “The Power of…” came as a blessing.  It is a very peaceful book. It revolves around ideas that can lead to a positive state of mind. The book applies Christian principles to suppress despondency. Believing in a higher power relieves us of constant worries of day-to-day life. Through faith, any type of problem can be tackled via our minds.

Nowadays when I wake up, nothing adverse rams up my thoughts. On the contrary, I feel fresh, smell the sunshine and assure myself that the day is going to be the best of my life and that of my loved ones, thanks to Dr. Peale!

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The other book I read this week was Tamil lyricist Vairamuthu’s poetic work “Thaneer Desam” (Water Country). On a visit to my house, a friend stumbled upon this book and tried to recite the lines to improve her Tamil. Her funny recitation was the reason why I began reading it. But it kept me so engrossed that I finished it in a single sitting. The most gifted poet Vairamuthu reveals his scientific side in this book, largely about the Ocean (Indian).  The mysterious ways of the ocean are depicted very beautifully in this work. The journey of a serious young man and his sea sick lover through troubled waters (literally) forms the crux of this book.  A very interestingly woven story in the form of verse, it has actually helped me to discover the beauty of Tamil poetry.

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A (good) vacation is really meant to be spent with (good) people and with (good) books…..