Stop trying to be someone you’re not. – One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you likeeveryone else. Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you. Don’t change so people will like you. Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.
Stop trying to hold onto the past. – You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.
Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. – The time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it. If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting. Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.
Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. – Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things. The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.
picture from myniceprofile.com
"There is a place. Like no place on Earth. A land full of wonder, mystery, and danger. Some say to survive it: You need to be as mad as a hatter. Which luckily I am."
Sisters. Yes, we're just sisters.
Our story is not heroic, not even
memorable. But when I need
support I sense you quietly by me.
I always will.
-Helen Thomson-
A wonderful day with good friends at Terrapin Adventures. 
Today we helped my cousin Gopal move into his new apartment. He graduated from Virginia Tech this May and is now entering the workforce. It all seems so familiar because Kavi, Arti, and I have gone through it as well. Imagine how many moves per person that is counting college and for our jobs (our poor parents!) Moving in and out is something we have gotten quite used to - college dorms, apartments, even homes. Up next, this fall, we have Kishan, destination away.
There is a difference though, in moving from home to home than moving in and out of college dorms and work apartments. I remember our first big move from Tennessee to Virginia. After thirteen years in one place we were moving, not just houses but states! I felt like we were leaving our childhood behind, our memories, our home.
In retrospect, it was the best move we ever made. Every place you live adds to a lot of who you are... I soon realized that in Tennessee we had the perfect childhood full of laughter. But, we grew up in Virginia. You see, Tennessee gave me the feeling of "forever childhood" - innocence, wander, play, freedom. All the same, Virginia ignited passion - an insatiable desire for all things, beauty, love, curiosity, happiness, hope, and much, much more.
We moved several times in Virginia and after that one big move, all the others became easier. Did we just get used to it? Or was it something else? I think it was the realization that wherever my parents are is home. Wherever our family is. That is where our memories lie, within us. I also know that every step forward is full of possibilities and opportunities (but never forget the past).
We have all dealt with some type of moving. Whether it's moving on from relationships, homes, careers... And some moves are harder than others. Some moves stay with us forever. At the same time, who knows what wonderful things are ahead. Because, the beauty in all of this is that moving away just means that you're moving closer to something else. After every goodbye is a hello waiting just around the corner...
I used to compare Indian cooking to Chemistry. And lord knows Chemistry wasn't my thing. I thought I would never get it. Even with the book of recipes I made, it still felt impossible. The most anticipated moment would be (and still is) when Bapuji took his first bite. Within the first few seconds, you would know - yay or nay. The nays outnumbered the yays by far.
Would I ever get it? All the different spices had to be measured perfectly, knowing which amount to put in each dish. The real kicker was that 'measure' didn't mean 'measure'. The art of cooking is just knowing based on the size of the pot, the proportion of spices that it would need. It is also important to know how to cut the vegetables (size, shape, etc) and how long to cook everything - from vagar, sautéing and frying to cooking in a pressure cooker. You also want to know what else you could add to enhance the taste or alter it to mimic a dish from another region (i.e. gujarati, punjabi, south indian, marathi, etc).
My mom has all of this down to a magical science. Not only has she perfected Indian cooking, she can do it all. Italian, Mexican, Chinese.... She is a wonderful cook. She has been trying to teach me since I was twelve or thirteen. But, our student teacher relationship just didn't work in the kitchen. Cooking meant that at least one of us would end up in tears.
After all these years, things finally started clicking. My meals have gone from throw away to edible, good to great, and now I can maneuver around the kitchen and cook meals viscerally. I know the amount of spices needed and what it takes. I can look in the refrigerator, see what we have, and know what can be used to create a dish. Success. According to mom, I can cook a meal for guests. More importantly, I can cook a meal for Dada and Ba (my grandparents).
This magic that just happened, didn't just happen. It's thanks to my mom. She never gave up on me. I also wanted to please my dad. There is a happiness that comes from knowing that he is enjoying what I made.
Through it all, I fell in love with cooking. I still have so much to learn but I know when the day comes, I can cook wonderful meals for my own family. And I can only hope for yays.
Thank you, Sprint, for connecting me and my family to the world! For the longest time, my family and I were on AT&T. We had to watch our minutes and limit our use to little or no data/web etc. 
