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Hey, friend, Reader, happy February!
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This week I wanted to talk about all things ordinary, mundane, you know, the every-day things. They're worth pausing to notice, don't you think? Some days are just so ordinary that they are life-changing.

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Happy reading (and pondering)!

Poetry

I often find myself reciting The Orange by Wendy Cope. It encompasses so much gratitude, wonder, sunshine, mmmm. If it is anything, it is a yummmyy lip-smacking poem: ​
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“At lunchtime I bought a huge orange—
The size of it made us all laugh.
I peeled it and shared it with Robert and Dave—
They got quarters and I had a half.
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And that orange, it made me so happy,
As ordinary things often do
Just lately. The shopping. A walk in the park.
This is peace and contentment. It’s new.
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The rest of the day was quite easy.
I did all the jobs on my list
And enjoyed them and had some time over.
I love you. I’m glad I exist."

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My favorite line is "I love you. I'm glad I exist." It is just so, soft. My friend loves the line "And that orange, it made me so happy." I want to know - what is your favorite line? Why?
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I mostly read this on Thursdays after sending you my love-letter.

Book

Okay? Okay. Yes, it is The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. I put this today because despite having an extraordinary condition, Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters feel just like us - sometimes crappy, sometimes glad.

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Ridiculously famous already, I don't need to tell you much about the book, do I? I know you've watched the movie already.

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This book is the love story of Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters. 16-year-old Grace is diagnosed with cancer and doesn’t remember a time in her life she wasn’t sick. Waters is an amputee. Grace and Gus meet in their remission group and connect almost instantly. Augustus fears oblivion and Hazel tells him beautifully why he shouldn’t. It’s the whole soulmate thing.
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The best part about this book is that it would be a fantastic read for parents, too, an audience the book didn’t really intend to have. You can feel Grace’s mother’s strength, her father’s pain, and how cancer doesn’t just affect the victim but also those they love. In fact, my favorite passage in the whole novel is what Hazel’s father says about the universe is biased towards consciousness:

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“I believe the universe wants to be noticed. I think the universe is improbably biased toward consciousness, that it rewards intelligence in part because the universe enjoys its elegance being observed. And who am I, living in the middle of history, to tell the universe that it—or my observation of it—is temporary?"

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The Fault In Our Stars made me look at things from a different perspective – how good is it? How bad is it? I don’t know. I am still figuring it out. It's not all perfect either. I've written some shortcomings here:

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PS: Last week I talked about the ordinary emotional achievements and why they should be celebrated more. So many of you agreed and left your mind-blowing thoughts on it. I enjoyed reading it. Perhaps you will too. Find the comment section here. It's golden.

Some Good Things

I listen to this poem at least once a week. It is my secret go-to when I am distracted and want an instant-gratifying lift-me-up (uhm, thanks, social media). Don't tell anyone how much I love this one, shhh:

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A fellow creator I know and admire, Pavithraa Swaminathan, recently began a monthly newsletter of her own - Infinite Epiphanies. Subscribe to it if you want the best content on the Internet - from poetry to television to podcasts - curated for you right in your inbox (you won't regret it, I bet!)

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I wrote a poem on magic-in-the-mundane myself - here:

"If there's any magic in this world,
It is in the mundanity
It is in looking hard enough
at the brown leaf, rusty and crisp,
like an old potato chip"

Question/Prompt For The Week

Please feel free to use the "Reply" button as your personal, anonymous diary. And, if this question reminds you of any artwork, I want to know!
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I would love to take this opportunity to interact with you. If you have anything to share, a feedback to pass on, or simply want to say hey, reply to this email and we'll take it from there!
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Just wanted to say -

I love you. I'm glad I exist,
Rochi
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Thankyou for reading. Thankyou for being a part of this community. It means so much, truly.

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