[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Balaka B. Ghosal connected with our Community (scroll down) back in September 2020. Her unique gifts as a writer, eco-spiritual-healing, educator, creative, empath were intriguing to say the least. Yet, it was her way of telling a story that really got us talking and discovering more about one another. A few months have passed and we are so very pleased to now be sharing Balaka’s writing with you and the first of a 3-part series that you can look forward to during the winter months ahead. So, get cozy and let this one do its “work”.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Years ago, unwrapping Dove’s Promise Chocolates and their insightful quotes in the foil-wraps had won my fascination.
At a difficult moment, a wrap said: Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
The words melted in my heart as sweetly as the chocolate in my mouth. I whispered the thought through the day and it went with me to my pillow at night.
And I wondered at its power.
It silently got to work as I sunk into deep slumber. And the Ikigai began to blossom without my knowing. What positive thought has pervaded your being, lately?
Life puts us into our little barricaded mazes too hard to unravel. The subtle calling inside our hearts puts up a feeble protest with the social trainings and job demands.
We learn to stifle that silent voice. Easy, so far, isn’t it?
But no matter how weak it may be, we cannot erase it away, nor wipe it off our minds. It stays untarnished.
And eternally waiting for our Ikigai to bloom.
For Each One of us.
Childhood: A Mirror of the Inner You
A quiet child in sync with nature, letting go of toys and dresses, and needlessly shy, I confused teachers and grownups.
Competition and money were foreign to me. Yet, I felt rich with a secret growing inside, ever so slowly.
I dabbled into the skillset of being like the others, falling in steps and doing the dance. While the rhythm matched, and the music oompah oompahed alright, it didn’t create good melody for my soul.
I kept going back into the quiet corners of nature—happy with less, sharing and caring.
Ikigai and You:
Ikigai, as you must be bursting with curiosity by now, is a Japanese concept giving meaning to life. This concept of harmonious living begins with a small start and continues to grow and discover an essence of fullness in every moment.
It’s an idea of symmetry between what we love and what we do.
It’s not the venn diagram that’s shows up when you Google it. It’s way deeper than that—every moment discovering a core truth about ourselves.
It takes time to reveal, though. It took me a while to recognize its gentle blooming within me. To realize the subtle-yet-firm bond between what I’m learning about my impact on earth, my spiritual journey of serving God, my daily choices as a daughter, mother, wife, and writer.
I began to see the building of a harmonious arch between my role helping green businesses thrive and my spending creative time with prayer, yoga, gardening, and recreating new uses of things around me.
The two flows of energies may have looked apart but blended beautifully in the continuum of life.
Have you listened to the murmur of your inner rhythm? When you listen, it begins to play louder for your joy.
Looking Inside:
Each time I looked inward with wonder and a yearning to be true to myself while being good to the world around me, the Ikigai crystallized a wee bit more into a loving perfection.
Keep listening into yourself to catch the murmur of your core.
Soon, the disconnects of a forced living loosens and blends into one forceful channel of energies. All converging into a common place for a synergy of love and being.
This beautiful, endless journey continues as I evolve into my Ikigai and embrace it with grace and gratitude.
I wish the same for you.
***
Notes: For a clear understanding of the Ikigai, best is to read the Medium article by Nicholas Kemp: https://medium.com/@support_35468/ikigai-is-not-a-venn-diagram-cca7abba323.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
