WhoAm I, In This Beautiful World?

A free-spirited soul, longing to do some good while here.

Hi Fellow Illumination Readers, I have finally arrived:) with a long-overdue introduction post. I must say, I am truly grateful to have found this community.

Here goes my difficult to find the words initially, but later it became kinda fun to write about myself, introduction post :)

I like to think of myself as a kind and compassionate soul, longing to do something meaningful on this planet. I love animals, am a voracious reader, love to travel and imbibe new cultures. I think I have got a tad bit of adventure in me. I am an engineer by profession. Solving problems excites me and making things simpler with the help of software for everyone to use stimulates me. I love learning new things and experimenting. Happily married, I live in California with my husband and our dog — Phoebe.

Oh yes, we are huge FRIENDS(TV show) buffs, and Harry Potter is one of my most favorite books ever since my childhood. I read them almost once every year and each time I read them, I learn something new. It is highly possible I am not a muggle.

I was born and raised in India, in multiple different cities throughout and have switched at least 10 schools. Being in different cities has contributed to my evolving as a person, and made me more accepting of a wider view of everything. I would like to believe it has also made me compassionate and less judgemental. Mumbai is my favorite city. It is the city of dreams and gives one the freedom and independence to pursue and chase their dreams. It is also a very accepting and welcoming city. I have learned many valuable lessons from the city and its people.

I think I am an introvert by nature :) though I have now broken out of that shell, and can communicate effectively in a bigger group.

“I think a lot, but I don’t say much.” — Anne Frank

I am pretty much the same, except where it is a must to speak or share. Writing, however, is different, it liberates me. Thanks to my father who writes articles on spirituality and translates several literary works of various spiritual authors to English for everyone, especially the youngsters to understand. He is my biggest inspiration and is also my biggest cheerleader and critic. I hope to have imbibed his skills, and work on honing it every day.

I used to love writing as a child, still do. Writing, I have found is one of my Ikigai. I love reading and words. As a child, I was very intrigued about how certain words sound friendly and other words sound not. Word Power Made Easy is one of my most cherished gifts. When I was in school, I remember writing for several magazines like Champak, Highlights for Children and Navneet Newshouse (Indian publication) as well as several songs/poems.

A peaceful and a mindful society, a world where people are kind to animals and fellow humans, people with fewer judgments and more love and acceptance in our hearts is my vision for the world, and I hope to meaningfully contribute to it in a small way.

I firmly believe that by increasing our awareness, mindfulness and coming together as a group we can combat some of the toughest and long-existing challenges in society today.

I am fairly new to Medium as a Writer. I aspire to write meaningful and enriching content, that connects my thoughts, experiences, lessons, and learnings, and vision for the world. I have realized that having thoughts is one thing, penning them down to resonate with others is a different ball game. And the only way to learn to play and get better is to write every day.

So that’s what I do, I write every day, sometimes for myself, sometimes to share with everyone. I hope I am nearing the point where I can share all my writing with everyone. I am glad and grateful for my thoughts as a company, though they do drive me crazy at times.

As an avid reader, I want to thank all of you, my fellow readers and writers for giving such wonderful insights to your thoughts, opinions, experiences, and advice on a wide range of subjects.

Sharing some of my recent articles here. Please read and share your thoughts and feedback.

On the current crisis and humanity-

On Friends and Friendship-

On Spirituality-

On Writing-

Cheers, Shreya