As I sat in my shrine, offering my prayers to the Hindu God Ganesha, many thoughts crossed my mind. It felt like a good day to share some of them with you …

Welcome back to Season 2 of my podcast Ladies and Gentlemen. Mindblowingly Mundane is back after a break as we continue to look for the joys of everyday and the extra in the ordinary. Today’s episode talks about a seeming paradox, but probably a deeply inspiring one. Do tune in… and leave your thoughts.

A chipped windshield can be an object of wonder, if the light shines just right ...

When those dear to you face insurmountable pain, you pause a bit and realize there are so many who we don’t know, who also bear very heavy crosses.

From me to you... unscripted, unedited !

An artwork by a 7 year old on social media made me pause. Her subsequent explanation stopped me on my tracks. This time on Mindblowingly Mundane, a young artist Raima, from Kolkata India, shares a perspective that could make many adults rethink their responses to life itself. I know it has for me... Inspiration Credits: Artwork of a 7 year old on Instagram Music Credits: Better Days, One Republic, Amazon.com Song ID: 200000352232553, Album - Human 2021

Three puzzling situations in a montage of ordinary memories on this episode of Mindblowingly Mundane... tune in to find out if they fit or don’t. Maybe it will resonate with some of the jigsaw puzzles in your own life.

Once upon a perfect fall afternoon, two birds decided to teach me some important lessons. Tune into this episode of Mindblowingly Mundane to listen to this special story.  It is not uncommon to leave a little bit of water for birds in the summer, no matter where in the world you are.  And the next time you do, I hope my little anecdote makes you smile.  Music: Sails of Joy, Govi ( Amazon.com Song ID: 200000320445812 ) ( Album : Guitar Odyssey, 1997 ) ( Artist : Govi )  Inspiration Credits:...

 Every spring a Cherry Blossom tree at a parking lot tells me a story. It is the same story, but it never seems to get old.  Tune in to find out exactly what it says and why the delicate blooms are much more than the seasonal "happily ever after" cliched fairy tale !  Music Credits: www.bensound.com Inspiration Credits: A Cherry Blossom Tree  Trunk ! 

What have your experiences been with truths that are different from yours? Did they conflict, collide or coalesce? Did they reinforce your own truths better for you and solidify your journey? Or did they make you question your views and make you take a long hard look and do some resets in your mind ?  Tune in to this episode of Mindblowingly Mundane to find out the meaning behind the word Isha that spans some pretty expansive views culturally, and find out how this one word helped me...

What do motion, stillness, and surviving a pandemic have in common with a little ballerina doing her pirouettes and her mother trying her best not to fall off the Tree Pose in Yoga?  Well, you will just have to tune in to find out now, won't you? Music Credits: www.bensound.com Inspiration Credits: A point on the wall ! 

Today we talk about the incense stick. No, not so much the fragrance, but rather the form, with which it spreads. Notice how it always rises up? Ever wonder what analogy one may find in life with something so obvious? Tune in to get a whiff and more !  Music Credits: Amazon.com Song ID: 236387321 ; A.R. Rahman; Minmini; Roja (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) : 1994 Inspiration Credits: The Incense Stick ! 

Two half knit pieces of fabric, two pairs of knitting needles, and two balls of yarn, all continents apart, spin an interesting tale in this episode. Do listen in when you have a few minutes to spare, and are looking to pause in the midst of the ordinary to find that bit of "extra'. While you may or may not want to take up knitting, I guarantee you a smile. !   Music Credits: www.bensound.com Inspiration Credits: A half knit sweater ! 

Have you ever wondered what motivates an individual to start on the most unexpected journeys and see them through completion? Is it because of their situations and circumstances, or their own drive to take on new challenges? Do such people only exist on the glossy covers of magazines or are they regular human beings like you and I ?  Tune in to this very special episode of Mindblowingly Mundane to learn about an artist, a dancer, a mom, a commercial ( Semi ) truck driver and a hiker ... oh...

The most unappealing little fruit greeted me at a grocery store many years ago. It taught me a life lesson that I am still trying to understand.  Tune in to another episode of my podcast Mindblowingly Mundane and find out what this was all about.   Music Credits: Josh Woodward : TheWake : No Vox 04 : CrazyGlue Inspiration Credits: Oh the Rambutan , of course !! 

A story of the most unlikely of friendships, in the most unlikely of places, and then a love story, too real for cliches !  Do tune in to my podcast not for the immaculate pink hearts and expensive chocolate this Valentine's Day, but rather a mindblowingly mundane picture of love. I will let you decide if you found it perfectly imperfect, or imperfectly perfect ?  Music Credits:  (Where Do I Begin) Love Story (Theme from Love Story) [Instrumental Version],   United Guitar Players, Amazon.com...

Today's story and story teller are both very special. Tune in to listen to an 8th grader explain the very crux of any relationship, in a way that would make adulting seems highly overrated !  My young guest Inika Mukherjee from California,  is a poet, story teller, and into theater. She has used her time during the pandemic wisely and well. I am so fortunate to have her kick off the essence of February in her own words, in her own style !  Do listen in and maybe like me, you will never look...

Do you talk to your plants at home? Do they talk back? Or do they teach you simplest at yet the most profound of truths with their silence? My life long indulgence of my green thumb has been much more rewarding than I can adequately express, but I shall try.  Do listen in and maybe you will look at houseplants a little differently and share your views on what you think about them? Music Credits: www.bensound.com Inspiration Credits: Houseplants, flowers in vases and my own partially green...

Have we forgotten how to laugh? I mean really? Have we gotten so embroiled between the strange cadence of political correctness, and taking offense at every little thing?  Why do we take ourselves so seriously? What happens when we don't ? A wonderful woman showed me how, and that memory makes me chuckle when I am least expecting.  Music Credits: www.bensound.com Inspiration Credits: "girly pockets" !!! 

Ever come across a tree stump? Ever stop by to hear its story? I  did once, and it left me with a smile in my heart, that I would love to share with you today ! A story that started in my hometown in India, and has traversed the years and oceans to remain a part of who I am. even today ! Music Credits: www.bensound.com Inspiration Credits: A Tree Stump

When a young man, all of 8 years old tells you with conviction on how and why mistakes of the past, can be fixed in the future, you listen very very quietly and make sure you take copious notes to share with everyone.  Intelligence and clarity of thought, have never been a function of age in my opinion and this episode of Mindblowingly Mundane talks to a very special incident that happily proved me right.  Do listen in. This one is really special ! Music Credits: www.bensound.com Inspiration...

Welcome to 2021 friends, and thank you for tuning back into my podcast. We begin this year , here at Mindblowingly Mundane with an earnest wish I have for all of you listening in.  And what is this wish exactly ? Well for that you will have to actually listen in to find out !  Music Credits: www.joshwoodward.com Inspiration Credits: Being unmasked by a little girl ! 

It is a couple of days after Christmas, and also the last episode for this year !  We all have a lot going on, as far as flashbacks and resolutions go. So I will not touch on any of that. Instead, let's pause for a few minutes today and talk about the most iconic and worldwide symbol of Christmas - Santa Claus !  Do you believe he is real ? Or just a guy in a big red suit !  A trip to Mexico and a green candy cane changed the way I look at Santa forever. Signing off for this year with a story...

It is less than a week before Christmas and I have a feeling, no matter which part of the world you are listening in from right now, there is a very high chance that you are not too far away from a Christmas Tree.  Neither was I when the thought of dull and shiny surfaces, from a picture book came to mind suddenly, making me look at the tree in my living room, in a whole new light. All pun intended, it was a very interesting epiphany, one I wouldn't have gathered with just once glance as one...

If you have known light, you had to have known darkness.  If you have seen a candle flame, in all probability  you have also seen it flicker. In today's episode we continue to look for light in December, but this time we get our fingers a little messy.. who's with me? Music Credits: www.bensound.com Inspiration Credits: Some burnt candle wicks and oil lamps !