What should one be?

What should one be?

Yesterday , Riya and I watched a movie, Ferdinand, with beautiful friends. Lovely movie and lovely message. It is very amazing how they make children's movies these days which relay a very deep message in a very simple way.

The word 'bully' probably came from the animal 'bull'. The bulls in the movie were worried that if they would not fight like a bull, they would be destined to a chop house. Little did they know, that even if they do, they would still end up similarly and get killed by others as a show of bravery. So what should one aim to be?

If we think about being a lion, the king of the jungle, how many friends does he have? He is able to maintain his pride only till he has the power. 

If one is a tiger, he may end up serving as a challenge to the hunters and be hunted down or pitied and protected as endangered by nature and animal lovers.

If one is a wolf or a fox, he has a pack. But the other packs will always be a threat. If there would be a winner, there would also always be a loser who would have lost a lot.

Lets see the soft ones:

If one is an elephant, he could be easily taken for a ride. 

If one is a cow, she will be milked and then may be a "ginormous beeferoni".

So what should one be?

Should we be ourselves, the humans, and be proud of our sharp minds who managed to divide the earth into nations, divided the population into religions and divided the resources unequally among the rich and the poor.

How about being a dolphin and splash around in the water with friends and lighten up the world with mirth and joy. Or may be a seagull and soar on the winds up high in the sky and span the world without boundaries and watch the sunrise and the sunset on the ocean everyday and live the life its own way.

Dear lions and tigers, if you see a seagull , don't roar to scare her as she won't get scared. 

Dear wolves, if you find a seagull near water, let her get her nutrition because she will do it anyways. 

Dear foxes, do not try to trick her, because she will not fall in traps.

Dear humans, please don't hit the seagull with your arrow because even if she falls, she would still fly away and you may never find her. 

Dear elephants, if you find a seagull, she would be a great companion as she would probably fly by your side and never take you for a ride.

Dear dolphins, you both would have a lot in common and would make great friends, one soaring in the sky and one diving in the seas.

Let's soar in the air

Let's dive in the sea

Let's be light as a hair

Yet be strong as a tree

Let's climb up the mountains

Let's glide from the cliff

Let's run on the plains

Let's float on the stream

Let's spread some love

And get some love

Power has an end

Love is immortal

Let's live carefree

And not be leashed

Let's live a dream

And find some peace

The 'real' real world is beautiful,

Yes, its true, I'm sure!

You just have to believe in yourself 

And be ready to explore!

Jaya Sonkar, M.D., M.P.H.

©All rights reserved. Jaya Sonkar 2018

The Apple Doctor!

The Apple Doctor

Just last night the apple of my eyes was so vibrant, full of colors and energy. We had so many plans to read, shop, explore and more upon waking up. Next morning, when we woke up and sat down to start the day, Apple won't wake up. Shocked, I cried, "Wake up! Wake up!. This calls for emergency. I ran to the doctor's office. My Apple was dying but I was told that they ran out of empty slots for walk-ins. I will need an appointment. There were no emergency treatments available. When I insisted, they saw Apple. They told me that Apple was sleeping and there might be little hope for survival. It was best to let the time take its course. They gave me an appointment in 2 days.

Tired from work , I returned and ran to the doctor's office. They told me that Apple needed to get admitted. Apple needed special care. One of the specialists evaluated and suggested a special ward and very expensive treatment with little hope for recovery and risk of loss of memory. The last resort was transplantation which was dependent on availability and it required a long wait.

I needed time to decide! I was thinking on so many tangents. Could I let my Apple go and rest in peace, thus valuing quality over quantity of life. Or should I listen to my emotions and prolong the suffering. I requested them for some more time. In the meanwhile , they maintained Apple on life support and ensured nutrition.

 I still remember the day when I first saw my Apple. The perfect body, the soothing complexion, the mesmerizing sound, vibrant with colors. I saw and chose so many others in the past, who were good looking, intelligent, stronger memory, multi taskers, great achievers and not as demanding. But it was time to go with the shallow side of my heart for once. I loved Apple for 3 reasons, looks, looks and looks! Yes, for once I chose beauty over brains. 

It was such a difficult decision. I didn't want to lose my trophy Apple. I took much longer. The doctor's office tried to contact me a few times while I was away. I couldn't get a chance to give them my decision. In the meanwhile, I found a new special someone whose Yoga style caught my eyes and I fell in love with my new Yoga hunk. I hate to say but Mr Yogi made me forget the apple of my eyes except a few times when Mr. Yogi didn't perform well! Not to mention, the bigger behind!!

Suddenly, one day, to my surprise, the doctor's office called me and said that they were able to find the organ and transplanted the same and now my Apple is alive and energetic as before. How kind of the doctors! They took the decision for me while I was away. I couldn't wait to see my Apple again. But wait! What will I tell Mr. Yogi and what will I tell my daughter Riya, who became so fond of Mr. Yogi? 

My work kept me from picking Apple and I had to wait for a couple of days which also gave me a little more time to choose. Finally, the doctor's office called me and said that I will have to pick Apple soon, otherwise they will have to start the abandonment process. 

I ran to the office and saw a huge line. The staff members asked all the walk-ins to line up. I felt bad for the walk-ins as some of them were going through a similar experience. Having learnt my lesson, I always book an appointment. Thankfully, for pickups, you could still walk-in. I was asked about my reason or the visit and was called in. Someone from the line said ,"But, we are here in the line." The staff member told them with an attitude, 'That's because, you're a walk-in. Wait here until we find an appointment for you." I felt sad for that person but could do nothing. I could empathize with the people who were in the ginormous line, but part of me was mean enough to think, 'What were they thinking? We always need appointments.'

Fortunately, I went in and was waiting to see my Apple alive. How little did I realize that my Apple could not be taken care of by Charity care. I realised how much not having an insurance would cost me. I had to pay a fortune to get my Apple back.  For once , I thought of letting my Apple go, who perhaps may find a better someone who is much more affluent. And maybe, it was time for me to start valuing my inner voice. Acts are better than looks. As in the past, I should value brains over beauty. 

After a few minutes, I thought, 'Good lord! Apple knows all my passwords, articles, research papers and more. Moreover, Apple 12 inches macbook is really dashing and the retina display is amazing. Memory may not be good but performance and speed are awesome!!! ;) Forget about brains! Let beauty win. However, I won't forget my Lenovo Yoga either. It has a sleek design and perks of its own. Love changing it back and forth to tablet and desktop mode. And its less than half the price!!!

My good side," However, I promise, my next love will be brains again, like it always did in the past... Androids and Windows, you will always be my first and last love. Just forgive me this one time."

My evil side, " We'll see when the time comes. Even Vishwamitra was fooled by Menaka!" 

And the inner battle continues!

Hey! I have one more thing to say before you go!

"I am so glad that people were equally frustrated at the Apple Store as much as they are at their Doctor's Office!!! We are not the only bad ones out there. LOL! "

Jaya Sonkar M.D., M.P.H.

©All rights reserved. Jaya Sonkar 2018