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Yellow Ticoma:Where Can you Grow it?
Yellow Ticoma:Where Can you Grow it? Should you grow it on your Balcony or Garden?
Ticoma Yellow is a tree .But when I planted in on my balcony pot eight years back,I didn’t know it and thank God for that.
It can be overwhelming knowing what exactly you are up against.The Ticoma flowered and still flowering.And in the last two years I have planted the Ticoma in two other plots of family land.Its easy to grow with no special needs.
So many trees to choose from why the yellow Ticoma ?
First it grows quickly into a tree .It’s a proper tree on the balcony and then plant in on any plot of land it will shoot way up.
Second it flowers almost the entire year around but the winters are it’s best time when the entire flower family from the Ticoma clan say hi.
The bell shaped yellow flowers are a cross between lemon yellow and buttercup yellow ,not really gold but a warm sunny happy yellow which will definitely make you smile .
Three tips to grow Ticoma on your balcony.
1.Choose a sunny spot.
2.Start with a sapling and go for a progressively bigger pot .Keep a soil filled tray below the pot.That way the excess water which spills will not
3.Keep trimming the branches and dead leaves.Use water from the aquarium to make them bloom even more.
On days when I feel that I am not doing enough,I remember all the trees we planted all the people I helped get better .Both make me feel happy.
Trees give us a chance to go back to being a child in mother nature’s lap.Its our safe place.The farther we move away from the green trees ,leaves,flowers, birds the faster we loose the sparkle in our eyes.
Mental health is creating a lot of worries now.My mental health improves when I am outdoors walking among trees. We all need to try and get green back into our community spaces because together ,life is better.
The Yellow Ticoma never fails to please .This tree is 3 years old and has been pruned atleast 3/4 times.Its bright yellow flowers are a joy to behold.
My trees inspire my art
Writing this for Blogchatter’s CauseAchatter initiative .I am sharing my love of Gardening and promoting daily happy living and good mental health .
Sharing is good Karma!
How to Make the Right Choices in Life
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
How to make the right choices in life for mental health and happiness? Did you know happiness and heart health has a close association? Where we are born and how we look are not in our hands. Everything else after the age of self-realization is a choice. It may be good, sometimes doubtful in its wisdom but a choice. For happiness, good mental health is a must, and vice versa. After reading this post, I hope you will make choices that will make you happier.
When we remember the good old days and smile, that’s a choice. When we think of it as the golden age, and now everything is rotten, that’s a choice. When we write a letter to the Universe, wishing on the stars, that may be a waste of time in the eyes of some and important in others. But for me, it’s a choice.
What you study is a choice. What you do as a hobby is a choice. Who you marry is a choice. To have kids or not is a choice; what you teach your kids is a choice.
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Study Tips from a Bookworm Mommy
When we skip the child’s birthday for an office meeting, that’s a difficult choice. But sometimes, it feels like a one-way street. A life of work or a life of leisure is also a choice. You can choose to have both depending on how you plan your life.
I like to spend time at my clinic when my daughter is at school. This was a choice. Initially not very sensible career-wise for multiple reasons. But it’s done, and now it’s a struggle.
If you know someone in a situation whose problems and your problems can be solved by a single solution. But that would require you to adjust to certain things. But what if you are incompatible? What do you do?
The best solution falls apart when there’s no peace. So it’s not primed for success. But even then, it could work if both parties truly wanted the solution.
So it’s again a choice. I am learning to accept my choices and avoid choices that don’t work from history.
Don’t expect different results if you do the same thing with the same person.
Bishabrikha: The Poison Tree
So there’s a tree right outside the window of my clinic. That’s the tree the monkey and birds visit. I have seen the monkeys chomp on the pretty yellow flower.
One day I got a flower, a fruit, and two leaves from the tree, wanting to ask my husband to buy a sapling for our village home.I found out it’s a poisonous tree where the fruits contain poison. But how pretty was the tree! All that’s beautiful is not safe.
Lesson learned. All that’s fun is not good for us. All that looks sensible may not be good for us either. It’s okay to have fun while studying.
How will you make the best choice for your mental peace and happiness?
Be honest with yourself. Have an inner dialogue to clear up your doubts. Ask yourself what you really need from a particular situation. Be clear in identifying your needs and wants.
Do the research. Before taking any life-altering decision, do due diligence. Ask your friends, family, and mentors in online communities, and read books and articles. In the age of the internet, research is possible anywhere.
Take responsibility for your decision, choices, action, and inaction. The day you blame only yourself for what happens, you get the credit too. Being responsible starts with your mind.
Conclusion
Books are judged by their covers. But sometimes the plainest books have the best stories. Life is a maze of questions whose answers give us more questions. It’s an open loop where you can change how the story moves forward. Stay curious but with your wise hat on. If you can stand by your choice but can’t imagine telling your favorite person to do the same thing, your choice may need a re-look test. Otherwise, I am sure you are going to be Unstoppable!Writing this as a part of Blogchatter’s CauseAchatter .Read all my CauseAChatter posts
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Sunscreen Serum with Hyaluronic Acid
I love being around nature and my village home garden gives me opportunity to sit right in the lap of nature and enjoy the beautiful flowers ,trees,sun and sky.But with the good comes the risk of sun damage to skin when I am sitting outdoors for most part of the day.
Pros of The 1% Hyaluronic Acid Sun Screen
The 1%Hyaluronic acid Sun screen Serum from @thedermacoindia is perfect. It’s SPF 50 and takes care of sun protection and 1%Hyaluronic acid and Niacinamide takes care of keeping the moisture barrier intact and repairs the skin.A three-in-one product to fall in love with .
It spreads and absorbs easily.Light nonsticky,no white cast.I couldn’t detect any artificial fragrance and that’s a big plus for me.
It’s free from sulfates,parabens,dyes and mineral oil.
Cons of 1%, Hyaluronic Acid Sunscreen Serum
I am not sure about the concentration of Niacinamide.
A 3 in product is perfect formulation for travel ,but it’s a glass bottle with dropper which may leak if it rolls around or goes upside down while in your bag.You will need to transfer it in a travel friendly bottle.
No real cons and how effective it is will be an update a month later.
Where did I find it?
I found it on @letsmymo India’s best Influencer card which helps you earn cash back while you shop for things you love .
Want to see the products I love.Here’s my shop
Sharing is good Karma!
Exit Strategy
Did I do this right? It’s a question we all ask ourselves. The ability to choose right is borne out of practice.
What-ifs are always great for movies but not fun in real life. Having regrets is human. Having flaws is human. Being judgemental is human. We all judge. Whether we should or not is a long discussion and can get into the outer realm of arguments. But for good mental health, we need to give ourselves grace and not judge each other too harshly and make the right choices in life.
The truth is we judge ourselves strictly. Then we judge others by those same set of rules. That is great if it’s a math problem. But in humans the variables are many. We simply can’t use the same mould.In Charlie Munger’s advice is to be followed, we need frameworks for situations. For deciding what to do and what not.
He talks about saying “No” a lot.
While Gary Vee says “Say Yes”, a lot.
I say do what works for you in that situation. Plus whether you want to engage in a conversation is up to you at the beginning. When you get in too deep. Getting out is muddy.
But things that you care about will require you to take a stand. Both yes and no is a stand. Be careful because both should be your decision, not a proxy fight. Making your own choices are the hardest. You have to say the truth to yourself. Every step you take is a decision.
But don’t let me stop you from dancing on the way. Just go in with your eyes open, barriers set and claws sharpened. Because the way out is often a fight and rarely a waltz. Remember luck favors the brave and having an exit strategy will make you lucky.
Writing this as a part of Blogchatter’s CauseAchatter .Read all my CauseAChatter posts
Sharing is good Karma!
Kali Pujo and Diwali: Why It’s Double the Blessings
On an auspicious day of the Bengali month Kartik this year, we prayed to the mother Goddess Kaali for light and wisdom. In India all over, usually, Goddess Laxmi and Ganesh are worshipped. Some Bengali Hindus also perform Lokkhi puja on this day in the evening. This puja is always done on a new moon night.
Some Bengali Hindus pray to Goddess Laxmi and also Maa Kali. If you are confused about this, let me simplify.
You pray to Maa Lakshmi(Maa Laxmi/Maa Lokkhi) or Maa Kaali, but it’s the Mother Goddess you pray to, who will gift you good fortune, wealth prosperity, and shakti or power. The eternal questions and answers aside, growing up we used to visit a Dida-r bari(Grandma’s home) during Kali puja. This grandma had a Maa Kali temple adjoined to her home.
Beleghata-r dida as we fondly called her was not a relative by blood or marriage but was the kindest, gentlest, most empathic grand- parent influence I had in my life. She was one of the few people who told me I was a good girl(everyone insisted on calling me talkative and naughty). Now tell a child they are naughty, repeatedly and they will show you what naughty means. Not one for giving parenting advice, but being a mom is a lesson in self-improvement. Kids learn from watching what we do rather than listening to what we preach. So it’s a tightrope walk.
But I digress. On Kaali puja we kept fast until we could give Anjali.The late-night pujo was mostly attended by my mom, while my sister and I caught a bus home after the prasad bhog.
We lit the lamps, and a few phuljhari and always took care of safety and health precautions. But they don’t make good stories, right? It’s our experiences and how things made us feel, which give us the glow that we so need.
There’s something about childhood memories. Even without whitewashing, they were fun. It was especially more fun after I had a sister to teach me the finer points of life. You can also check out her blog where she writes about baking, life, gardening, and all things wellness .
Our memories become sharper and more nostalgic as the year’s pass. You remember the good stuff and all that hurt you deeply and made you grow. Everything else becomes a fuzzy background. But remove the background and you are as real, as a character from a cartoon movie. It’s like the perfect cake. The right amount of flour, sugar, salt, butter, and eggs. Give it a little of this and the cake tastes different. Remove a little bit of the essentials, it becomes blah.
Beleghata-r Dida died in 2011 and I stopped going to Beleghata after that. But I continue to pray to Maa Kaali after offering my puja to Maa Laxmi in the evening. Lighting Pradip or Diya, bursting the firecrackers to ward off evil, sharing stories and memories with my little one who prays with us. Some memories will forever be bittersweet.
Esho Maa Lakshmi,bosho gharey.Thako ma Lakshmi ghar alo korey.
(Please Mother Laxmi, come into my home . Please stay here and keep it lighted.)
Praying that the world lights up with health, wealth, happiness, and prosperity for everyone on this day and hereafter.
