Soul to Soul

Why hello there, Moths. 

Hello to another Monday. Mondays are that universally dreaded day, aren't they? They mark the end to the weekend, and the beginning to a long week until it's the weekend again! But maybe if we change our perception of this specific day of the week, we won't curse the moment our alarm clocks go off in the morning, making us get out of bed and taking care of that scary "r" word.....responsibilities *shudder* So how do we do that? We look at Mondays as a beginning. A fresh start. The week ahead can go however you will it to go. If you mold your mindset into a positive one, you can take control (that's right, control) of how things will turn out. You can be in control of how well that presentation goes, or how you do on your exam, or how well you stick to whatever goal you're striving towards. So instead of moaning and complaining that it's that dreaded Monday again, say to yourself, "it is a fresh start to the week, and I am going to make it a good one." Once you've nailed the week and your goals have been achieved, then you can put those party pants on and reward yourself with the pleasures of the weekend!

Or sweatpants and your favorite tub of Ben and Jerry's, like most of my weekends......

Now, onto the topic of the day. In my last post I talked about reincarnation and the idea of the soul continuing on into other lifetimes. I thought I would continue the discussion of souls and talk about soulmates. There are a lot of different religions that believe in the idea, including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism. Each have their own beautiful interpretations.

Hindus believe there is a link between souls in a karmic way. Lehnu, in the Gujarati language, is the term they use for souls that we constantly cross paths with, who guide us towards a life that serves a higher purpose. They are destined to be connected to your life in some way or another.

Buddhists call the idea pratitya-samutpada, meaning all beings are "interrelated." Very similar to what I talked about in my last post, they believe that the soul can live many lifetimes, being reborn an infinite number of times, and along with that are our relationships. If a connection with another soul is powerful enough, then both of your souls will reconnect in the new lifetime. This is what causes the feeling of meeting someone for the first time and feeling as if you've known them forever.

Judaism has the Yiddish word bashert, meaning "bestowed." Your bashert is a person bestowed upon you as your destined partner. They also have the word hevruta, or "learning partner" similar to hinduism in that it is someone that guides you toward a purpose. Hevruta is someone that challenges you to be your best self, rather than someone that is a perfect match or "completes" you.

Many religions have many interpretations, but the common takeaway from all three of these is that they believe that we have soulmates. So, I know you're all dying to hear what I think about the subject. I absolutely do believe in the idea, but I want to note that the term soulmate, in my opinion, does not just mean a romantic partner. I think soulmates can take on many forms, including lifelong friendships. I think we can have more than one soulmate, such as a best friend that understands you in ways you don't even understand yourself, a friend that always knows what to say without saying anything, and a friend that you just instantly click with. And then there could be the romantic partner, someone you feel completely safe with, someone that constantly challenges you to be better, and someone that you knew you loved the first time you spoke (love at first sight is an ENTIRELY different subject for a different day). It's about connection. How your soul connects to my soul or his soul or hers. If you feel you have one of these soulmates, that destiny has brought you together with that person in some crazy way, do yourself a favor:

Never let go, moths. xo  

On the Outside, Looking In

Happy Humpday Ya'll!

I didn't post yesterday *gasp* because it was a verrrrry busy day. I hope I haven't left you all in suspense--you can breathe again, I'm back!

Despite my online absence yesterday, I was thinking of the topic for my latest post. I was riding the university bus after class when we passed one of the esteemed Rutgers academic buildings. Mind you it was night time, so the lighted rooms were clear to see into from the inside of my rusted transportation beast--I am a firm believer that there is beauty and wonder in the most mundane of things, if only we have the patience and imagination to see it. As I passed this academic building, I got a little glimpse into each class being held at that moment. In one room, two students were standing in the front of the class, most likely presenting something, and I caught a few smiles from the students watching. Another room had, from what I could gather, a most enthusiastic professor waving her arms in the air, speaking of something with passion. I couldn't stop thinking about those rooms with the entertained students and lively professors for the entirety of that bus ride. Even now I am amazed by that brief, yet everlasting and unforgettable scene.

This is feeling very 'Girl on the Train' Bri....

Don't worry, I'm not involved in any type of murder mystery....

..that I am aware of..

That's besides the point! What struck me so much about this is that each room contained different people from different places, with different backgrounds, pursuing different degrees, at different points in their life (wow, that's a lot of 'different's), and yet they all came together in this one little room at the exact same time to learn the same thing. It's as if each room was their own world. I was seeing each as an observer looking in, but they were fully unaware of the bustling of the streets outside, or the "worlds" right on the other sides of their own walls--or me, for that matter. Each individual remaining in tune with what was happening in their room, what was happening in that present moment. It was almost like an out-of-body experience: physically I was riding this overcrowded, deafening, odorous bus, but mentally I was exported for a brief second into each of their worlds, smiling as I saw the students smiling, or furrowing my eyebrows as I saw that professor discussing something quite heatedly. With a bump in the road, I came back to reality, but it was a bittersweet moment. I know, I know, no one thinks this deeply about a building they passed on the bus, but it's just the way my brain interacts with the world around me in an attempt to make sense of it all. Is this what 'La La Land' is about? 

Another moment in time that I ceaselessly think about this kind of thing is when I am entrapped in heavy traffic. Most people hate traffic, but for me it's an excuse to blast music and sing (not so well, I'll admit) as loudly as possible! When I'm not breaking the glass with my voice, I like to imagine the lives of each of the passengers in their cars. Where are they all going? Where have they all been? What was their day like today? All of these strangers that I have never met in my life, and most likely will never see again, converge to be at the exact same place as me in that given point of time. It makes you feel so small in this world, that there are so many people living their own lives that don't include you in it. Individuals whose paths may never cross yours, yet they continue on to some unknown future. It gives you a different perspective of those around you. Rather than disregarding them as 'just strangers', maybe recognize them as individual souls on the most epic hike that is their life.

Maybe that's what links us all as a human race...

Start looking more closely, moths. xoxo