Books Read 2021

 1 The Immortals of Meluha- Amish Tripati

Category- Fiction
Read- Jan 2021
Pages: 440
Rating: 4/5

This is the first of the series of books from Amish Tripati on Shiva Trilogy. The book breaks down the image of Shiva from that a divine being and remoulds him as a common man who emerged as a savior of the kingdom of Meluha.

Amish transports us to an alternate universe with this book. The story plays out several centuries back in the backdrop of a tribe whose leader Shiva is discovered as the predestined protector of Meluha. The narration is vivid and the author develops each of the characters in great detail.

Reading this book gives us the feel of a grand mythology. The plot is riveting and the settings esp. the battles keeps the reader on the edge. The book has the potential to be developed as a grand movie of the scale of Baahubali someday.

2. Secret of the Nagas- Amish Tripati

Category- Fiction

Read- Feb 2021

Pages: 400

Rating: 4/5

The Secret of the Nagas continues the story of Shiva and Meluha. It introduces us to the tribe of Nagas. One interesting element of this book is that several of the mythological characters such as Ganesha, Kali, Karthikeya are portrayed in an alternate reality. Perhaps it is the use of these familiar characters in an unfamiliar setting that makes the series a great read.

Although this second book was a good read on it's own, i felt that the pace of narration was a bit slow compared to the first book in the series. 

3. The Oath of the Vayuputras- Amish Tripati

Category- Fiction

Read- Mar 2021

Pages: 604
Rating: 3/5

The Oath of the Vayuputras completes the Shiva trilogy. Several stories that we might be familiar with such as the one involving Daksha, Parvathi and the yaga has been customized in context of a new narrative. 

The finale was bit of a letdown for me. The climax did not do full justice to the plot developed until that point.

Shiva trilogy was a great start for the 2021 reading journey. The trilogy kept me hooked for a good 3 months and touched me profoundly.

4. Chasing the Cup: My America's Cup Journey- Jimmy Spithill

Category- Non-Fiction
Read- Apr 2021
Pages: 197
Rating: 3/5

Chasing the cup was gifted to me by Miguel, a mentor in by running journey and an inspirational leader from whom i drew a lot of energy from.

Chasing the cup  follows the journey of a young kid Jimmy Spithill from Australia who went on to become one the most legendary sailors. One of the highlights of Jimmy's career involves leading Team USA to victory against New Zealand in 2013 by winning 8 consecutive races after trailing by a huge margin and almost on the verge of defeat.  This is dubbed as one of the biggest comebacks in sports ever.

The book traces the ups and downs in the life of Jimmy and how he shaped up to be a legendary sailor of all times. It opened me to a new found appreciation for the challenges these sailors undertake at the expense of their very lives. There are episodes in the book where in Jimmy describes the adventure at rough seas over many days and the narrow escapes his team had in making it to shore alive. It's a fun breezy read.                                                  

5. Sapiens- Yuval Noah Harari

Category- Non-Fiction

Read- June 2021
Time: 15 hours
Rating: 4/5

Sapiens has become a cult book that is bound to be read by any book lover at some point in time. I got to this masterpiece by mid of the year. My wife had told me about Harari as a vipassana meditator who goes into several weeks of retreat every year. She had been impressed with his clarity of thought and consequently i was curious about what lay in store. 

The book was a huge revelation. It traces the human history from almost 150,000 years until the modern era. Along the way, it explains divergent concepts around religion, democracy,humanism, currency, credit, colonialism in a simple and understandable way. The ease of narration is possible one reason why the book emerged as an all time best seller. It was a refreshing read that was educational and entertaining. Loved it!!

6. No Rules Rules- NetFlix

Category- Non-Fiction
Read- June 2021
Time: 10 hours
Rating: 4/5

Netflix as we know is a global streaming giant that pivoted from a simple mail order business to streaming platform that has presence in close to 200 countries. This book interestingly is less on the actual story of Netflix( which is a separate book) but rather focussed on what makes Netflix click as a company. If you are someone who wonders about what gives fulfillment at workplace, this book can provide an interesting take. 

The culture of transparency and candor that Netflix exemplifies was eye opening. Here were some interesting tidbits from

the book that stayed with me.

1. Netflix publishes the earnings result to the employees before it goes out to the street.

2. Netflix believes in paying top of market for its employees. In fact, it encourages employees to actively talk to recruiters to know their true market worth at all times.

3. Earn your position every day- the keepers test.

4. Lead with context- not control. When someone has made a mistake, as yourself as a leader- what is the context you have set in the first place.

5. Empowered organization is not a pyramid- rather it looks like a tree wherein the boss sits at the root and allows employees to flourish.

The narration style of the book has also been unique whereby it has been organized in a question/answer format with founder Reed Hastings explaining the rationale on seemingly eyebrow raising
decisions.

7. The Ride of a lifetime- Bob Igler

Category- Non-Fiction
Read- July 2021
Time: 9 hours
Rating: 3/5

The ride of a lifetime traces the story of Robert Iger who was the long standing CEO of Disney from 2005- 2020. The book is very much the story of Disney and how it grew to be the entertainment giant that we know it to be. 

Disney as a company has primarily grown through acquisitions. The book traces the companies such as ABC, Pixar, Marvel( creators of Captain Marvel, Avengers), Lucas films( creators of Star Wars), Fox (huge presence in India with Star Plus, streaming service Hotstar, Simpsons
) that Disney has bought at different times. Each of these acquisitions are narrated with the backstories around it- for instance Pixar was a brainchild of Steve Jobs. Though the Disney- Pixar started originally as a collaboration, Pixar started overshadowing Disney in terms of the quality. Purchasing Pixar from Steve was a huge win dor Disney but something that went with a lot of back and forth. If you are into Boardroom power politics this might be the book for you.

The book also touches on some of the more recent forays of Disney with its own streaming platform inthe form of Disney Plus.

8. Why we Sleep - Matthew Walker 

Category- Non-Fiction
Read- Aug 2021
Time: 13 hours 52 min
Rating: 4/5

Bill Gates Blog had high recommendation on this book which is how i became aware of it. It is a looooong book that takes a lot of patience to get through. In retrospect, i would rate it as one of the most impactful books for me in 2021. 

The book is all about Sleep- the science and mechanics of it, the benefits of sleeping and the short/long term health issues of not getting enough sleep. As someone who has been exploring newer ways to stay healthy, this served as a great handbook. The benefits of a good 7-8 hours of sleep cannot be overstated. It helps your system reset, helps you to get creative and productive for the day ahead. There is unfortunately a lot of glorification associated to the increased productivity at the expense of sleep. Phone and Streaming devices have only eaten onto the hours of sleep. Consequently there is increased anxiety and stress levels.

After reading the book. i have been measuring the hours of sleep and the correlation to my blood pressure readings. Surprisingly, the days i get a good 7+ of sleep, the readings are fairly normal. Now, one could argue that this is no rocket science discovery- but the journey through this book to make a basic lifestyle adjustment  and reap its benefits has been a revelation. 

9. AI Superpowers- Kai Fu Lee

Category- Non-Fiction
Read- Sep 2021
Pages: 232
Rating: 5/5

AI Superpowers is a book that discusses the two largest information superpowers- China and US and their race for emerging as the leader of Artificial Intelligence. The book opens a whole new perspective into what the technology sector in China is all about. We do not find too much coverage in the western media about the Chinese tech companies- barring some big names like Alibaba and Tencent. The book provides a ring side view into how tech companies emerged in China, how they transformed the society and  and why China is uniquely positioned to emerge as the leader in the coming years in the AI race.

A lot of early stage startups in China were copycats of US products. This is also the reason why the west dismisses China as a me-too player. Meituan is a copy of Groupon, Dianping was a copy of Yelp, Renren was the copy of Facebook, Tujie the replica of AirBnB , Didi Chuxing a copy of Uber etc. The chinese competitors also started copying from each other. Consequently the Chinese entrepreneurs had to get really scrappy, innovative and cut throat that has accelerated the pace of innovation.  Over time these companies have got acquired by bigger players(Alibaba, Tancent, Baidu).

Author makes some interesting differentiation of how tech companies in China differs from US:

1. One App vs Multiple Apps

WeChat owned by Tencent is the swiss army knife for a chinese consumer. Unlike US consumer who goes to different apps for different things, Chinese consumer uses Tancent for most of their day to day needs. This is a fundamental shift in the consumer mindset.

2. Scale

9 out of 20 world's top tech companies are from China. Where China beats out the competition is in scale. China by virtue of population also has a larger scale than US in terms of reach and impact. Here's how China and US goes head to head on key sectors: Food delivery(10:1), Mobile Payment (50:1), Bike sharing (300:1), e-Commece (2:1)

3. Online to Offline

Author also makes the argument that unlike the US innovation which has largely stayed in the digital realm, the chinese tech companies have done a more impactful job of bridging online to offline. This has led to accelerating the pace of adoption and changing the landscape of the country.

AI Superpowers is a super interesting read that opens you to a new technology paradigm- something that we are not as familiar with.

10. The Richest Man in Babylon- George S Clason

Category- Non-Fiction
Read- Sep 2021
Pages: 194
Rating: 4/5

Richest Man in Babylon is a set of simple fables set in Babylon that conveys the principles of creating and growing wealth. The book is a breezy read that conveys the points as story takeaways. The author George S Clayson penned these stories and distributed them as pamphlets back in 1920's. Their popularity led the stories to be compiled into this book that took a cult status eventually.

11. A Man called Ove- Fredrik Backman

Category- Fiction
Read- Sep 2021
Pages: 337
Rating: 4/5

This is an adorable read on the day to day eccentricities of a man called Ove. How Ove goes on from being a hated person to a beloved man through the people he comes in contact with is the crux of the story.

It makes a light read. There's also a movie that has been adapted from the book.

12. Swipe to Unlock- Aditya Agashe, Parth Detroja, Neel Mehta

Category- Non- Fiction
Read- Oct 2021
Pages: 349
Rating: 4/5

Swipe to Unlock is a primer on how tech works for one and all. It distills down a lot of day to day questions pertaining to technology into a simple , easy to digest format. The book is co authored by 3 product management professionals who work in the FAANG companies. There were some great stories on tech has revolutionized countries such as Kenya, India using innovative and scalable solutions . Highly recommended book for aspiring tech/product product professionals.

13. Hooked- Nir Eyal

Category- Non- Fiction
Read- Nov 2021
Pages: 242 
Rating: 3/5

Hooked was another book on tech that explores how various apps such as Instagram, Facebook creates habituates customers. It explores the hook model that comprises of the elements involved in creating an engaging and immersive experience. As much as the book was useful, it also felt a bit dry in parts. Reinforced some basic concepts around engagement.

14. Brida- Paulo Coelho

Category- Fiction

Read- Dec 2021
Pages:  256
Rating: 3/5

Brida was borrowed from my good friend Kalesh who is also an avid reader. The book is another adventure story from Paulo Coelho (similar to alchemist) that has a heavy spiritual bend of mind. The story explores the journey of Brida- the girl who is in the search for a spiritual teacher. She finds two tutors who are masters of two different schools of thought- the philosophy of sun and the philosophy of moon. How Brida forges her path forms the crux of the story. This was a good read although i found it to be very similar to the Alchemist line of narrative.

15. The Guest List- Lucy Foley

Category- Fiction

Read- Dec 2021
Pages:  312
Rating: 4/5

Closed the year with a good suspense thriller in the form - The Guest List. This book was ranked as a bestseller in New York times which prompted me to pick it up. The book was an absolute page turner that explores who commits a murder at a remote island gathering. The book stood true to its promise with the suspense unfolding in the very last page. Something that stood out for me is the style of narration where in each of the chapter is written from the lens of a different character in the story. This lend a different perspective of the same event from different players. Loved closing the year with this fast paced crime thriller.

42@42

 On Sep 27,2021, I turned 42. This day turned out to special occasion for two reasons:

1. Participation of my friends in a cause that i am passionate about

My friends at school and engineering college have formed respective Whatsapp groups where in a tonne of things get discussed. A few days prior to my birthday, I wanted to stir up these groups by getting my friends do something fun and interesting. So we planned a fitness challenge to get the folks moving- On Sep 27th, participants would need to do at least 30 minutes of any physical exercise of their choice. At the end of the day, folks would need to post what they did and the duration. The challenge was received with a lot of enthusiasm. Friends had questions on what they can do, how they can have it posted in the group, whether video clips are allowed etc.

On the designated day, participants really got into the spirit of it. Most of them did walking or running which has the lowest barrier for a workout. The interesting fact is that many of them ended up with a good 45 min to an hour of workout. Some of them also took their daughters/spouses for the workout and made it a family event. At the end of the day, my school group had done a combined workout of 18 hours and my college group had clocked close to 15 hours.

Everyone felt super happy and pumped up for having enjoyed their share of outdoors. Turned out to be a day that was immensely fulfilling beyond the standard happy birthday/thank you responses.  

2. Realization of a milestone that has been at the back of my mind over the last 4 years.

The above challenge brings me to the realization of a long cherished dream. On my part, i ended up doing a full marathon run (42 km/ 26.2 miles) on that day. Since the time i started running back in 2017, this was  a milestone that i had hoped to get to. It was coincidental that i got to it on my 42nd birthday.

Planning

I charted out a training plan back in March 2021. I had been a casual runner until this point running an average of 12-15 miles a week. Needed something to get me going and a full marathon idea looked alluring. A training plan from https://www.verywellfit.com/ a site that i have been following for a few years was promptly downloaded, written down and pinned up in the room. Having a plan in front of the eyes to track progress on proved to be a a great motivation in this long journey.

 

I tried to stay as close to the plan as possible. Did an average of 20K (12 miles) during the weekdays and switched to the long distance runs over the weekend. For the weekend run, i almost always practised in the same trail that i was planning to run the full marathon on. That helped me get a gauge of the distance, fuelling and water aid stations. This turned out to be key since i was planning on doing a solo run and needed to have a good measure of where the pit stops could be to fuel and refill the hydration. Looking back the fun of the whole experience was in the preparation more than the event itself. The preparation helped me gain confidence that i was ready for the long course.

Experience

I had planned to do the run from the Marymoor Park in Redmond to Log Boom park in Kenmore and back. That distance was exactly 13.1 miles one way as i had ascertained from the training runs. There was also a good park at 7.5 miles (Wilmot Park) that was a good spot for refilling water. I carried water in a 1.5 litre(50 gallon) back pack and 2 small cans that amounted to 500 ml. My estimation was that this could help me last a good 13.1 miles and that i could refuel at half way mark. The day had other surprises in store!!

Woke up at 4 am and got ready for the run.Drove down to Marymoor park and reached there around 5:30 am. It was pitch dark with minimal lighting. I had also taken a headlamp as a contingency for this specific situation. Wore the headlamp, loaded up the backback, wrapped the water belt, tied the lace and started the run. It was the beginning of a 5 + hour journey that had some great learnings in store.

The first half of the run went fairly smooth. I was able to sustain a pace of around 11min/mile. In any case i did not have any specific timing goals and was hoping to merely finish in whatever time it took. It felt good overall and i was able to get the momentum going. Half way mark is when the first surprise sprung up. I had planned to refuel in Log boom park but unfortunately on that day, it was under maintenance. This meant that the park was not accessible for any amenities including water!!  I paused for 5 minutes and checked the water levels. Thankfully i hadn't exhausted the initial water quota, and had enough to get going for another 7 miles(mile 19) which is where the Wilmot park was. Kept myself going but trouble started cropping up around mile 16. There was a bit of a discomfortable possibly because of a muscle ache in my left leg. I could keep moving but it started become less smooth. From this point on, it was a battle of mind vs body.

By mile 18, the run started slowing down significantly. I was short on water, my legs were super tired and i was getting exhausted. Had to get 1 more mile going somehow to get to the park for refilling. My mind started getting blank. Had to motivate myself with pep talks to get one leg in front of the other. Somehow got to mile 19 and took a break to refill the water.

After refilling the water, washing the face and having an energy gel, felt a lot better. The 10 min break at mile 19 proved magical. I could keep running until mile 23 with a renewed energy and enthusiasm.

Mile 23-26 proved to be most challenging. By mile 23, i had been running for a good 4 and a half hours. The sun had come up and it started getting warmer. The water backpack that i had been carrying all along started hurting the shoulders badly. Every step became a challenge. The only motivation at this point was to simply finish the run. Somewhere half way into the run i was thinking that this might be doable within 5 hours. At mile 24, i had thrown any hope of sub- 5 hour timing to wind. Surviving the day became the focus. By the time, i got to the finish line it became more of a fast walk rather than a run.

Finishing the event , mind felt completely blank. I would have hoped to feel delighted or jubilant but none of those happened! The looooong run was a triumph of mind over body and there wasn't any reserve left to have any more feeling.

Learning 

So here's what i learned from this experience:

1. Strength training- I could literally feel the consequence of not having put enough into strength training. This was evident from mile 17. Any seasoned runner would spend a good 1 or 2 days of training a week into strength exercises. This is an area i am hoping to start focussing actively on.

2. Hydration- I carried close to 2 litres of water throughout the run!! This not only slowed me down significantly but also led to a bad shoulder ache that lasted for a good 4 days. During events, hydration is not a major concern since there would be aid- stations throughout. In case of a solo run, there is a huge opportunity to plan the hydration points and minimize the weight i end up carrying. It would help make the run easy and comfortable.

3. Practise is the key- It is the training that makes the journey enjoyable. No one can keep a training without a blip. Life happens and things come in between. As long as one is able to get back and keep the momentum going, any distance is only a mental barrier to be overcome.

Half Marathon- June 6 2021- PR

Stats

Benchmark

2021-> 2:00:08    9.10/mile(5.41/km) 

2020-> 2:04:59    9.32/mile(5.55/km)

2019-> 2:13:24.   10:11/mile(6:19/km)  

Experience

This was the third half marathon attempt after one each in 2020 and 2019. The goal for my previous races was to merely complete them. Having a mental reference this time around as to what the distance meant, wanted to challenge myself to see how I could do it from a timing standpoint.

A few adjustments based on the previous learnings helped get a good rhythm going.

1. Early morning start

One thing I had observed from the previous time splits was that the second half of the race is where the momentum gets lost. Early on your legs are fresh, the air is cool and you have everything going for you. After mile 6, the legs start getting fatigued, the sun starts sapping the energy and I've found myself slowing down significantly. 

To avoid the heat trap, started early around 6 am this time around. The goal was to cover the maximum distance before the effect of the heat starts setting in. Luckily, it was a cloudy day with 48F(9C) and the sun nowhere to be seen. The early morning start made a significant difference wherein I could focus on the run without having to deal with the heat.

2. Consistent pace

In the earlier races, I always followed the adage start slow and pick up the pace. While that is a great strategy to ensure that one completes the race without losing steam in between, it does impact the momentum in the initial half. 

This time around, I focused on getting a good start and keeping a consistent pace throughout the run. The idea was to get a steady rhythm going without pushing myself crazy at any point.

The splits indicate that I was able to execute this strategy to a good effect. The first mile was completed at 8:45/mile( 5:26 /km). The first 5K was completed in 26 min. From here on I kept the mind focussed on the process and ensuring that the pace does not drop significantly at any point. 

The plot was lost a bit in mile 9 which took 9:50(6:06/km). This was the slowest mile in the race. However, I was able to recover and get the pace back on track from mile 10 onwards.

The last 5k was completed in 27:03 which was not too far off from the first 5K in terms of timing.

 

3. Fuel and Water

Timings around the intake of fuel and water were the other things I got right this time around. 

I had the fuel gel and water at miles 2.30, 5.50, 8.20, and 11.00. The key was to ensure that I do not get to a point wherein I start feeling thirsty. The fuelling had to be done before this tip-over point as the energy loss and consequently the pace drop kicks in significantly once the thirst is felt.

The goal of the race was to beat the 2-hour mark which was missed by 8 seconds. Nevertheless, it was a satisfying run in terms of the overall process. Bettered the previous performance by 4 min and 51 seconds. 

The positive aspects, as well as the opportunities for improvement in terms of better mental focus, would serve a long way in the running journey ahead.

2020- A lookback

2020- A lookback

2020 has indeed been unprecedented. Who would have thought that the entire world would have had to stay confined for many many months!! The year has indeed been full of challenges having to work from home, minimize the outdoors, school from home, and deal with the barrage of negative news all around.

That being said, 2020 has also been one filled with new possibilities. Looking back, I feel thankful and blessed just to be alive. This year is a jolting reminder the present moment is the only thing real. There are no guarantees that I could see the sunrise tomorrow. Hence being present and happy is all there is to this fleeting life.

2020 has also been a year of warm connections. When a virus stopped the entire humanity on its tracks, the realization dawned that a lot of rushing around until that point was needless. The boundaries between work hours and home hours disappeared. As a result, it became easier to bring one's true self to work. The instances of kids and pets popping up between work meetings became a common sight and an accepted norm. Family members could also witness what happened at work which was earlier a black box between 9 to 5 wherein the person disappeared somewhere and then showed back home. People started youtube channels and found time for their hobbies and interests. I also rediscovered my school friends in Chalakudy and reminisced about the fun times together.

So has 2020 been one of progress or loss for humanity? It's hard to say and depends on the prism with which the events are being looked at. The definition also varies from person to person shaped by circumstances. One barometer that has been helpful for me is a measure of the time spent in being truly alive and present. A few simple questions help frame this up:

• Am I truly immersed with my daughter while spending time with her?
• Am I paying attention to what am I eating, when am I eating and how am I eating?
• Am I paying attention to my physical and mental well being? How can I share joy if I am not taking care of myself?

In retrospect, I count those activities that helped me reinforce the present moment as progress. Here are the stats for 2020:

1. Running

Distance: 400.41 mi(644.39km) Vs 306.58 mi(493.39km) for 2019

Time: 71:52 hrs Vs 61.25 hrs for 2019

Personal Records

5K- 26:15 (8:27 min/mile)

10K- 54:31 (8:46 min/mile)

Half Marathon-2:05:42 (9:36 min/mile) 

2. Biking

Distance: 801.96 mi(1290.62) Vs 502.6 mi(808.85km) for 2019

Time: 62:24 hrs Vs 59:22 hrs for 2019

3. Swimming

Distance: 16.59 mi(26.69km) Vs 14.73(23.70km) for 2019

Time: 10:30 hrs Vs 19: 04 hrs for 2019

4. Walking

Distance: 234 mi(376.58km) Vs 446 mi(717.76 km) for 2019

Time: 114:00 hrs Vs 192:22 hrs for 2019

Summary: 

Distance: 1453 mi (2338 km) Vs 1270 mi (2043 km)

Time: 332 hrs Vs 259 hrs for 2019

Total days active: 221

5. Reading

Books Read- 24

Time Read: 132 hrs

Top 3 books

• Man's search for Meaning- Viktor E Frankl
• I am Malala- Malala Yousafzai
• Siddhartha- Hermann Hesse

Complete list of books referenced here

So what helped?

1. Little things every day adds up- I have been doing the above activities previously too but the biggest difference this year has been the consistency. With a lot more time available at hand, it became a bit easier to fit these activities into the daily schedule. 

2. Keep encouraging yourself- You are your own best teacher. Pat yourself on the back when you take that small walk outside or find time to read a book. Find a company to discover motivation for the things you want to pursue. A triathlon club that I joined earlier in the year has been a big source of strength.

 

3. Have fun- I felt joyful doing some of the things I did. If you are not enjoying the process, you are likely not going to enjoy the result. A few instances where I got bogged down with some boring books is a classic example. Instead of throwing the book aside, I tried to stick on and finish it no matter what. This ended up with me spending a much longer time on these books. On the contrary, I looked forward to picking up and continuing those books that kept me hooked. Life is short. Have fun. Throw things away and start anew if something isn't working. 

What can be improved?

1. Less is more- One thing that I always feel guilty about at the end of the day is not having done enough. This happens due to that checklist with several things marked to be done only for the day to be hijacked by everything life throws at you. I have noticed this pattern both at work and personal front. A more prudent strategy is to make a list of only 2/max 3 things to be done every day. This helps keep things in perspective and do a better job of those 3 things rather than having to squeeze in a lot and add to the stress.

2. Stick to the basics-  I frequently go back in memory to the childhood days at school in a small town of Chalakudy. Used to be woken up by grandma at 5 am which is when the church bell rang and the temple song played. The day started with a black coffee and progressed at a steady pace with a river bath, visit to the temple, ride to school on a BSA SLR bike, classes, games with friends, and back home to play some more, finish the homework and get to bed around 9 pm. The only indulgence were the designated programs that played in DD such as chitrahaar, byomkesh bakshi, chithrageetham or wagle ki duniya. A good 1500 Rs was sufficient for a family to meet their monthly needs. Life was just...well....simple and had a rhythm.

Fast forward to now and we have a smartphone that streams the world and helps connect people far and wide. But are we truly connected? While the breadth of relationships is ever-expanding, the depth seems lacking. This is definitely not the fault of the technology but the me who is using it. I wonder occasionally as to how the spirit of those old simple times can be imbibed into these fast-paced modern day. As Covid has reminded, it is time to possibly slow down and find happiness in small things.

Read this Zen story somewhere:

A professor visited a Zen master with certain preconceived judgments. The master poured the tea in a cup and it started overflowing. Stop..said the professor. What are you doing?

Master replied, Like this cup, you are full of yourself and your notions. How can you learn about Zen unless you empty your cup??

It's time to empty the cup and start 2021 all over again..