Beginnings...

Friends are always a good beginning.. in these articles we share the early beginning of support / celebrations and learning.

For us it was small steps a day at a time that created magical moments of learning, discovering ourselves and friends and motivating us to try and learn new things.. 

It was also an always Yes Mind that helped us to discover art classes, Pop up classes, Dance .. Cooking for Fun..  In the following sections we share Building our identity, finding the balance and leap frogging to new horizons of learning.. 

Idyllic Musings is a story of five wonderful women who got connected in Columbus and became friends forever ..........

This is a story of working women, who came from different backgrounds, shared different passions and tastes but, together they found things that made their lives and of those around, more fulfilling and fun!!

This story goes back six years (though for some beyond that) when one among the group, who knew the rest, decided to bring together all of them to be able to bond. She planned this wonderful breakfast at a nearby cozy little restaurant, "The Hangar". This restaurant is mostly bustling with families, who come to relish their favorite items on the menu of this very popular restaurant. The uniqueness of this place also lies in the fact, that one can relish food while enjoying the vast view of the runway with small airplanes landing and taking off.

As planned, all the ladies met. It was a beautiful day in the month of September. The first meet started well. They engaged in normal discussions involving work, what they planned for the day, etc . There was enough conversation to keep them engaged through the hour and a half long breakfast. They enjoyed their orders; fluffy pancakes, rich french toasts and omelettes.  By the time they sipped their teas and coffees, they were in their comfort zones. They bonded well. It was time to head out; they paid their checks and walked towards their cars.

Before they drove off, they agreed to meet again.......... 

In a couple of weeks, they were back together and parted only to meet again and again! 

In hindsight, these meetings were the beginning of a beautiful journey......they had silently laid the foundation of a loving and ever growing friendship; they had laid the foundation of "Idyllic Musings"

There are reems of motivational thoughts on what friends are and what they should be .. 

Our Story has been enriched by sharing dreams of each others as our own, never say no, always ready to extend that helping hand and show our Big hearts,.

5 individuals, so different in their outlook of life, upbringing, but so same in their values, love for life and openness to always learn something new. ,

This Friendship has provided us our ‘Happy Place’ 

It has given us reasons to celebrate, strength to fight odds and be who we are!! Our Story strengthens the belief that together we can achieve more, we can inspire many and motivate to rake a step towards happiness and joy! 

I was in my forties when I started to learn Kathak !(Classical Indian dance form) 

Some would wonder, that late!! but let me tell you, I had always wanted to dance; I fantasized  wearing those beautiful dance costumes and performing some day. I left this fantasy on the back burner for a long time. However, one day, when in the group, we decided to learn dance, I just grabbed that opportunity without a blink. In no time, we were on our way to dancing!

In one year's time, we picked up the basics; thanks to our teacher, who was very flexible and patient. The excitement peaked, when we got an opportunity to perform during the local Ganesh Festival. We worked hard, rehearsed whenever we could and even ordered custom costumes for this performance From India!!

We were nervous, we were excited; we were riding high.

We were a part of the bigger dance group but, what made us nervous was the fact, that we were opening the dance! It was our first ever public performance on stage.

I don't think any of us would ever forget that day!

We were up as per schedule and we not only smiled all the way but, did not miss a beat or went out of sync! We performed 'Tatkar'... the applause In the hall still rings in my ears every time I think about the event. It was so surreal!

 We were proud of ourselves!

We continue to learn and perform..

I realized, Its never too late........

The time is Now!

Picture: our first performance

As a group of working women, we realized that we needed to find reasons to celebrate, however small they may be, especially during current times, where work from home can be monotonous and stressful.

One such weekend, we just decided to celebrate diversity!  We picked up the flavorful food of Rajasthan, a western state of India, from where came our youngest member of the group! To add to the spirits and uplift our moods, we decided to wear the beautiful and bright colored handmade double sided kantha dupattas ( long stoles) from Kutch, Gujarat, (the neighboring state of Rajasthan)that we had as gifts. 

Since I referred to gifts, It is perhaps a good time to share, that picking up little things for us when we go on our individual travels or trips has almost become a ritual in the group. And if it is an item of clothing/ jewellery, we always wait for an occasion to wear it together. As would happen, we thought we could use this opportunity  to wear The gifted dupattas. It definitely added some element of excitement!

Getting back to the food, which was the focus, the spread was great and we tasted some authentic new dishes. The refreshing drink of Raabdi was just perfect for the hot summer day. The main course included Gatta ( made with chickpeas flour) and the mango chutney was simply finger licking good!  some of these recipes may find their way on our recipe section. 

It was just a simple gathering but the little things added so much to our coming together and rejuvenated us for sure! 

In short, We must find time to Celebrate!

Pic: the Rajasthani Spread starting with Rice, Gatta, Mangodi( made of lentils) , Rotis( Indian flat bread) and mango sweet chutney. Raabdi drink (far end)