Serendipity and All Things Mushy and Magical

Credits: goodreads.com

I am a diehard romantic and I need constant boosts of love and romance! The stars and planets are an essential part of this magic and naturally, I am totally hooked on to astrology and anything that talks about things that science cannot fully explain. To add to it, I have the ability to believe anything and put all my faith into it much to the shock and irritation of my dear ones. Even when the whole world sees through something hopeless, if I have put my faith there, it does not get shaken! Call me naive, stubborn or plainly, a jackass, I do not budge. If I did let go of the faith and if my trust be broken, I would be in throes of sorrow for a long long time.

Credits: indianexpress.com

Well, one evening it happened! My mushiness meter, which I had been trying to brush off, started beeping rather loudly. My eyes started filling up, with pangs of loneliness becoming unbearable. The low level warning light was on. Obviously! I hadn’t read or watched a romance in weeks. The last I had seen was the serialized version of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” (the Colin Firth version-how I love the man!). My husband, though in town, was exceedingly busy and the kids were deep into their gizmos to bother and I, with my mad hormones, began to show signs of withdrawal. No one noticed. Or rather they did, but overlooked it; after all I was never totally sane! They pulled my leg a bit, cuddled me like one would a puppy and got back to their routines.

Credits: amazon.com

Credits: storypick.com

So I did what I do best. I shut the door of my bedroom put some sentimental songs and let lachrymation happen! Only this time I didn’t feel better- at least, not for long. When one is younger, life is a lot simpler. Chocolate, a bear hug and music would get me to bounce back in no time. No point thinking of that any more- that was water under the bridge. So I mentally steadied myself and gave myself some pep talk and decided to watch a mushy movie. I went over what I had with me- “You’ve Got Mail”, “When Harry Met Sally”, “Bridges of Madison County”, “Love Story” and some Nicholas Sparks books turned movies; the first three being my all time favourites! Unfortunately, I know them by heart and this time I wanted a whole new experience! 

Credits: pinterest.com

I began browsing online for free movies and finally found Serendipity! A John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale movie made in 2001, was quite a hit and one that I had missed so I went on to try my luck here. It worked- almost! If you divide your desktop screen into four quarters, the movie played on the left hand bottom quarter while the rest of the screen had a bright blue designed background! Who on earth would watch a whole movie like that?!!! Me!!!! After the first five minutes I forgot that the rest of the screen was blank and that I was seeing only one fourth of it! It didn’t matter! I was glued! 

Credits: buzzfeed.com

The main protagonists meet by chance and magic happens. They spend a few hours together but it has an impact on them both. While the hero wants to get to know her better, she believes in fate and says they’d meet again and be together if it was meant to be. She hands him a note and asks him to write his phone number on it and then quickly runs to a shop and buys something with that very note. She then tells him that if fate wanted them to be together she would get that note and get his number and call him! She also said that she had a book “Love in the time of Cholera” and she would write her name and number on it and sell it to a second hand book dealer. If he got it their fate would lead them to one another! Saying so, they part ways and no guesses for the ending but it was beautiful! It lifted my spirits immediately.

Humans are all out to control. We want to control all sorts of outcomes because we believe that we know best- at least for ourselves. We despair at the smallest thing that doesn’t go our way. Whether it is our marks in school/college; if we get a teacher/instructor that we prayed so hard not to get; our physical appearance; our social or economic status; our choice of partner; our car- the list is endless ranging from trivia to something invaluable to us. We keep expecting things to go our way every time. How we keep crying “Why me?” in our heads and hearts and sometimes audibly just so that someone hears our voice and changes the outcome to our liking!  

Credits: brainyquotes.org

Credits: pinterest.com

We are told to practice gratitude and allow grace to flow into our lives and envelop us and so we do the motions but seldom do we believe in it or give into it entirely. “If only” is always a thought that lurks nearby. Amitabh Bachchan, our one and only Superstar, often quotes his famous father, a fine poet “Mann ka ho to achcha, na ho toh aur bhi achcha” which translates to “If it happens as per your will, it is good but if it happens against your will, even better” for then it is God’s will.

Credits: meetup.com

This is something I am working on! Faith and fear can never go hand in hand. If we believe in God or in ourselves then there should be no room for fear. If fear has entered our lives in any way it is because somewhere we have let go of our faith. So every time a thought creeps in which brings fear with it, ask whether it is bigger than your faith- it will never be! If so, slash it out of your system and move on. (Yes, I admit that it is easier said than done but baby steps, in the right direction, are all we need!)

Credits: pinterest.com

Last but not the least, if you do want something so badly, it will most certainly come to you, so think before you ask! If it doesn’t, remember “picture abhi baaki hai mere dost” or “the movie isn’t over yet, my friend”! So let’s keep our hopes and faith high and allow the doors of mush and magic to open for us! Alohomora!!