From a Recovering Workaholic

I was talking to a friend few days ago and he was inquiring me about my whereabouts for the past year. All I could say was I am a recovering workaholic and you will from me more often. And yes, that is what I am. A recovering workaholic. It doesn't sound so bad now. But believe me, when you are fresh out of college and you turn into one, then you are doomed for life. 

Since almost two years, I have been a workaholic. A person who gets high on work. But yes, I was happy. There was never a moment at office when I stayed against my wishes. I was one eager naive girl who was always inquisitive and working. Once in a while, I had strange conversations with my managers. Normally, the topic would be 'burn out'. They were concerned that I will burn out soon. I even had one meeting with my manager where he was telling that this was his first experience of trying to make someone understand that they needed to work a little less for their own good.

Now, when I think of it, I feel it was completely unnecessary. There are hundreds of things that are out there, waiting to be explored. New hobbies to take up, new eateries to hang out, new horizons to be explored. Yet, I was at office, spending all my time cooped up, in front of a computer. Thanks  to some wonderful people I met, I have now realized the importance of trying out things other than work and yes, thanks to them, I am now a recovering workaholic :)

P.S.: I decided to take a break from fiction and write something light. This post is a part of The Write Tribe - Ultimate Blog Challenge - July 2014

The Broken Glass House

He had done everything he could to stop. Stop loving her so much. Stop from hurting her time and again. He had once even tried to push her out of his life. It ended in vain. She was still there in his life, all flesh and blood. No matter how much he tried to stay detached, she almost always managed to elicit a reaction from him. He knew he was wrong for her. He was a misanthrope, a misogynist who could not complete a sentence without sarcasm. Normal people stayed away from him. But then,  that was normal people. She was an idealistic girl who believed in the goodness of people. She believed in being nice and karma doing rounds. He knew he was bad for her. Things were not what it seemed to be. He sometimes felt she lived in a glass house and hence was afraid to throw stones at others. He did not want to be the one to break the glass. Yet, he had. As he saw her sitting by the balcony drunk and high, he knew he had been the one to shatter it and suck her into his darkness. He had been curious and wanted to know the truth. Now, all he could do was wait and watch her until she went to sleep.

P.S.: This post is a part of  The Write Tribe - Ultimate Blog Challenge - July 2014 

Boxes

People have a fetish for boxes. Everyone try to wrap their thoughts, actions and relationships in a box and label them. Unlabeled boxes are frowned upon by this society. It always tries to cram these boxes into different labels and when they do not fit in, they are looked down with contempt. Perhaps, it is the fear of unknown that causes such reactions.

She had been careful that such boxes did not exist in her life. Then, she met him. There were no sparks or lightning. Slowly, their acquaintance grew. And before she realized, it had morphed into one such unlabeled boxes. She could not name it. She never thought she will be able to fit their relationship in a box and struggled with it. But when time came, he proved it was not the same for him. While she struggled with unanswered questions, he was away packing his boxes. He had neatly wrapped their relationship in a box and put it to sleep while she still wondered why she had even considered things resolved. He will always remain a big question mark to her for life.

P.S.: I have taken up The Write Tribe - Ultimate Blog Challenge - July 2014 and this post is a part of the same.

The Pink Nail Polish

He had always liked her pink nail polish. It made her look feminine in spite of the cold mask she wore. He had heard stories about how she cut through people's weakness mercilessly. People stayed out of her way. Yet, he was intrigued. He had a theory that women were generally born soft and remained so until someone screwed up in their life. He badly wanted to know who screwed up in hers.

She had scrubbed her nails on Sunday and found that she was out of pink nail polish on Monday morning. She had to give a presentation and had to rush with unpainted nails. In the evening, she found a bottle of pink nail polish with a note  - 'To My Pink Clawed Tigress'. Her eyes clouded and memories came flashing back.

She was cowering in terror in the corner as her father went on a rampage around the house, collecting everything pink and piling it up in the back yard. He had pulled apart her favorite doll while her mom stood near him, pleading him to stop. Her father gave a harsh sneer and lit up the pile. 'All she can do is wear a pink nail polish and dress up like this doll. This is why I wanted a son !'. His words hit her more than his actions.

Now fifteen years later, she ran her father's firm as tight as a ship. At 25, she was the youngest chairman of the board, yet the most feared. Her father had long passed away two years ago and she made it a point to wear a pink nail polish every day since she took over her father's firm.

She was furious. She knew exactly from whom the note was.


To be Continued.. 

To That Aquarius Guy

She had always thought she was the Safe Type. The one who always chose the safer side when given a choice. The side where she was well cocooned and protected. She was this typical Cancer girl. What else can one expect ? But then, she met him, the Aquarius guy. He was the opposite of what she was. Outgoing, the kind of guy to take the riskier side just for the heck of it. At least, he looked so from the outside. Slowly, she befriended him. She found him rather sweet and soft on the inside. With him, she felt free. She learnt to choose the riskier side because she knew he will be there to accompany her even if it turns out to be sour. She learnt what having fun is and though she did have her fun, she was always conscious enough to be by his side. She rediscovered herself with him.

She also felt a little protective. But again, it was in her nature to be so. She turned judgmental only to realize later that she was being too judgmental. It was killing her not to know about the Aquarius Guy but she ended up asking the wrong questions in the process. Or may be the right questions because she now knew him. She knew he was the guy who was always in control and knew to make the right choice most of the time. Her trust in him only increased. Now she knew she could trust him with her life.

So to that Aquarius Guy, sorry for being judgmental and a Big Thank You for all the fun. Cheers !

[12/365] Like moths to a flame

She did not know what drove her to him again and again. Like moths to a flame, she was drawn to him, her ultimate nemesis. No matter how many time he let her down and crushed her, she could not stop herself. She kept going back, to suffer a greater damage every single time. She wondered if she will ever get the strength to stay away. But then, she again wondered about the real question - Will she ever want to ?

[11/365] The Golden Glow

She had always been the shy one, the one who will stop in the middle of her sentence if someone interrupts and never insist on completing the unsaid words. She was used to being interrupted and not completing her words. Then, she met him. He had a golden glow around him. He was always there, ready to hear, waiting for her to complete her sentences, no matter how long it took. He was there to make others listen too. With him, she grew in confidence. Now, there was a golden glow around her too because he was around. Recognition came and the glow grew more beautiful. But one fine day, he complained she had become too golden for him to stay around. He left her, all alone on the pedestal to fight off his own demons. She stood there, trying hard to maintain the confidence and glow when all she wanted to do was to curl around herself in darkness and disappear. Yet, she continues to stand tall with the golden aura around her in the hope that one day, when he's finished with his demons, the glow will lead him back to her.