Eavesdropping on Neighbours
Intuition and the subtle art of walking the middle path, shunning the white light, a soulful song suggestion, a psychological short fiction story.
Eavesdropping On Neighbours
I live in a ground floor apartment. Standing at her first-floor balcony, the neighbour on the flat above us shared a lot of feelings with the neighbour on our left on the ground floor. I couldn't help but take notes.
It has been difficult with her. The doctor had asked to use as less diapers as possible because of the rashes in the thighs. I'd been applying B4 Nappi [cream]. But it has been hard to keep cleaning and swiping urine up before her. Without diapers it's tough.
When I was packing, I got tears in my eyes. We've spent 4 years of our lives here. But it gets lonely sometimes. There's no one here.
The Overarching, Outreaching Hands Of Intuition — The Speaker Who Summons A Middle Path
Often our minds swing in between two extremes of actions — complete acquiescence or complete disconsolation wherever you find yourself. Changing jobs, places, partners, friends, don't help. As if the mind's vacillations between the past and the future weren't enough to the already outstanding restlessness and anxiety making up the background of our time. The roots of those 'action' extremes are desires, aimed to achieve comfort through convenience and avoiding struggle of any kind.
So when we struggle, our mind conjures up desires which when fulfilled should end the struggle. But do they?
In this essay, I dive behind the mechanisms of desires, actions and intuition from what I’ve observed and experienced, and how there’s a sneaky fey middle path where intuition thrives, and extreme actions can be kept at bay.
Tip
If you have a white tube light in your room, immediately replace it with warm white or golden yellow tube lights, lamps or bulbs. I did it today and I can’t believe how different my room feels and so does my mood. Also, your sleep will drastically improve.
Song
Marubari by Karthick Iyer and band
Short Story
Arushi Vats’s Gufa
This story reminded me of two brilliant pieces of art – Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, and the movie series The Descent. The story starts with an unnamed second person trying to remember a particular day by binging on videos online so that he would dream about the day he can’t remember much of.
‘You know I can only remember what happened in dreams. But the dreams don’t come easily. I have to watch these and go to sleep. I have to keep thinking about this. Only then can I dream of that day
The story then traces a memory of an incident in a college canteen years ago, and what ensues from there.
Wish you a hugsy week ahead.