Thursday, September 30, 2010

What Dreams Are Made Of

We dream of the life we always want – the life we dream… and how differently we live the lives we have. Maybe we imagine the things we will own, the places we will go and the people we will share them with. But what keeps these dreams remaining merely dreams? Most of us are too afraid to make those dreams a reality – maybe because of the hard work involved, or the risks that have to be taken, or maybe, we’re afraid of failure. Because when these things are our dreams, they are safe there, and we don’t have to face the disappointment of losing them and realizing that they were not attainable.

Everyone talks about following their dreams, of making ‘it’ happen and living the life of your dreams. But how many of us are brave enough to do just that? Why is there such a gap between where we are and where we want to be?

We find songs with the most beautiful lyrics depicting images of just this. Movies made where the characters search high and low and end up walking into the sunset, content that they have found their happily ever after. If it can be imagined, it must be able to be done.

(An Indu Bandara Original) - 30th September 2010

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Pieces of Me

"When a relationship ends, you realize a lot of things.
Things like:
You're dispensable;
You were never meant to be;
Your expectations from each other didn't match;
Your heart is sometimes a horrible decision maker;
The hole in your soul may never heal.

But when it comes time to say goodbye, no matter the reason or who's to blame, when it seems like you've lost just about everything, remember this:

You haven't lost anything; you've gained yourself."

- Indu Bandara (5th May 2011)

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"Wearing your heart on your sleeve is risky business, but only through experience can I learn what life is all about – I want to live it rather than settle for a painless ride.” - Indu Bandara, 'Roses Are Red'

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"How do you change the universe? By doing things that scare you and dare to expose your soul. By pushing forward, onward and through, until you break free into the space that you never thought you’d see, its fragrance so familiar because you’ve been to that edge before." - Indu Bandara, 'September'

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"For the one who rekindled my passion... I'd like to say that's God, but this is more the person who led me there (to church)... led me to a place where my thoughts came together, finally... because I had buried my dreams, and myself, underneath material obsession and passive lies…" - Indu Bandara (future book dedication?)

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"Having someone there, whether it is when you come home, or having a person to share your day with, your thoughts with, your fears with, that connection is what keeps life alive. And when those people in your life decide to take a break or even take a hike, you are swallowed by an emptiness that cannot be filled, even if you spent your days occupied with crossing the widest oceans or the greatest desert.' - Indu Bandara, 'Oceans and Desert'

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“There are those rare moments in life that are made up of a medley of the most beautiful music, that you want to keep playing them over and over again. And even when they’re over, your memory of them can help you heal in the most magical way, and let you know that there is hope for something similar yet again – maybe in a different sense, with different people, under different circumstances – but there is hope nonetheless.” - Indu Bandara, 'Repeated Medley'

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"Temporary chaos is sometimes necessary to show you the true order of things - in your life, in your heart, in turning your dreams inside out." - Indu Bandara, 'Temporary Chaos'

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"... But as with all matters concerning human behavior, and maybe more importantly the human ego, there is never a clear explanation. People act and react – I do it all the time – and by no means have I even come close to finding the right way of going about it... I suppose what I forget is that not everyone is the same in terms of dealing with each other’s hearts. We each have our own ways of dealing with what we encounter. And more importantly, our vulnerabilities and fear of hurt leads us to present a picture of ourselves and of others that is not always true. That, in a way to keep ourselves from hurting, we hurt others (often not intentionally) – and hope that they are important enough in our lives to take the time and effort to see it from our point of view, as well... As the saying goes, “There are three sides to every story – yours, mine and the truth.” I would like to very much insist that my side of the story is in fact the truth, and I’m guessing that’s what the other person wants too. So then, I think, this is where compromise enters. That you decide if it’s more important to carry on with an argument or a misunderstanding of each other’s truths, or that the relationship is worth enough to see, even just a glimpse into the other side, and find a way forward. A way to say that our human connection is worth more than words uttered in reaction to hurt, in a time of despair. So the truth is, in the simplest of terms, when I thought I had lost hope in humanity, in when I thought that there was simply no good in some people, I was proven wrong. And I could once again believe that the effort of a relationship could show you many dimensions of a person, and overall, this one particular person in particular, was worth fighting for, to keep in my life, to have the time to learn more and experience more. And that this is not the person to take away my hope of good in people – because there is hope there, there is good there. And beyond what might be said in times of hurt and anger, there is indeed, something there – something worth fighting for." - Indu Bandara, 'Misunderstandings of Each Other's Truths'

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