Tag Archives: brave

The Sewing Machine Worked Just Fine… Until It Didn’t

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The other day I was preparing some small quilts to take with me to India for a program I planned to visit. The quilt squares had been decorated by children of the mothers who had been burned by fire or acid. I had met these kids years before and never got a chance to finish up the quilts. I was going to India in a few days so I was inspired to finish them. This work reflected all my hearts passions: meeting the survivors, speaking to the kids, remembering to bring them fabric swatches, saving the swatches for the right time to finish it and of course sitting at my beautiful machine and finishing the project.

All of a sudden, the machine would not work. The needle would not stay threaded.The bottom thread would not catch. I rethreaded it about 6 times and then I yelled, to no one really, “what the F is wrong with this machine?”

I began to hyper focus on the threading mechanism and tried to use a pen to poke the thread into one of the moving parts and of course it could not work. I had never threaded the machine with a damn pen before. Why was I trying to do that now? I have been sewing for 50 years. I used to make my own Catholic School uniform skirts. I KNOW how to thread a sewing machine.

Then a heard a voice in my head say “Indrani zoom out, close your eyes, and use muscle memory to do this. Nothing is wrong with you or the machine.”

So.

I closed my eyes. I allowed my hands to float up to the machine and I held the thread a loft. I mimicked threading motions and saw that my left hand floated behind the presser foot to check if it was in the down position.

I opened my eyes.

I smiled.

The presser foot was NOT in the proper position.
I put the foot down and threaded the machine and finished the quilts.

Then, it dawned on me that this episode mimics what women do to themselves. We KNOW how to be in the world. We know how to be brave and courageous and yet, when we forget a simple thing (like lowering the presser foot) we begin to judge ourselves and we accept the judgment of others. I love that it was the “putting down of the foot” that brought me out of my trance of feeling inadequate and stupid for not successfully completing a task I have done 1000’s of times for 50 years. How can you use this in your life?

The next time you KNOW deep in your heart how to do something, or WHO you are at your core, put your foot down on the knowledge and do not allow any one (even your judgmental self) to convince you otherwise. If others in your life say unkind things, let if go in one ear and out the next. Put your foot down and don’t let others define you with their words. Maybe use a simple phrase like “I am not sure whom you are describing, but that’s not me.”

Believe the words. You know you!

Now, go be the full YOU. The world needs all of you.

Love and Light from Indrani

Shareworthy: #Mission2For7

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We are so inspired by twin sisters, Nungshi and Tashi Malik, who have pledged to conquer the tallest peak in each of the 7 continents in support of the Indian Girl Child.

These brave young girls are climbing mountains to spread the message of gender equality and the fight against female feticide.  Please click here to learn more about their journey.

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How BRAVE must they be?

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A few weeks ago, there was a disturbing news report from a city called Lucknow in India.

Seems that a mother who had reported the rape of her young daughter was brutally attacked and in critical care.

The attackers were demanding that she withdraw the rape charge against their family member.

She did not.

SHE IS BRAVE!

What do you think she taught her daughter?

She is one of the bravest women I have never met.

I wish I could meet her and help her.

But chances are, I will never even know her name.

I can still help by continuing  to do the work of ending violence against women.

I am sure that my efforts will not help THIS woman BUT we will help others.

We will help as many as we can reach.

Will YOU help us to help other women?

How, you ask?

You can:

  1. Sign up for the Live a Brighter Life FREE classes and begin to stand up for yourself and for others. www.liveabrighterlife.eventbrite.com
  2. You can train to become a trainer of this work. Just send an email to Stacie@indranislight.org and she can answer any questions you may have and help you get started.
  3. You can make a donation to this foundation so that we can continue to do the great work we have started. http://indranislight.org/donate/

Any amount helps.

The choices are yours.

 

Speak up about abuse or stay silent and allow it to continue.

 

Love and light,

Indrani

How One Philanthropist is Changing Lives…Part Two

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In this article, I share the stories of three women that I met during my last visit to India. These are three of the bravest women that I’ve ever met….

 

When one of us is abused, we are all abused.

http://mombloggersforsocialgood.com/2014/03/14/how-one-philanthropist-is-changing-lives-for-indias-women-and-girls-part-ii/

 

Love & light,

Indrani

She is NOT a mistake…..

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Ma’am, now I know I am not a mistake.

 

She slowly stood up from her seat in the auditorium. She was getting ready to respond to my question.

“What do you know now that you did not know 3 hours ago?”

She shyly stood and said, “Indrani, ma’am, now I know I am not a mistake.”

She had a certain knowing in her eyes and a soft giant-ness in her voice when she delivered those words.

The whole room erupted with applause. My eyes stung with tears and I recognized the face of courage and bravery.

She had been told since the day she was born that she was a mistake because she was not a boy.

She was told that she was worth less than a male child.

She was told that she was a burden, only eating and using up resources.

She would be sold off or married off to the highest bidder as soon as her father could arrange it.

Now, here, in this room, 18 years after her birth, she is ready to believe otherwise.

 

 

Love and light

Indrani

How do you SEE yourself?

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There is so much research done on people’s self-perception.

Some people, who used to be overweight but have since lost weight, still see themselves as heavy. Some people, who were thin but have since gained weight, still see themselves as skinny. We sometimes see ourselves as better or worse than what we truly are.

We do not do this consciously…we do this at a deep sub-conscious level and we are often times unaware of what we think of ourselves.
I am barely over 5 feet and I am still stunned when I see my reflection in a shop window. I expect to look as tall as I feel.
Similarly I know very tall women who see themselves as short because they hate their height.
Our images have been influenced by all the voices we have ever heard telling us who we are.
We often forget that someone’s impression of who we are is just that…their impression.

It is not a fact. It is JUST their perception.
Can we be BRAVE enough to say, “That’s one opinion, I have many others to pick from”?
Can we be strong enough to NOT believe what others think of us?

“What you think of me is NONE of my business.”
I offer these words to you; take them as your own mantra. They will help you ground yourself when someone’s words are hurtful.

Love and light,

Indrani