Journey towards Solar

Having a vision is easy if you have right background, friends, education and community that supports  it. The not so easy part is “taking action” to achieve that vision. Taking action can be fun and exciting yet sometimes difficult and frustrating. Action is the one that gets things done though. Thinking and some more thinking will get someone only so far.  The steps to get to required outcome especially something new can be intimidating.. Recently, getting a puppy and returning it back to breeder in ten days taught me a whole bunch of things about myself. It was a failure on my part with lot of learning lessons. The  biggest one in those  is that one cannot completely know oneself if one doesn’t try. I tried and discovered flaws and strengths in me and in future will work on those.
However, there is one more short term and long term goal that I am trying to achieve. My long term  goal is to do something that can reduce carbon footprint. Short term goal- installing solar panels. I did take an action with support of my husband and encouragement from my kids.  Here are different steps/ side hustles  that I needed to do to meet my vision. The project is not yet complete and their are still ways to go. However, just to get to initial start I had to go through following steps. I wish this will help and give general guidelines for someone with future interest in solar. My research is related to where I live and for specific info please feel free to contact me in person. However, the guidelines can help in general for everyone at-least in US to get a start. Once project is complete will share my experience. If it fails, which I doubt, will still happy to share the failures. So here are the steps.
1. I did research required to have better understanding of how solar system works. I read different articles and now I know much more regarding how solar energy is produced ( feels like sitting for a physics class). Kids especially in middle school and high school grades can find this information very  informative and interesting.
2. I did do  online research to find local businesses who install solar panels who have excellent reviews. I wanted to go with local company to support local businesses and  they do have better pricing. Also, I did try to dig in information regarding resale home price post installing solar. According to my research, home value does go up in our area if we decide to sale home. Again, it will be draw of luck but with better probability to cover all our installation cost. Solar panels are more sleek and can look pretty good. Some companies like Tesla can offer panels that do look like shingles but are a bit expensive.
3. I did take quotes of four companies and compared their Panel quality, warranty and efficiency. Solar companies did give me understanding of our roof structure with best possible panel positioning for best solar output. My husband created an excel sheet showing timeline to recover money. Generally it’s around 7 years on an average that it will take to get the installation cost back as one doesn’t have to pay monthly electric bill. The good part will be our solar output will be used by our utility company so that when we will produce extra energy our company will give us credit to use that extra energy and we can use this credit for cloudy/ rainy days. We went with solar company with good reviews and good panel quality/ warranty with best price. They were going to do paperwork for city approval and homeowners approval. I am grateful for our neighbors who signed the papers to allow us to install solar. Solar companies do offer online App to look at your own solar output. One  can take initiative to save more energy as the visual graph can be a good biofeedback.
 4. I did dig into which panels are good, their warranty, their own recycling ability. I found out how installers companies work with solar panel companies and how it’s an interdependent business chain. I feel that renewable energy business is a great business for any interested entrepreneurs especially with engineering background and good marketing skills. It will also support to reducing carbon footprint and improving planet's health. So definitely a possible profit making business for a noble cause.
5. The federal tax rebate and utility rebate are big help to reduce solar cost. Basically a huge initial installation cost can be tamed down with all the rebates. Again one has to submit forms on time to get utility rebate on time.
6. I did call our home insurance company and I am happy to report that solar panels are covered with home insurance free of charge and are included in our policy. Between- solar panels are in itself strong enough to bear heavy storm and big hails. However, just in case if something happens, insurance will cover it.
7. I did try to encourage friends and neighbors to install solar. Some did show interest. I have few friends that I have installed solar in the past  and I am taking inspiration from them. Hopefully, once ours installed, I can arrange open house for people to come and check our solar panels which hopefully will encourage them to go for renewable energy in future.
My dream is to run our family needs with minimal impact on environment. Solar energy definitely will help us to address this. In future, buying electric cars will make it even more possible to assist with decreased carbon emissions.
If  installing solar is not feasible, people can certainly buy renewable energy shares/ mutual funds to help the cause and along the way make some profit. I am not expert in this regard though.
The experience of doing something that is aligned with my vision and taking efforts to make it happen is a true delight.  I have met so many people including  neighbors, different company representatives and owners while being in this journey. It’s happy to see that all of them share the same goal. If things go as planned, will happy to share any helpful info with anyone interested. The main goal is to do my part to reduce carbon footprint.
The occasional frustrations and worry to put significant amount of money to achieve this goal is definitely worth noting. But that is the risk I have decided to take and I am happy to take blame and learn from it if desired outcome is not met. This is just the foundation and start of something with good intent. Actual practical application - outcome/ results are yet to be found. I did my part and I am happy for the experience and knowledge that I gained along the way.
Again this wouldn’t have been possible without my husband’s support. My parents were happy as well with this decision. I am truly grateful to have this support system.
With lots of love to planet earth , my kids and all the future generations,
Praj101

Planning - Oh stupidity

Planning- Oh stupidity- round and round
Planning - Oh stupidity- monkey mind is jumping around

Round and round- planning wheel goes - round and round- in my head

Round and round- can’t stop that wheel: God, how can I shut it instead 

Planning for days- wait weeks - for some distant destiny

At home and at job- planning 24/7 - On computer or in fancy diary 

Man, all that planning- for my brain growing tired

No sign for me stopping or slowing

All the time thinking- some crazy productivity hacks 

Wait,  all that is just future dreaming

Stupid silly planning- Making me tense up

Oh-Let me relax some- with internet browsing

Wait- What?- two hours are just like that gone 

Now I feel behind - mind is clouding 

Planning-Oh stupidity- let me live my life

Unplug you silly monkey mind

What can I do - to halt this wheel

What works - let’s dig-in some and find

Here and now - no missing all that good- 

Those silly funny stories that my kids tell me

Unwinding together - playing card games

Or  joining in for tennis with my honey 

“Habits” may be an answer- a bit addictive

So better be those healthy and wise

No need to waste my precious brain energy

When good daily routine can be a winning prize

Uncertainty- I welcome,  greeting it with grace
Being with dear ones - easing and smiling
Also, learning to say “no” - occasionally do nothing
As being bored is in itself  - a true blessing

praj101 

Nap-Time

Need an easy break -a speedy restful recharge

A tired yawn is signaling you : “Stop, please stop”

Please do go ahead and take a mini nap
Afternoon siesta for a quick energy re-cap

Closed those curtains, turn on your fan

Or cool down quickly with a minty soothing balm

A soft  comfortable bed with comfy cotton sheets

All you need is ten to twenty minutes of quiet peace

Working in the office, no problem dear

Lunch break - few minutes will perfectly fit here

Put on your sign- “ Its a ten minute nap time” 

Just lean on desk and close those tired eyes

Don’t have to lay down-  just stand or sit

All you need to do is relax and snooze a bit 

Long leisurely breaths with relaxed closed eyes

Do some pre- stretches and ease up that jaw- line

When , where and how much - it all depend on you

Just make it a daily habit to get that facial glow

Craft it with care- it’s your very own design

Whatever fits - wherever fits- in your lifestyle

Nap will soothe nerves to enjoy the day ahead

So don’t reach for that coffee - instead snooze away

A tranquil serenity waiting when given a scheduled time

You bet- You will look forward for your own nap-time

-praj101 

Change

Have you come across a situation where life is going smoothly and suddenly a major shift happens? Sometimes with prior notice and sometimes without. Let me ask you this- how did you perceive change? Did you embrace the change or  was it difficult for you to cope with it? For most of us, every change brings some mental stress-all good and bad ones. The stress related to good changes feels good and the one related to unwanted change feels -well not so good.

Having a baby, bringing a pet , changing cities and sometimes even countries for family and career advancement, getting an undesired medical diagnosis for myself or my loved one, getting a good career brake,  taking brake from work, changing career paths, saying bye to very close friends and family , meeting dear ones after long time: not one but many - these are just few significant changes that has happened to me. Some of those were planned and some came as a surprise.I embraced desirable changes quickly. However, given my personality- I usually didn't welcome difficult changes easily. My basic nature is to maintain status quo when it comes to uncomfortable life scenarios. However, this personality has a  huge drawback. When change is a must its easier to accept it and move forward than to ruminate over it again and again. Easier said than done.  I say this out of experience. I would run the record of different scenarios explaining myself what should have had happened. What could I have done better. What did I do wrong ..etc.  Now I am not undermining the analytical part of this rumination process to get to a better outcomes next time. The evident mental flow with rumination is how many times I am going to ruminate about it:Let's see:  Twice- Great; ten Times- maybe OK ; fiftieth time- well that is a problem. 

If a change is a default mode of life then why only few of us are well prepared for it. Why no one teaches us from childhood complexities of change. I am guilty of making my children's life predictable too. We never practice or discuss "Change Drills" at home. Most of the times change is  so subtle and we hardly notice it and life goes on.
Although, sometimes change is  dramatic. I am fortunate enough to have experience working in hospital in trauma unit and post-acute rehabilitation centers.  I have met with so many patients  who were getting physical therapy post trauma or post some significant medical changes. Some met with accident and lost their ability to function overnight. Some went into depression and some tried to make best of the situation. Some needed extra help from psychologist/psychiatrist. Everyone dealt with "traumatic change" differently. People who dealt with it effectively had huge network of friends and family to support them and most of them had positive outlook about life. Some engaged in process of learning about their disabilities and spend their time achieving short term goals assigned by therapist. This gave them a constructive outlet. . Some were successful and some not. However, it was never all or nothing mindset for these optimistic people. What do these optimistic people have that made them so effective? What I need learn and do to be prepared for any difficult change in my own life. Well, right now training an new puppy and taking care of him felt like a big change and my reaction to this change was lets say "undesirable". Me loosing my mental peace and sleep over such a cute thing definitely warrants a little learning for me about positive mentality towards "Change" in general. 

This brings down to my current issue with dealing effectively with any life change-  Here are some of the steps that comes in my mind.

1. Self awareness- I know I am not a very optimistic person. I know that I generally think about worse of worse outcome. Well, this is self -awareness that will help me to accept the way I am. I know I don't like uncomfortable situations. Maybe putting myself in some of those situations knowingly, especially when there are no negative consequences except the emotional discomfort , will assist me to prepare myself for future unknown. Meditation has lot of benefits in this regards. It teaches us to look at our mind in third person perspective. However, I am not doing regular mediation. Maybe 5-10 minutes of meditation practice daily will help me understand my emotions better. 

2. Importance of Physical health- I know importance of mind-body connection. To deal with my mind effectively I do need to be physically fit. A healthy diet and daily exercise routine will assist me in this journey. However, I don't change my workout routine or diet effectively. I actually like to have routine . Which is good. Though, occasionally I have to spice things up. Changing exercise routine and challenging myself with different and difficult exercises will assist me to deal with real life change. Occasional fasting or restricting my favorite foods from my diet knowingly for short amount of time can give me emotional agility. Having puppy in our life now has opened me with whole different set of outdoor activities. 

3. Friends- Family-Community- I have always amazed with good will of people that surround me. Maybe its my friends and colleagues or my family members overseas that keep me feel connected. My parents, my husband and kids and my sister are my anchors who will keep me grounded. Due to our puppy, I am expanding my "community feeling" by meeting other dog owners too.  Lot of times we are not alone when we encounter certain new situations. Asking for help and knowledge sharing will always strengthen the bond between us. Modelling people with better emotional resilience and getting some cues from them will serve me in long run.

4. Focusing on others- So far , as you can see, you have heard a lot about "me and my problems". I recently heard in a podcast that the minute I will change focus from me to someone else, things become easier. Maybe, I am so absorbed in this boring "me world" .  Let me try to change my focus. As I said in my earlier blog, I am overwhelmed with having a puppy in my house. Now, if I change my focus from self  to my puppy, things do look different. This puppy was with his mom and dad at the breeders home. He was in a safe and secure place where all his daily needs were met without difficulty from well trained people. He had other puppies as his playmates whom he was used to biting and nipping as that is part of puppy play. This sweet creature has left all of that awesome environment to come and stay with us and make this as his new home. We are novice in this puppy raising area. What a huge change for my puppy to live with us inexperienced people. I already feel sad for him. At least he deserves our full attention and love.  Now as my focus has changed from me to him and his well being, I hope I will be able to better care for him.  

5. Short term vs. long term Goals- Sometimes we think about short term achievements and comfort that they provide even when the overall outcome will be just a basic. Some changes are good for us. Well, at least for now I am thinking about our puppy and recent discomfort in my own sleep schedule vs. long term companionship and love our little pup will give us. Sometimes, to achieve long term goals - short term discomfort becomes part of change. Again focusing on learning process than outcome itself would make any change achievable. 

6. Not being so hard on self-  Sometimes, in spite of all these steps, I will be uncomfortable. Accepting discomfort as an OK emotion will ease the discomfort itself.  I need to be more compassionate towards myself by giving self enough time to heal. Getting a puppy at home was big life change and I was uncomfortable. I still am. I had given myself flexibility to back out if this didn't work out. That did feel like a self-failure and I had to accept consequences with any such related decision. Accepting life's failure and self-faults can make me more wiser next time. I have to accept sad feeling associated with such decisions- if we would have actually taken it. Life if unpredictable and I am no saint. I need to be prepared for situations where I may need to confront a situation that won't be pleasant experience. I may loose sleep over the problem and even after applying all the above methods , I may not be able to achieve desired outcome. I may have to back out of the decisions that felt adventures before. I may have to think about overall picture and may make some tough decisions in life. I need to allow myself that space to maneuver in discomfort without being so rigid.
7. Importance of Professional Help- Raising a puppy is a very small and cute hurdle. In life, very difficult changes may occur. What then? In those cases, I may need to take assistance from professionals who are behavioral and mental experts such as psychologist and behavioral therapist. If unfortunate events happened in life where I am not in control of my emotions - seeking professional help will be in my and my families best interest. I have seen people spiral in depression or becoming insomniac. Unfortunately in certain parts of society there is a taboo to go and seek help from  professionals. Sometimes there is a big societal pressure which is called- "What will others think?".  It is sad that some people in society doesn't understand the importance of professional help. Well, I will not be one of them. If I need help in life to adjust to difficult changes, I am going to ask for professional help.
8. Asking self what the worst that can happen- Here is where my pessimistic mind will help me. These scenarios are easy for me to imagine. The next step is more important though. I need to think about the worst  and then think about strategies that one can deal with worst ( need to work on this part). Focus on solutions than problems. Maybe making charts with different scenarios can help me too. This would be fun game with kids too. In Buddha's teachings and in general in Buddhism there is am emphasize on contemplating about death. Although,  this may sound little extreme, it does emphasize an important aspect of life.  I think the whole point of this exercise would be living in the moment and giving importance to experiences rather than materialistic things.
9. Being consistent with efforts to bring small and big changes- I am sure after writing this blog and applying these priciples will eventually make me comfortable with change. Here is the catch though. Will I be consistent with my efforts atleast till accepting change becomes a comfortable habit. Grit, after all,  is a definite path forward towards desired outcome.

This brings down to last part of this blog. What can be some of the situations where one can bring change knowingly to be prepared for unknown. This is the area where I may ask others for some go to situations too. The things that come in my mind are as follows :-
1. Changing exercise and diet plan at least once a week to add an easy change in life.
2. Looking for new and creative recipes once a week.( some culinary enthusiast can do this almost daily- for me -as an average cook- once a week sounds plenty).
2. Making a significant life change -such as getting a puppy-well, that will be big one.
3. Making "Change Drills" at home. Thinking about and playing "What if scenarios- both good and bad. This will be fun and positive way to make kids learn about different scenarios too. I have seen my kids come up with awesome solutions with their innovative and creative mind than me . Discussing this with kids would be big plus.
4. Adopting a new hobby or any new artistic change. Focusing on curiosity and learning experience rather than outcome would make my mind inquisitive.
5. Keeping up with reading and writing.  Lot of problems get resolved by putting one's thought in writing. Things do feel less apprehensive and rumination stops.' to learn proper technique.
6. Meditating- especially finding a teacher and if not a good online "App".
7. Confronting an issue- small one to begin with- at home and at work. Always think about and focus on solution than problem.
8. Accepting and being patient. Puppy is teaching me patience for sure. Accepting self and others as they are and saying OK to differences. To learn to accept situation- definitely engaging with others in a constructive debate with different viewpoints to prepare for differences in perspectives. In life,I will encounter with changes caused by others with different viewpoint. Giving some slack to others will make my life easier.
9. Making short and long term plans with 3 goals in each section that are significant changes than current lifestyle. Short term goals can be easy changes and long term goals will be tough changes. Having a future plan for change will make change in itself acceptable as it occurs.
10. Doing social work and/or participating in community activities. Building social network with people having same interest, views and vision for life brings sense of community. Helping others in the time of need improves compassion. Again we are buliding new friend circle with pet owners which gives me great community sense.

All in all, doing the above tasks and me effctively applying the principles into my own life will determine my future comfort level regarding change. Lets see what happens.

Praj101

Raising a puppy- tough work

Getting a puppy was all about it’s cuteness and cuddliness. In reality though it is lot of work. It’s a huge learning task for us. For me, being a first time pet owner, it was not enjoyable in the beginning. My husband was on board already but I struggled.  Waking up late at night to take Jupiter outdoors on grass to pee and poop, picking up his poop in plastic bags , cleaning up after he made a mess at home and his biting, nipping habit ( not with aggression but just as a part of playfulness) was all very new and very overwhelming. Again and again I thought, I made a huge mistake. Kids were shying away from him too as the first thing our puppy wants is to climb on them and nip them. And I was part to blame as I think I did scare my kids regarding puppy bites. As for any mom, my kids security is very important to me. Again problem is not our puppy but me learning to calm my nerves and in turn calm my kids.  Honestly, I was thinking of returning our puppy back to breeder right away. I even called our breeder to do the same. However kids became sad  and me and my husband too and therefore we hold back on that decision.
Here are the things that I learned in small period of time being with a puppy .
1. Our Puppy, Jupiter, is very active and playful. He is happy puppy. However, he is not a fun toy nor entertainment ( a big warning for kids). One has to respect him and his wishes with some guidelines for him. Puppy is a commitment and raising him wisely is on us and not on puppy.
2. Good friends are very vital in this journey. I got constant support from my friends especially I want to mention Nitu and Monica and of course  their families who have a dog and who has raised a puppy. The ease that they show playing with him and Jupiter’s comfort level with them makes me feel at ease. I have got lot of good pointers from them and I am eternally grateful. Especially their daughters are so good and kind and loving when they handle Jupiter. My colleagues  at work have given lot of advice too. That helps too.
3. It’s a learning curve. We are reading and listening books, watching puppy training videos  and reading pamphlets to find out how to train him well. We will join puppy training classes too. He is a happy go lucky yet wild animal. He needs to be house trained. He has to adapt to our way of living. I don’t want him to jump on others and nip or bite anyone . But that won’t come automatically. It is up to us to train Jupiter. It is on us to provide him that stable environment where all his needs are met so that he won’t do rough play with others. Nothing in life is free. If we want a well behaved puppy then we should put some efforts and be  diligent to teach him what that well behavior means . Being loving  yet assertive. He should know what is OK and what is not with positive reinforcement.
Surprisingly, my husband has taken an awesome lead in training Jupiter.  I am following my husband‘s lead.  Before bringing  Jupiter home, my husband was reluctant to get a dog. Now he is totally in love with him and the whole puppy training process. The good thing about my husband is he is process oriented guy and he enjoys the Journey more than the Outcome. I want to instill more of that nature in me.  Having a puppy and training him is a family affair. We are supervising our kids when they are around Jupiter but at the same time teaching kids to train him too so that everyone is on same page .
All in all, as days go by ,  I am sleeping better and getting my mindset better with a puppy in our house.
In this blog I just put the tough picture . However, I have seen tons of benefits of having a puppy that outweighs these tiny hurdles. That will be next blog.
If one is ready to handle the reality of tough work ( and it can be fun work if changed mindset- I am still working on that part)  then the whole process becomes easy or so I want to believe.
- praj101