To Hold Less, To Be More

I started to sit, just breathe, just be,

A book showed how God could rewire me.

No longer gripped by anxious thread,

I whispered, hamarey bas ki baat nahi, and looked ahead.

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A tale of beans and kings took root,

A parable both strange and astute.

With each new step, I stayed on track—

Letting go of things, holding little back.
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I weighed my needs and drew the line,

Between what's enough, and what wastes time.

I read of lives both slow and wise,

Of those who found calm in quiet lives.
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My joy’s not tied to what I own,

But to the love, and the ways I’ve grown.

I have found repose in an inner glow,

Caring less and less for outward show.
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For wealth of soul, not wealth of shelf,

Gives lasting peace—our greatest gift to self.

One finds oneself on a rough-hewn floor,

More content than behind ornate doors.
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No bitterness—I’ve seen it near,

The freedom I have beats luxury clear.

I found Asteya and took it to heart:

To live with less, to play a smaller part.
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So now I stand, serene and sure,

Of what I need, of what’s secure.

And when they ask, I smile and say—

"I’m good."—and I mean it, all the way.