To view this newsletter in the browser, click here                 Issue #186       A newsletter from Creativegarh to help you live a life of passion, purpose and meaning.         Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, we all grew up.                     Somewhere between Happy Meals and happy hours, we grew up.           Somewhere between craving pizza and craving ghar ka khaana, we grew up.           Somewhere between having them write in slam books and having them write on Facebook, we grew up.           Somewhere between playing kacha papad, pukka papad, and ordering masala papad, we grew up.           Somewhere between starting the day with Bournvita and ending the day with green tea, we grew up.           Somewhere between climbing trees and climbing the corporate ladder, we grew up.           Somewhere between "let’s meet and plan" and "let's plan and meet," we grew up.           Somewhere between "I want to grow up" and "I want to be a child again," we grew up.           Somewhere between "ground pe aaja" and "let me send a calendar invite," we grew up.           Somewhere between playing ghar ghar and buying one house after another, we grew up.           Somewhere between playing doctor-doctor and going for yearly medical checkups, we grew up.           Somewhere between an Oreo with your milk and chakhna with your beer, we grew up.           Somewhere between 'who cares' and 'what will people say,' we grew up.           Somewhere between having a hobby and having a side hustle, we grew up.           Somewhere between playing board games in a room and playing games in the boardroom, we grew up.           Somewhere between breaking toys and breaking hearts, we grew up.           Somewhere between making art as an expression and making art to overcome depression, we grew up.           Somewhere between playing with building blocks and feeling blocked, we grew up.           Somewhere between sleepovers and one-night stands, we grew up.           Somewhere between 'mota ho jayega' and 'mota ho gaya hai,' we grew up.           Somewhere between 'let me write your number in a phonebook' and 'please give me a missed call,' we grew up.           Somewhere between believing in Santa Claus and believing that wonder is childish, we grew up           Somewhere between calling them on birthdays and anniversaries and simply tagging them, we grew up.           Somewhere between falling and rising, and falling and failing, we grew up.           Somewhere between cleaning up after you are done and sweeping everything under the carpet, we grew up.           Somewhere between allowing and controlling, we all grew up.           Maybe the real growing up isn’t what happened between then and now, but what happens the day you decide to go back and pick that child up again.           Today, if you can eat your ghar ka khaana with the same gratitude as a Happy Meal, doodle between meetings, laugh too loudly with a friend, or sit on the floor instead of the pedestal for once, you haven’t just grown up - you’ve grown back into yourself. Perhaps the most important thing you can do as a grown-up is to smuggle back play, softness and silliness into this very serious life that we have built for ourselves.                 Nobody comes into your life to teach you a lesson. They are planted there as a divine plan.                     Maybe this is the universe's leela, its playfulness, its way of gamification, its role play as your favourite teacher to lead you to the lessons that you are meant to learn in this lifetime.           What if the universe creates an elaborate plan for two souls to meet, teach each other the way of love, and then makes the heartbreak happen so that you can learn the lesson through the tough chapter of life as well.           What if there is actually a cherub sitting on its pygmy desk writing the minutes of the meeting with the exact moment that it's going to let the arrow leave the bow as you see someone walk inside the door at a party.           What if the meeting was written, so were the conversations and so was every passionate moment just to make you realise the joys of happiness. And what if the bad timing was created and the unhappy ending was written as well to make you learn that happiness always has to be an inside job.           Maybe we were meant to go through this path to realise two things, that we are worthy of love and also that our worthiness about ourselves comes when we find love within ourselves and not in a party.           What if the angels are watching all this as the universe puts its elaborate algorithm, a more intricate version of FLAMES to put the next person on your path.           Maybe the F for Friend came up and you found your soul friend in the dance class that you took together. Someone who stands by you through thick, thin and foxtrot. Maybe it was the A for Affection that was sent into your life to tell you that all the losses will never break you and you will always have the warmth of those who care about you.           Maybe the boss making caustic comments was sent into your life as E for Enemy, for you to find the trigger that would lead you to your wounded inner child.           What if the bad M for Marriage was to teach you that you need to step into your light on your own and bloom as an individual, not as someone's trophy.           But here's the beautiful thing. In this playfulness of the universe, there is no malice. Just love for you. And as one door closes, the universe opens plenty more. You just have to get up and walk through.           For we all are C for Children of the universe.             Our upcoming retreats                         Bhimtal Last 2 Seats Left 10th to 16th May     Bhimtal offers a rare kind of Kumaoni serenity. This landscape creates the perfect setting for inner work, allowing reflection to unfold naturally.   More details     Reignite conversation     Mandi Last 4 Seats Left 14th to 20th June     Mandi in summer is a calm escapade. Cool mountain air, green slopes, and quiet mornings create space to breath, rejuvenate and slow down.   More details     Reignite conversation     Kolhapur Registrations Open 12th to 18th July     Escape the city's clamor, reconnect with your inner light. Indulge in a life changing retreat, experiencing the discovery of your true self, within the arms of nature.   More details     Reignite conversation           This week, let's revisit     Munnar December 2025                         Experience a life full of purpose                     The purpose of my life is to use the gift of my music to heal lives.   Abhilasha Ojha Kasauli, April 2022         The purpose of my life is to create joyful, holistic and meaningful learning experiences. My vision is for all people to lead self-actualized, happy lives, filled with empathy.   Samathmika Balaji Kasauli, September 2022               For a daily dose of Creativegarh and our retreats, follow us here:                           Mantra Gold Coatings & The White Paper Creative         Sunita Somani         Pedal On               View Our Collabs for Joy                   creativegarh.com             You are receiving this newsletter because either you have subscribed to it through our website, interacted with us by filling an invite form or because you have asked us to put you on the database. If you would not like to receive any more newsletters from us, please click here to unsubscribe.