It started with a curious conversation

It started at Gloucester Royal Hospital. A curious conversation between a nurse and a patient and my address, Nandana. Nandana generally means Joy or Happiness and is of Hindu origin so I was happy to chat about how the name came about. It's links to a fort on a hilly range in Punjab Pakistan, Hari Krishna and a paradise garden owned by Hindu Deva chief 'Indra'. I hadn't even thought about the nurse's religious beliefs, I was on 'a roll' and when I eventually stopped talking, I could see he knew what I had said, a tenuous connection was started. He then asked me about my work which I was more than happy to oblige. And as our curious conversation continued, we listened to each other, reflected on the feelings and words and that tenuous link became a real connection. Two very different people from very different backgrounds with a very similar belief and a code for living.

We both agreed the importance of:

Being grateful for every experience, both the good and the bad.

Acting with love towards everyone no matter what they've done.

Checking our motives and action to make sure they come from a place of love for ourselves and others.