The Restore Awards were like a quintet. Every year, our mission is to recognize and applaud the selfless work of doctors, healers, warriors struggling with their chronic illness, sustainability entrepreneurs who care for Mother Earth. This year, we were humbled and grateful for the kind of entries we received, shortlisted nominees, and final winners. Our external esteemed jury helped make the process warm and streamlined.
And just like that, even during the pandemic, the five of us came together to create the melodious and synchronized quintet on stage.
We girls are The Quintet. Bhavana, Prachi, Palak, Aradhna, and me. Bonded by a common purpose, a sisterhood where we have each other’s back and complement the energies we bring in. The countdown for the awards began in September for us with no real script. We wrote the script along the way. Amidst some serious hard work, there were some incredibly joyful behind-the-scenes chatters, squeals of laughter, hugs, get-togethers, wine, and love that flowed. There were also emergencies, middle-of-the-night emails (which we normally don’t do), and urgency (we are an unhurried lot) but finally, we arrived on stage, helping all the winners shine bright and getting a bit of the stardust from them on ourselves.
So when I read what Ray Dalio of Bridgewater Associates said, it completely resonated with me. He said,
“In jazz, there’s no script, you have to figure things out as you go along. All great creative collaboration should feel the same way. Combining your different skills like different instruments, improvising creatively, and at the same time subordinating yourself to the goals of the group leads to playing great music together.”
With The Restore Awards, we 5 created that background melody for all the nominees and winners to get recognized.
And just like we came together to craft this mission, we also know the value of unwinding after the orchestra has ended. So here we are, still basking in the glory of all the calls, emails, and messages of congratulations coming in, unwinding in our own little corners. The end of December and the first week of January are mandatorily an unwinding time, focused on self-love, self-nurturing, and just doing nothing sometimes. The unhurried pace then becomes really slow and a coffee conversation lasts five hours. That’s the way we regain our balance, recharge our batteries and restore ourselves. In 2022, we know that we have a lot to do, but for now, we are putting our feet up. You won’t see much of us because we will be huddled into our corners to celebrate, or just be.
Come January, and we will re-appear. To play our quintet again, to Mission 2022 of RachnaRestores. Till then expect only the sounds of cheer, reflections focused on self-love. With some soft lilting tunes in the background.
Let’s unwind, and unhurry.
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