Dec 17, 2010

I pick up my suitcase, this time a big one, and make a journey again. This time from the east coast of America to the west coast. From Indiana to Arizona. From home to home. I am travelling not on a vacation, but still on a vacation. Vacation from stress. But working remotely. I will have to support the testing effort that is going on in my project. But that is not a load, when compared to the 2 weeks of time off from daily stress. I don’t have to wake up at 7 am to get the kids ready. Don’t have to drop Nitin to school, needn’t worry about cleaning the house or the laundry. It’s a time to rethink, and reinvent the me, gradually getting lost in the daily chores of life.
I am boarding the US Airways flight 639 to Phoenix. My sons sitting beside me and mother behind me. My younger brat is flapping his hands, like a bird just as the airplane wheels away to take off to the skies. He thinks his flapping made the airplane fly. Such innocence! Where are all these people going? Everyone has a story, and there are so many stories to tell.
I open my book – Danielle Steel – Family Ties. It is after many months that a book has landed in my hands. 3 hrs 45 minutes of flying time and 220 pages read. I am impressed with myself.


Dec 20, 2010
The book is over, and now I am at a different destination. Tucson. 2 days with friends at Phoenix was good. Nitin had an awesome time with his friend Diya, he was seeing after 3 years.
Kids at his age adapt so easily to new environments. It is us adults who carry this fear of change. Why do we have to move from one place to the other like nomads. Just when you have made your friends, unpacked everything and start to form bonds, it is time to leave again in search of a new destination. Wish life was still at one place.

Dec 23, 2010
I am moving again tomorrow morning to Phoenix. Another move.  Back home at Carmel, it is snowing and snowing and snowing. My backyard must be full of snow, 3 inches maybe. The Christmas tree full of lights is twinkling. There are lights adorning the trees outside my house. It must be beautiful. Am I missing home? Yes and no. Maybe. The mind always runs behind things that are not at hand. Silly mind.
Well this Christmas, is to be spent at a friend’s place. All the gifts wrapped will be placed under the tree on the night of the 24th. Like how my son told me the other day ‘There is no Santa Amma’. I asked him, then who brings the presents, he pointed his little finger at me and said ‘you’. My 6 year old understands that. My Nitin, who I often feel thinks beyond his age at times; in understanding the circumstances.
Then there’s the little brat – his new dialogue ‘it’s just not my lucky day today’.
Once a year you should take a vacation with friends close to your heart, more on the fun side. The people in this world with whom I would take such a vacation would be my dear buddies, Chichu and Renju. The threesome, oh what fun! There is absolutely no moment to frown.
There is fun all around when there are minimum expectations from you and you don’t have to worry about pleasing everyone. Why can’t everyone just take life as simple as possible, instead of complicating it with emotions and feelings and heavy words? Just sway along with the wind. Life will take its course. When there are expectations that you should behave in a certain way, and then you bring in tweaks to the ‘you’. When you bring in the tweaks, ‘you’ is in imbalance. When ‘you’ is in imbalance, the mind wavers. Then one has no idea what one is thinking or doing. If I get a magic wand and am granted three wishes, one of them would be to take away expectations one has from others around.


May the balance be with you. 🙂

What is it about birthdays? Wishing someone at the stroke of midnight, watching the clock a hundred times to make sure you dont miss the moment. The please of saying those two words – Happy Birthday in n number of ways – many many happy returns of the day etc etc. The hunt for the best birthday gift. The price tag. Thinking of what the person would need. How he/she might react? Will they like it, won’t they like it. Buying a card after reading a million cards and finally getting so confused that you just pick up something, which may not be perfect after all. The wrapping. Should I spend the additional currency on gift wrapping? Anyway they are going to tear it away. Or, I need to wrap it in the best possible way. Asking for a birthday treat. Constant reminders by uttering ‘birthday boy’ or ‘birthday girl’. The cake! Who could forget that. The icing, the writing, the candles – should they be single, or numerals? Finally the moment arrives, the cake is brought out. Candles are tucked in neatly, without disturbing the icing. Lit. The ‘birthday girl’ or ‘birthday boy’ arrives with the new ‘birthday dress’ flashing smiles galore. The candles are blown. Boom go the flashes or the video starts recording. The singing. The same song, which our grandparents sang.. and theirs? The gifts are given, the giver with anticipation about the reaction. The receiver with anticipation of what it would be. The opening, the wows and the thanks. All in order, all perfect.

Excuse me, but what is all the hype about. Birth was an event that occured your age years ago. Something your parents celebrated that day. Do we really need all this hype year after year?