CELEBRATIONS AND SUSHI

 

CELEBRATIONS AND SUSHI

When you meet friends whom you’ve known for OVER 20 years and more, you kind of start from where you left off. There are no awkward moments, nor any irrelevant pleasantries to exchange. The conversation simply flows, just like the laughter! A Vacation trip with my besties from college last month was fantastic. I felt like I had once again become the college kid who would speak her mind and laugh out loud without fear of being judged or misinterpreted.

Traveling over the hills, driving past tea estates and misty landscapes we felt ecstatic! Reliving those moments of carefree freedom, countless dreams, and unimaginable naivety. Talking about old times, college crushes, and more.  Catching up on friends’ whereabouts- who was doing what, A whirlwind of topics that need not even bear relevance to time or theme! 

St. Xavier’s College Mumbai lives in some part of every Xavierite whether they choose to acknowledge it or not. There is a magic within those magnificent walls that cannot be described. Even today the lending library beckons- I wish I had spent more time in those rustic alleys and read more. The Woods, the first Quad, and the Arches appear before my eyes- if only I had lounged around more than I did. A little bit longer in the IMG please, whispers my favorite rendition by Ghulam Ali.

Looking down at the valley from Dolphin’s Nose, Coonoor, we felt that whatever each one of us had achieved was irrelevant.  How mindlessly we had been caught up for the past 2 decades trying to reach a position in our careers, personal lives, and more. The endless rat race seemed so futile from up here. Everything looks like a speck when u look at it from a height. The importance we tiny particles of energy attach to ourselves is hilarious! 

By the bonfire that night at the cozy homestay, we made a few new friends. With a certain family, the connection was different. Like an instant link. We began chatting and continued like we’d known each other for years. The family was from Delhi and was celebrating Dusshera holidays with their son. Like most Delhiwale these guys were foodies- so obsessed with taste and culinary ecstasy that they had named their pet cat also SUSHI! 

I couldn’t help rolling my eyes in amusement.  

With the addition of new friends, the college reunion trip became a lively celebration. 

Those few but wonderful days left us with lingering regret! Why hadn’t we understood in our 20s what we realized now? That the only things that endear over time are the memories we make. Our lives are only a series of events- one leading to another. It is imperative to live each day to the fullest. We must squeeze it dry and move on... Celebrate your experiences irrespective of what they bring- happiness, joy, hard work, heartbreak, or suffering! 

Life is like sushi- made of exotic, colorful ingredients rolled together and served before you. Pick it up and relish the different flavors- some you like, some you don’t. It is ok! 

That’s all we need to live successfully– Celebrations and Sushi!

THE WONDER YEARS

It has been a wondrous week. A little FREAKY, a little upstaging, yet filled with Wonder! 

It all began on a breezy Tuesday evening as I walked briskly in the community park. 2 preteenagers playing basketball- or rather, passing the ball amongst themselves, while they had an animated conversation. I could not keep myself from overhearing.

 

 “Hey! I had an appointment for my passport today. Just two options for gender on the application form, you know?" said the first boy.

“Of course,” quipped the other boy- Male and Female- what else, da?” 

“There are thousands of genders, you do not know?” 

“There’s gays, lesbians, transgenders…” his voice trailed off as I ran from the basketball court. Despite the sprint, I was shivering when I got home. 

 

I had better ask my kids to never talk to those two boys!!! It is absolute blasphemy! What material have these kids got their hands on? 

“Ma, what are you muttering to yourself? You sound queer!" teased my daughter. I winced at that word. Had she been talking with those scoundrels down at the park?

 

My thoughts wandered into the realms of unimaginable frenzy. I was brought back to reality by loud, squealing sounds as my two children were embroiled in a fistfight over the television remote.

It took a couple of days for me to get back to a peaceful and relaxed state of mind- ready to handle Exam Week. Trust me, two young kids having a week of tests together in a single house is unnerving, to say the least. 

 

So, here we are- my 5th Grader and I as we study science together.

He goes for one of his frequent water breaks. It is only during examinations that we feel unusually thirsty! In the meantime, I glance over the Science textbook and flip a few pages forward. 

Chapter 2 – The Human Reproductive System. I am shocked! Isn’t this chapter supposed to be taught in ninth and tenth grades? How is it printed in a 5th-grade textbook? Academicians who devised the Cambridge syllabus think it is appropriate, 

Not Me!

 

I know time passes quickly, but aren’t we rushing things a bit? We are in such a hurry nowadays to tell our kids everything. I cannot understand why? Is it money matters, time management, multi-tasking, and, about puberty and sex? Next time my daughter looked up at me wide-eyed- “Mamma, how was I born? How did I come out from your tummy?” Should I say- “Ask your 10-year-old bhaiya? He knows it all!”

Scary! Too much information to young minds can be dangerous and, confusing. 

 

The children of today, however, have innumerable sources of information. Imperatively, they should receive the knowledge from the right source. My only doubt is regarding the time. A little too early, I feel. Or is it only me trying to push time a little? Struggling to stop the flowing tide? Foolishly trying to hold onto that little shred of innocence that keeps them children still.

 

Taylor Swift, the American Pop Star is every little girl’s favorite. “She’s too hot,” said a tenth grader on the school bus home. Obviously, our seven-year-old comes home and sweetly asks, “Mamma, you know that there is another meaning of the word HOT?” Little does she know I am breaking into a sweat right now! 

 

The time has come for me to wake up to a new phase in my parenting journey.  A different and cumbersome dawn awaits. I realize that my ten-year-old prodigal son is no longer the fussy eater, skinny, happy-go-lucky boy that he was. Of late, he’s become a different person from the one I’ve been raising all these years. The newly developed emotions are complex and deep. Feelings are hurt very easily these days.  We are careful in our choice of words while conversing with him.  Be a bit careful while being firm, but not overstrict. We cannot be over-friendly too. He can easily outsmart his incredibly gullible parents. 

 

The daughter has grown up from our little doll, whom I used to love to dress up in laces and frills. “EEW! I won’t wear that even if it’s the last dress on the earth”, she exclaimed, the day I picked up a frilly dress for her to wear on a play date. I was forced to exchange it for a funky crop top, which she paired with blue boyfriend jeans to complete the look!!

 

Conversations on a play date with a couple of 7–9-year-old girls usually revolve around clothes, hair color, makeup, and BOYS!!! Believe it or not, Barbie and Ken are for real!

 

Kevin and Winnie, the lead pair of the hit series “The Wonder Years” could probably be my go-to for tips and advice. As youngsters, we loved to watch the two teenagers in their struggle with unknown emotions and teenage turmoil. Personally, we could not identify too much with them. But, for my current generation of American-inspired kids, I’m sure I’ll find help for The Wonder Years that my babies are stepping into.  

THAT SPECIAL DAY

 Today I came across a new word that describes me- Xennial. Makes me feel like what I always wanted to be Xena! The Warrior Princess! Before you get visions of the steaming hot Brunette in the black leather dress- please STOP!

 

Xennial is a word that describes people born in the cusp years between Generation X and the Millennials. Enchantingly boring, you would say. Yet, thinking of it there are so many things that we Xennials have in common. One of them is our love for a special day. The one day that makes you look forward to life. A special friend, years ago gifted me a Garfield poster that summed it up. I LIVE FOR SATURDAYS! Beamed the Orange Cat. I do too!!

 

Honestly, for most of my life to date, I’ve lived from one Saturday to the next. My school was 30 km from my home! After a full five days of travel, studies, and homework, Saturday would be my day to sleep in. No one dared to wake me up early today. It’s the cycle of Karma- what you give is what you receive. My brats refuse to get up before 11 a.m. on Saturday mornings. I remember my mom’s rants as I go through my Super Saturday Mornings! Catching up on sleep, cooking, and getting the whole week dusting and cleaning done. Simultaneously I need to take care of both the kids’ routines. We must cut nails, have oil massages, scrub our teeth and clean our ears. Ugh, by afternoon I’m exhausted! 

 

The evening however brings hope. There is something about the air on a Saturday evening. An unmistakable lightness pervades and you feel joy all around you. The effect is universal. I’ve felt it everywhere I’ve been. The atmosphere on a Saturday evening is magical! As kids, we spent these wonderful evenings catching up on new movies on VCR. Saturday nights were for rejuvenating oil massages that would keep your hair shiny and strong. All that changed in College. “What is the plan for Saturday night?” asked the cute guy beside me in the library. “What’s the scene for Saturday night?” asked the gang after marriage. My generation grew up watching John Travolta croon in Saturday Night Fever and Alia Bhatt gyrating to Kudi Saturday, Saturday Kardi! We are indeed influenced! 

 

A lot has changed after the kids, though. Constantly changing nappies makes you forget the days of the week completely. But not for long! As the children begin school the change is visible. Come Saturday, and you have a list of things to do! Birthday party invites from all and sundry! The sequence of Saturday night fever begins once more! 

No matter what the plan- whether it’s a quiet dinner with family, a wild Saturday night party or just being at home watching television. There is something special about a Saturday. You feel a certain natural high. There isn’t a care in the world. The next day is a holiday and no one can take away your freedom tonight. That’s what a Saturday means! 

 

Compare this to the gloom and unexplained depression that Sunday nights bring. As the sun moves down below the horizon on Sunday, my heart sinks too. 

Kids hate the thought of returning to school after the weekend, but we adults too can’t stop the tide of sudden unhappiness. It starts rising as the clock strikes 6. By nightfall, you feel tears rise and a choking feeling on your neck! I know couples whose kids have passed out of college. They do not need to return to the Monday Morning routine. Yet, these guys feel the same! We begin counting the days till the next Saturday! Each Sunday evening brings a longing for the dawn of the next Saturday. Au revoir dear friend! Till we meet again- On that Special Day-Saturday!