Posts

Posted on

100 Happy Days – Week 2

This 100 Happy Days project is growing on me. I blogged about it last week – it’s a pledge to find at least one happy thing each day for 100 days.

Over the last week I’ve found myself watching out for the happy stuff and rejoicing each time something happy happens. I’ve had to pick and choose the happiest of them all. Here goes..

Another surprise!

Last week I came back after a spot of very functional, very boring shopping. Not the kind I enjoy at all. My feet were hurting as was my head from an impending cold. The thought of making even my single chapati for lunch seemed terribly daunting. I was considering settling for bread. I unlocked the door and found my cleaning maid at work. Now she is not a cook but there she was at the stove making a chapatis! She’ a true blue Maharashtrian and days ago she was telling me how they made jowar rotis with peanut-garlic chutney and I had said “You must make it for me one day.” And this turned out to be that ‘one day’. Miraculous, isn’t it? So both of us had these huge jowar rotis with the hottest, spiciest chutney. Yumm…I don’t even remember when I’ve last had a hot chapati straight off the tawa.

The kids are my next happiness..

N has taken to putting the alarm and waking up half an hour before I wake her up each morning. It’s been a week and it’s just such a blessing not to have to start your day with a crying reluctant girl. H is no trouble in any case. I guess half my happiness stems from starting my day on such a happy note. So after the kids are up I sit with my cup of tea and they laze round, chat and cuddle before the day starts off. Such peace.

..and there’s more

Since I was in Goa for my birthday my friends decided to celebrate it now. So some two weeks after the real thing I had another one. One of them got me this wonderful soup bowl which goes so well with my current weight loss drive. And there’s a set of deos too.

Souper fun!

Since it’s a 100 day project I’m looking at 15 weeks of happiness. Keep reading. And if you’re blogging about this too, leave a comment and I’ll hop over to share your happiness.

Meanwhile.. keep smiling!

Posted on

A is for anger

Once upon a time I used to be an even tempered, ever smiling person. I got along with almost everyone.. at office, with the maids at home.. everyone. I remember one of my nephews was quite a fan because ‘Chachi (aunt) is always smiling, mama,’ he would tell my sis-in-law.

And then I had the twins.

One day my two-year old was throwing a tantrum and I remarked, ‘Gosh! what a temper, she has!’ ‘Well she’s your daughter, isn’t she?’ shot back my maid. That’s not true, thought I even as I felt the anger bubbling up. How cheeky of her, I thought. But I let it pass thanks to the years of training of not being rude and also because she was years older than I was.

Then a few days later I was having a specially bad day. All my maids were on leave (I had three and one point of time) and the husband was travelling. All alone with the twins who were well into their terribly terrible twos it had been a harrowing day with the cooking, cleaning, feeding, bathing. Finally late at night dog tired, I walked into the bedroom with the two bottles of milk. There were the kids with their beach baskets pouring water on the beds. ‘Pool…’ Lisped my daughter. 

And I exploded.

I don’t think I’ve talked about this incident but the look on my daughter’s face after that hard whack on her backside remains with me even today. She didn’t cry.. not at all. She just stared back, uncomprehending. I cried then. 

Oh..the regret!

That was the day I realised I had a temper and that I had to do something about it. 

The first thing I did was to start yoga. I am still not sure whether it was truly therapeutic or whether it was the simple idea of doing something about the problem, but I felt better. The fight was not over though, is not over. It’s been a continuous struggle.

In this struggle I was directed to The Orange Rhino by friend and blogger Shailaja who successfully completed the one-week no yelling challenge. They have some very useful tips to offer harried mums out to conquer their rage. Do take a look. 

The twins are almost 8 and anger is now a familiar feeling. It still wells up suddenly, without warning, in a flash. However, often I find myself prepared to meet it. I have learnt to recognise the red flags, so to say, and begin to prepare to not yell when I spot them. Spilt milk, broken crockery, the early morning rush, even the continuous noise when they’re simply having fun are all red flags.

That’s the positive change I  like to dwell upon. Not everytime do I succeed but I’ll get there someday I hope.

Linking to ABC Wednesday, which is starting it’s 14th round. Isn’t that Absolutely Amazing! Do join in. 

Posted on

Cold

The
icy wind, sharp as shards of glass, cut through his frayed blanket. He was no
stranger to winter on the streets. He remembered at least 10 of the 14 years of
his young life but it had never been this bad. He closed his eyes praying for
sleep.
Suddenly
… something warm against his back. He sat up abruptly, warily. Two large eyes
looked back at him, desperate, beseeching.
Strangers
in the night … they stared at each other.
Slowly,
he extended his blanket.
And
then they slept ..
curled
up together,
giving
and receiving warmth.
Strangers
no longer.
Boy and dog.
*******

Linking to Write Tribe’s 100 words on Saturday introduced in February 2013 on Everyday Gyaan.

This week’s prompt ‘Strangers in the night’ was given by the lovely Suzy Que.

Posted on

100 Happy Days

Thanks to a blogger friend I stumbled across this site www.100happydays.com.

This is what you’re supposed to do – post a picture of one thing that made you happy each day for 100 days. Isn’t that a wonderful idea? I desperately wanted to be a part of it .. but the daily commitment scared me. There’s something about a daily challenge that I find very daunting.. and a picture at that! Even though I’m notorious for picture-clicking it’s tough to whip out your camera at every happy moment. Some of them are to just be enjoyed and stored away in your memory, aren’t they?

So I’m taking a middle path. What I can and hopefully will do, is post a happy post at least once a week.

Since something super happy did happen yesterday here I go…


A happy surprise!

Isn’t a happy surprise the best ever? Two days back I forgot my iPod in the gym and was pretty heartbroken – one because it’s such a lifeline to my exercise routine and two because it was a birthday gift from my sister. I’d given up on it what with the scores of people coming in and out of the gym. But wonder of wonders.. the cleaning boy had kept it safe and handed it right over to me the next day. By God I could have hugged him. He seemed pretty overwhelmed as I gushed out my 100 odd thank yous. (Wonder what he would have done had I gotten out my camera to click his picture :-D)
That was happiness no 1.

Onto happiness No 2..

…which is also at the gym. I’ve been exercising more or less regularly for over 15 years now. And finally I’ve found my groove, as it were. Zumba –  a super cardio routine. It’s an aerobic dance that combines Latin and other international dance forms. Go here to read more. I’ve said it often enough that I’m not a dancer and so I was very apprehensive about the whole thing. But what absolute fun it’s turned out to be. That’s perhaps the only place I let go and have a blast, bad knees and all!

We’re a mixed bunch of girls/women.
– There are the really good ones who move like a dream.
– Then there are ones like me.. who just about manage to move to the beat without much grace – a 1, 2, 3, 4.. kind of thing
– Then there are others who don’t even get the beat.
– And finally there are some who should come with a ‘keep distance’ banner.. so uncoordinated are they. Hands and legs kick out in all directions.. off beat, off time.

I’m sure we make for quite a sight

But the thing is
It just doesn’t matter.

Everyone has a great time. There’s something wonderfully warm about being happy together. The icing on the cake is our super sunny-smiled trainer. Thank you P for a wonderful time each week!

Those were my happy moments. What made you happy today? Do share it here.
Cheers to a great weekend.

Linking to ABC Wednesday for the letter Z.

Posted on

My Little Sister

He sat sulking, eyes straying to the clock, waiting his turn at the TV. He could hear the endless Barbie movie in the next
room. Ugh! Girls! If only he had a brother instead. They would have raced cars
and watched Ben 10 forever. He would trade her any day.

Or would he?
Would the brother call him bhai as sweetly as she did? Would he
make silly faces till he laughed after mum yelled at him? Would he hold his
hand at the movies, even though he wouldn’t admit he was scared?
Nope! He wasn’t letting her go, ever!

Linking to Write Tribe’s 100 words on Saturday for the prompt ‘My little sister’.

Privacy Policy Proudly powered by WordPress