Tourist in our own town

The lockdown and travel restrictions in late spring and early summer meant we had to remain local. Even when the restrictions were relaxed over the summer, we chose not to go out for more than three hours. Using public restrooms was the last thing we wanted to do in a pandemic. This predicament forced us to to act like a tourist in our own town. We discovered local hiking paths and trails. Soon each of us had our own favorite spots. A stream, a boardwalk or a rock that we could rest on. We hiked when the weather was cold, we hiked in scorching heat, and we saw gorgeous sunsets. We saw first hand how the trails changed as the seasons progressed. The hikes gave us preicious time to catch up with one another. Much gratitude!

Socially Distanced Socialising

I can count the number of friends we have met since March of this year. Hari and Ram hung out with their respective friends probably a couple of times over the summer. Outside of that I met with my dance friends twice and visited a friend’s golu (from her patio). The only people who have visited us indoors are my childhood friend V and her family, who live two doors away, our cousin, and our cleaner. Thankfully, the limited people that we have socialized with follow even stricter protocols than we do. We wear masks at all times and follow rules of social distancing to a T. Gratitude for the friendship of like-minded folks.

Sweet 16

He towers over me. He wraps me in a warm hug. He stirs my heart deeply with love, joy, pride, and contentment. This child of ours turned 16 today.

Happy B’day dearest Hari. Watching you grow and blossom into a fine person has been the privilege of our lives. Love you with all our hearts and more. May you go in the direction of your dreams, may you find fulfillment in all that you do, be bold, be kind, be you. Gratitude to the powers above for bringing you into our lives. Raising you has been the most rewarding experience of our lives. Thank you for being my jing chack.

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A small piece of Hari’s writing I am reproducing with his permission by way of capturing this child’s personality in this moment of time.

In the fifth grade, I, like everyone else, was swept up by the rubix cube craze. I still do not know what was so special about this three by three by three plastic cube, but something about solving a daunting puzzle with over 43 quintillion combinations appealed to my 11-year old brain. Yes, solving the rubix cube is as hard as it sounds. The intricacies of the cube and the strategy that goes behind solving it was mind blowing and seemed unachievable to my younger self. However,I was still determined to give it my best shot after witnessing the pride in my peers’ eyes after piecing the cube together. I scoured the internet for a suitable YouTube video that would help unlock the secrets of this perplexing puzzle. Although I was unable to find an appropriate video, I slowly but surely became more proficient and experienced. Yet, I still couldn’t complete the cube. They don’t say “the final steps are the hardest” for no reason. The sheer complexity of the last few twists and turns got me every time. I grew increasingly frustrated, feeling like all my dedication had gone to waste after months of trial. However, the defiant and persevering part of me decided not to put the cube down so soon. Although the continual failure that came with attempting to solve the rubix cube brought me discontent, I was hungry to reach my goal. One day on my way home from school, I happened to be fiddling with the rubix cube. I looked down at my hands and there it was; a completed rubix cube. You can imagine my surprise. That was nearly six years ago. Although this little anecdote may be unimportant to the average person, this experience set me up to be the person who I am today. If it wasn’t for my perseverance, I would have allowed myself to pull out and give in completely in the face of adversity. These are the moments that passively and actively influence us on a day to day basis. Although they may seem insignificant in the larger scheme of things, we can take important lessons away from such experiences.

Summer Yoga

Those of us who know UL, know how passionate, sincere and present she is. The year that Ram was born was a turning point in her yoga journey as well. In that we share a special connection. Ever since UL started teaching yoga, I have wanted to learn under her guidance. The pandemic and the reimagination required as a result of that, lifted the distance barrier and gave an opportunity to learn. That hour and 15 mins was my restful place on Sunday mornings during the summer. My mind kept calm. My thanks from the bottom of my heart to UL for the experience.

Anandana Narthana Ganapathi

Our second dance session for thsi term completed this week. Every session is a blessing to be cherished, one not to be taken for granted. This session, we learnt an item that brought out the playful and dancing side of our chubby elephant-faced darling Ganapathi.

Deep gratitude to our teacher for giving us considerable leeway in terms of designing the classes, for a choreography that inspires, and for being gracious with our imperfections.

Deep gratitude for the opportunity to be part of a dance group that is committed and nurturing. We are all in different life stages and circumstances. We come together for the love of art. We know our strengths and weaknesses. The goal is always to do our personal best. I am lucky to be part of this group and proud of our collective journey.

Gratitude to my Jjing Bang Gang for being my cheer leaders and allowing me to take over the living room filling it with my stomping sounds. Thankful for all the tools and technology (zoom, dual monitor, stable internet connection, a nice hard wood floor, the physical space) that have made dancing not just possible but fulfilling during the pandemic.

Little Moments

Gratitude for the little moments this week brought

I too can make Kaju Katli! Indian sweets teach you life lessons like no other – do not wing it, trust the process, enjoy the sights and smells, be patient, practice, practice and practice! The Katli was kids-certified – “it tastes just like store bought ma”
Swapping of Deepavali bakshanam with friends. After years of execution failures, this year the stars aligned.
Nalangu, yennai and new clothes. What if the nalangu was diluted, and the yennai was thawed Parachute coconut oil. It was the moment that counted!
Homemade naan. The things you can make with maida and yeast!
Ram’s excitement about starting his guitar lesson on Stars and Stripes. The child has been waiting to learn this forever.
Ram got his very first karate uniform with yellow belt. Yay Ram!

What little moments did the week bring for you?

Zoom

I don’t think I am exaggerating when I say life happens over Zoom these days. Regular school, Sunday school, guitar class, karate class, and dance class. Why, just not that. B’day celebrations, school reunions, family reunions, and Back-to-school nights. Even weddings, fundraising events, concerts and recitals. I know it’s not the same as meeting someone in person. I know it gets draining hopping from one Zoom session to another. But where would we be without Zoom and technology? Zoom has provided us with the much needed continuity of our everyday pursuits and given us opportunities to participate in events that we would not have been part of otherwise. All from the comfort of our couch. What is there to complain about? Thank you Zoom and technology for coming to our rescue during this pandemic.

Little Moments

Offering gratitude for the little moments this week.

Following election results with the family and going through a gamut of emotions collectively.
The anticipation and joy of baking something new – stuffed paneer and spinach rolls!
Reading Ram’s fiction work at school. It is a fun packed story with delightful and surprising characters.
A nice long chit chat with my niece, who gave me an hour by hour breakdown of her day
Writing consistently this week

To teachers, with gratitude

I get an email from Ram’s teacher every Sunday evening providing updates on subjects covered, and important reminders for the week. It is not lost on me that she is doing this on her personal time. She spends time and energy in class reminding kids of zoom etiquette, setting learning expectations for the two cohorts, and bringing them on a level playing field at the end of the week.

I exchange emails with Hari’s biology teacher. I ask her for guidance on how to support Hari when we know that the school will cover only 50% of the curriculum but the final exams itself will be on 100% of the portions. Although the gap remains, the empathetic responses from the teacher makes me feel understood and convinced that she and the school are doing what they can to make this complicated year of learning work for the students.

The pandemic has put an enormous burden on our educators. Simple things that used to take minutes now take hours. They double up as teachers and technology support resource for their little learners in classroom. Wearing masks, teaching kids safety protocols, teaching over zoom. If you think about it, quite remarkable as to how much they have stepped up, isn’t it?

My heartfelt gratitude to the teachers, the administrators, the nurses, the custodians, and other supporting staff for all the heavy lifting they are doing this year. A big reason the pandemic has not stressed me as much is because these fine people excel at what they are do.

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It has been quite a roller coaster ride election wise here. A big salute to the Secretary of State, the election officials, the town employees and volunteers who are ensuring that every vote gets counted. I tip my hat and join the nation in extending my gratitude for their leadership, work ethics and sense of duty. They have been the silver lining in this dark cloud.

A cherished blessing

He is our kadai kutty but is he really little? I kept asking myself in an attempt to detach myself and see our second born for who he is as he entered double digits last month. This summer he has been showing signs that he is changing. The innocence giving way to sassiness. The skip and the hop in his steps replaced by strides of an older kid. Tokens of affection are measured these days and reserved for only in the privacy of our home. All the reading he has been indulging in over the summer has made his writing voice bolder and mature. This child has a mind of his own. He sets his own goals, works at his own pace. Self sufficient, he takes things in stride and takes delight in the company of words and art. He works hard, he hardly works. He is good at articulating but is selective about what he articulates. He is forgiving, flexible, and is a bundle of love. He may not be as little but is he still our kadai kutti.

Today, I extend my gratitude for the privilege of raising this child. Ram, love you to the moon and back.