Coffee Break

My strong aromatic coffee is tingling my senses. Going by the word 'aroma' we relate some many things which at times surprises us. The soft bread which i can at times smell from my neighbors kitchen reminds me of the hurried school time when my mother used to make them before she rushed us for school. The smell instantly transforms me to my school going years which are the golden years of our lives. Carefree lives, fun with friends and cousins except for the dreaded word 'examination'. Oh how i wish the word would have never existed, life would have been like a free fall. Fun, exciting, adventurous. No nail biting stressful times. Peace would have been another family member. Lol!

My love for coffee isn't very old so haven't developed many memories but with times to come, i am sure i will have a story to share as well. It will be partially incorrect if i say that i don't a story about coffee. I remember my first visit to the coffee giant Starbucks. Standing in the queue i was trying hard to go through the board and decide what i would like to order but even before i could make up my mind it was my turn to order. I was almost stammering with my choices and asked the guys help. The confident guy confused me to a certain extent and i was still left with too many choices. Poor people who were already standing for their turn were almost fuming. After lot of choices and disagreements i finally ordered. Please do not ask me what i ordered. The after shock was terrible. The tall coffee was too hard to gulp down. I was almost in tears with my poor choice. The accompaniments of cookies and shortbread somehow saved me to take a few sips. I am sure the guy who took my order was surprised by my unusual order. His smile was enough to get the signal. After an abhorrent cup of coffee i almost swore never to have another coffee until a friend of mine helped me. She is blessed with a fine taste of coffee and wine and her tips have helped me and indeed i have come a long way since then.

As i said we all have some story or a memory attached with something in our day to day lives. A smell, a sudden gush of air is enough to take us down the memory lane. In our mad busy lives we dont have the time to sit and look back. By the way i am done with my coffee for the day. Anyone still sipping? If so enjoy!!!

Contentment

There is absolute no denying the fact that women on any calendar day love to go for shopping unless something invincibly stops them. Over the few years when i have started to sense or appreciate fashion i have been loyal to few brands which i simply swear by. Now the term 'brand' doesn't mean high end fashion wear. We all have our favorites, perhaps there are some people who listen to our desires and knows that their clothes certainly gives us a psychological amelioration. There is absolutely no wrong to to constantly experiment with our looks until and unless we look incongruous.

Today was one such day when i decided to ditch my favorites for the day and try something deviating. Upon a suggestion by some friend i along with my family went to visit the mall. The inviting ambiance, the chromatic decor almost gravitated me towards those stores. I was happy to ruffle my fingers across the hangers which were holding plethora of clothes. I almost fell in love with  all the pieces that were there in the store. Phew, the major blow came to me when my eyes caught the prices. No, they were not expensive but overtly expensive for me. A lady standing next to me offered help with the choice of clothes which i thought i politely refused. Another middle aged lady who seemed to be in a hurry picked up a few ensembles whose prices she didn't even bother to check and rushed through the counter. My dream shop broke my dream.

I found some solace sipping my favorite shake and occupying a commodious sofa right in front of the store. Sipping it my heart asked my mind perhaps a thousand questions. Did my failure to buy make me sad or angry or irritated or jealous of the people who were happily buying them? Well, my mind is mature enough to handle my plummeting heart. Why does the desire of getting more increases with every single day? My mind reminded me of a small word which i had forgotten when i was going through those upheaval of emotions: contentment. Where did i lose it?

Contentment is the greatest asset. When our proclivity to get increases we forget to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. My shopping experience was an insinuation of the fact that contentment was going out from my mind. Being content with what we have gives us the greatest strength in times of distress. Nobody has everything in life but we all have our present, so why ruin it envying somebody else s wardrobe (kidding)? I may not have the best dresses but satisfaction is my dress and my smile is my makeup. No matter how gullible i may sound this incident has taught me to be loyal to my loyal s who keep me beautiful and smiling (chuckles).

Life is too short to ruminate over such petty things but nevertheless lessons learnt should never be forgotten. It certainly isn't a sign of good student! Hey, my shake is over. Time for some refill....

Stay Happy

Rainy day, even though its not cold, thankfully. My sweet friend and neighbor Kanika dropped by to share some good home made 'Pakoras' to dampen the spirit of rain. The bonding that Pakoras share with tea is unique and savored by all. As another evening settles down for yet another night letting my imaginations to wander, i am almost caught unaware until my baby wakes up and makes his presence felt.

The days, the month, the hours, the moments that have passed and are passing are all silently reminding me to do something worthy in my life. But what? Job, giving good upbringing to my child, leading a healthy family life, taking care of my families, setting my priorities skilfully in my life, being the better half in the real sense, connecting well with people, maintaing cordial relationships with friends and neighbors....what???? Perhaps i don't know! If in some way i can help somebody, someway i can bring smile on somebody's face, somehow i can be trustworthy of someone will it add some meaning to my life? Yes, but i do not want to sound boisterous. I want to play safe both with my feelings and words.

Just by turning pages of books, newspaper, visiting the websites can help us realize that sipping tea and having pakoras is not everybody's cup of tea! Well, i may not have any solution to any of the problems that people are facing while i croon with my own set of problems, yet realization and compassion are such vibes which i can send across to the people. Get up, face it, beat it! That's the mantra.

While my baby needs some attention now, i think i need to stop thing now and think what he is thinking so that i can provide the best to him. Stay happy!

Philosophy....

Ah, finally back after a hiatus. This break taught me the most important chapter of my life-parenting. A child is perhaps one of the purest form of a human being. They are loaded with galore of innocence, purity which makes us fall short of words.. Their smile makes us go weak in our knees while their tears melts our hearts. What a beauty!

Life has been a stern taskmaster while i have been obedient student. There have been occasions when i been quite rebellious. While all these years have been spent learning the basic fundamentals of leading a good life, now its been more of self realizations. I can assure i am not turning philosophical, but the basic anecdotes of life is helping me to unfurl and associate my thoughts. Enough to wreckage my brain!

A sneak peep out of my window doesnt make happy since its raining outside. I can almost smell the cookies and the cakes that are being baked at the bakery. Meanwhile i can smell some coffee. Yes, it is ready.Would you care to join me? Trust me i wont turn you philosophical!!!

Festivals...

The winds are whispering that Autumn is just for a few days visit & will very soon pave the way for winters. The leaves are changing their color giving themselves a short makeover before wearing that barren look. My neighbors are busy digging their garden, cleaning the dried leaves & trying something creative for the coming Halloween. The kids after school join their Mom in digging their small garden & deciding where exactly each toy should be placed. The festive season is arriving. Ohh joy!!!

The festive season in India is brimming with colors, hopes, excitement all across the country amidst all political tension, inflation, natural turbulence and what not. Yet people try to find joy in these festivals forgetting all their mental anguish and soaking themselves in festivity. The rich culture of India allows every individual to participate in all the festivals and celebrate what we call 'life'. I deeply remember as a kid i used to call one of neighbors, whom i never remember had hair calling him 'Gardener Uncle' who had an enviable garden full of roses. All throughout the year he used to painstakingly collect the seasonal roses & cultivate them in his garden. The garden was always blooming & several times on my birthday he gave me a small bouquet of his exquisite roses. Nothing till to date can beat that gift. The garden is no longer there since his family moved but the aroma of those roses somewhat still lingers in my mind and heart. The point why i am remembering my 'Gardener Uncle' here is, he always used to say, 'I never celebrate festival, for me spending time in my garden is like festival where i always find joy.' Simple thought yet full of meaning. I wish i could take cue from his festive life where he almost danced in his garden whenever his roses bloomed.

We all love festivals and these festivals makes us more closer to our family members and friends who comprise our lives. Lets all welcome this festive season with a thought to spread some cheer, to extend a helping hand, to be a blessing in somebody's life. I know you will certainly agree with me. Cheers!!!

Food for thought...

While sipping my favorite lemon drink,I realized that I didn't jot down any of my thoughts in the last one month. While it has been a hush hush month yet i guess I have been a good manager. I know you will say I am blowing my own trumpet, but situations in life helps us realize our capabilities. In any case I am not talking of any serious issues. In the morning when I flip through my newspaper, I feel there are thousands of issues for the government and the common people to deal & overcome them. We just sip our cup of coffee and turn the pages. Strange, yet true!

Yesterday,one picture of a malnourished child moved me and ran thousands of questions through my blood. How can we ameliorate their pain? How does that mother feel when she cannot feed her child who cries in hunger? Only a mother can describe how these feelings tears her apart. Living in such a far flung area the picture of that child just sends across one message. Please do not waste food. There are lot of people who are deprived of basic two square meals a day. We bribe our children with chocolates to drink a glass of milk or have a serving of vegetables which they find ridiculous, yet the unfortunate ones plead for some food. Every child demands love, care and it is perhaps their birth right but they perhaps pine for.

I don't want to end on a note of despondency,yet I can hope and pray that no children across the world ever goes hungry to bed while the helpless mother just prays for some sleep on the eyes of her hungry child. We can help a bit in this regard by teaching our children the importance and the respect they need to show towards their food. Let every child be blessed and have a happy childhood.

Dine-in-out

As a rainy and a gloomy week comes to an end, I am hoping for a fresh sunny week ahead, hallmark of English summer. Summers are a welcome relief from the grueling & ruthless winter. Even a brief stroll at a nearby park on a hot summer weekend is sure to rejuvenate your senses with the aroma of barbecue. Don't worry if you are a vegetarian,you can always have those fresh corns, baked potatoes or vegetables with your favorite dipping. Ah, I don't want to deep into food issues, they always make me go weak.

Talking about trying food, I recently visited a local restaurant where their food, drinks and the ambiance is highly appreciated. To satisfy my curiosity, I persuaded my husband to take me there. Once the hostess greeted us with a happy smile knowing that we wanted a table for two, she escorted us to a nice comfortable area where the noise wasn't loud and there was no chance where we could smell what the person seated at our back was having. The waiter happily provided us with the menu and threw some additional information about the days specialty which included the fresh 'Mai Tai' fish and a special soup. My husband considers me to be crazy enough to order a soup on summers but my love for soup is eternal. As the waiter left us to quarrel over what we should eat, an elderly couple sat opposite to us smiling perhaps thinking about their bygone days. Finally we settled for a soup followed by the main course. The waiter was polite enough to make us aware of the quantity of food that would arrive gently dropping a subtle hint that we should order a dessert perhaps later and not make any rush. Even though I understood it pretty later that may be going by built he must have guessed it I would have tough time to complete my main course. Trust me he wasn't wrong either. After having a bowl of soup, I wasn't ready to embrace main course right away.The waiter came to enquire about our well being, perhaps he could gauge my situation and suggested to pack the remaining and jump at the dessert. By that time my stomach was screaming for leniency and my husband was in a satirical mood. I couldn't complete my dessert & left it in midway. The waiter arrived happily with my packed leftover and collected the cheque. I was pretty quick to realize that the dishes weren't meant for people of my stature even when you are almost dead with my hunger.

I learnt my lesson of that day which was first try to have the ability to accept, rest everything will follow. I wanted to try the dishes but couldn't create enough space in my stomach to fit my order. Similarly , in life if we want something first we should have the capacity to bear it and not get bogged down. Life will be perhaps lot easier then!!!!!