I've been busy for the last couple of months - initially, preparing for my summer vacation (which I took in the first two weeks of July), the first such holiday with a little baby. Winding down things, finishing chores, getting rounds of baby vaccinations, packing, closing the house and so on. After that, I was busy unwinding- too busy to work on the blog! I'm glad to return to it and will try and write a little more in this coming year.
So, what's new now that I need to write about? My vacation, of course, which was wonderful. The kind that one associates with 'coming home from school' when one is a child. A few days spent with people I loved meeting, in the quiet centre of busy London and Cambridge. Splendid weather (despite the initial 'heat wave' that did the rounds in England), some wonderful food, enjoyable conversation. And best of all, my baby was well. He had fun too - seeing new sights, meeting people (all of whom were very good to him) and doing different things. He crawled (on real grass!) in parks, excitedly watched big red buses going by and found bits of furniture of his height to hone his walking skills. He tasted, for the first time, fresh strawberries, apricots, tiny sweet green peas, mint, thyme - and liked them all.
I walked, slept as I have not done for over a year, had thought provoking conversations, went for some very nice (yes!) acupuncture sessions and felt wrapped in peace and harmony.
We're back now and it's been the kind of holiday that lingers with us (despite horrendous flights back and tons of paperwork for visas on the way in). I'm recharged and I find a warming glow of positivity that helps me deal with all the work that has accumulated over here.
I believe that the mind changes many things for us- not just the way we view things but at a physical level too. At least this is how I interpret some of my experiences. While on vacation, I had a lot of time to think about the things I'd like to change in my little world here - what causes me stress and how to avoid it. Fortunately, almost all of it just depended on seeing things in a different way and moving towards organising my day to suit me rather than one based on the vagaries of the monsoons, the maids or migraines (after getting a migraine on my return flight, I realised that I can probably handle migraines anywhere, until that is, I find a way to completely get rid of them). And once I had decided that, it's funny how things seemed to click into place.
I do have a small migraine now, but I am managing to write, which in itself is remarkable. Apart from this, I have finally (and rather quickly) found a milkman who will deliver organic milk, something that had been eluding me for years. My new (and excellent) maid wanted an additional job and seems willing to take over more responsibilities here, freeing me up to do things I would really like to (also freeing me from trying to extract work from my old, unwilling maid - something that has been troubling me for a while).
After many months of fruitless searching, I stumbled upon my old clothes (without looking for them - I had given up on this exercise) yesterday - lying peacefully under my nose all the time! This frees me from wearing outsize post pregnancy clothes and it's a nice feeling. Perhaps I will find my old gold earrings in the same way sometime…
I have planned to buy a few gadgets - big and small - that I had used in England and found very convenient - to ease some of the work at home, and am going through brochures and descriptions of these things.
What's new for my baby? He smiles as he sleeps, and perhaps he's dreaming of red buses (which always get him excited). He has returned knowing he can handle ten hour flights (and hours before and after) without being allowed to get out of his seat. He brings back an armful of the most exciting and intriguing story books (that he loves) and a yellow- green- blue quilted patchwork elephant that now resides happily with his other close friends - a red platypus-alligator and an orange lion. Lying on my shelf are two cowry shells, which fell off a bag and which I had no particular use for. I now think they will make very nice eyes for this elephant - wise, soft and gleaming gently in the light - reminding us of the mysterious and marvellous ways in which this world moves.
So, what's new now that I need to write about? My vacation, of course, which was wonderful. The kind that one associates with 'coming home from school' when one is a child. A few days spent with people I loved meeting, in the quiet centre of busy London and Cambridge. Splendid weather (despite the initial 'heat wave' that did the rounds in England), some wonderful food, enjoyable conversation. And best of all, my baby was well. He had fun too - seeing new sights, meeting people (all of whom were very good to him) and doing different things. He crawled (on real grass!) in parks, excitedly watched big red buses going by and found bits of furniture of his height to hone his walking skills. He tasted, for the first time, fresh strawberries, apricots, tiny sweet green peas, mint, thyme - and liked them all.
I walked, slept as I have not done for over a year, had thought provoking conversations, went for some very nice (yes!) acupuncture sessions and felt wrapped in peace and harmony.
We're back now and it's been the kind of holiday that lingers with us (despite horrendous flights back and tons of paperwork for visas on the way in). I'm recharged and I find a warming glow of positivity that helps me deal with all the work that has accumulated over here.
I believe that the mind changes many things for us- not just the way we view things but at a physical level too. At least this is how I interpret some of my experiences. While on vacation, I had a lot of time to think about the things I'd like to change in my little world here - what causes me stress and how to avoid it. Fortunately, almost all of it just depended on seeing things in a different way and moving towards organising my day to suit me rather than one based on the vagaries of the monsoons, the maids or migraines (after getting a migraine on my return flight, I realised that I can probably handle migraines anywhere, until that is, I find a way to completely get rid of them). And once I had decided that, it's funny how things seemed to click into place.
I do have a small migraine now, but I am managing to write, which in itself is remarkable. Apart from this, I have finally (and rather quickly) found a milkman who will deliver organic milk, something that had been eluding me for years. My new (and excellent) maid wanted an additional job and seems willing to take over more responsibilities here, freeing me up to do things I would really like to (also freeing me from trying to extract work from my old, unwilling maid - something that has been troubling me for a while).
After many months of fruitless searching, I stumbled upon my old clothes (without looking for them - I had given up on this exercise) yesterday - lying peacefully under my nose all the time! This frees me from wearing outsize post pregnancy clothes and it's a nice feeling. Perhaps I will find my old gold earrings in the same way sometime…
I have planned to buy a few gadgets - big and small - that I had used in England and found very convenient - to ease some of the work at home, and am going through brochures and descriptions of these things.
What's new for my baby? He smiles as he sleeps, and perhaps he's dreaming of red buses (which always get him excited). He has returned knowing he can handle ten hour flights (and hours before and after) without being allowed to get out of his seat. He brings back an armful of the most exciting and intriguing story books (that he loves) and a yellow- green- blue quilted patchwork elephant that now resides happily with his other close friends - a red platypus-alligator and an orange lion. Lying on my shelf are two cowry shells, which fell off a bag and which I had no particular use for. I now think they will make very nice eyes for this elephant - wise, soft and gleaming gently in the light - reminding us of the mysterious and marvellous ways in which this world moves.
