Monday, February 21, 2011

The Birthdays again


Another round of birthdays-days of hectic activity, running around, last minute crisis…and complete MADNESS at home..It’s this which keeps me away from my blog too, this time of the year!

On one hand we are grateful that we only have to do it once in a year, on the other hand we feel completely drained out this time of the year-physically, mentally and financially!

And yet we do it with more zeal every year!

Planning both parties, buying everything we can get our hands on, cooking up surprises, making plans to delight them at every step...

However this time, I was questioning myself more.

Yes, it is ok to splurge once in a while, but shouldn’t we be thinking of the other little girls out there, who are still struggling to live?
Are we teaching them the right things? 
After years of receiving, shouldn’t I be teaching them to give more? 
Maybe, from next year, we’ll spend half the effort in taking them around to the blind school or SOS village and let them experience the joy of sharing their gifts.

My ideas seemed to idealistic when I thought of these two, who insist on keeping a piece of return gift also, on top of all the gifts they get, actually agreeing to give up on anything.

And then, Elena came to me herself saying, Mom can we please give something new to Parvati didi this time? We thought about what our maid would need most and then she happily packed up satchels of school stationery for the maid’s children.

It was a small thing, but I was really happy she thought of it. My little girl is growing up all right! Yes, we’ll do more, all along the year, and not just on the birthdays, but we had made a beginning.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Just a few words..


Why have I stopped writing?
'No Time to write' is obviously is the first excuse. But then like the school kid having to think beyond 'viral fever', I had to think of a new excuse when the same friends kept asking again. 

A writer’s block? Well that was a new one for me and it became the new favorite. It also sounded kind of "cool" to flinch one of the kids' terms.

And just like it happens in the good old fairy tales, it became true.

I got so used to not writing that I didn’t miss it any more.

Because I had nothing to write, and so many of other things to do, I stopped logging in. Then I didn’t get updates from other blogs too. More time on my hand. Took up knitting. Atleast that doesn’t upset people like words do.

Packed away writing like a piece of nostalgia that doesn’t belong to the present anymore. And just like nostalgic memories, the longing to write and share didn’t go away. It keeps popping up, just like now.

Has the block worn away a bit? Will it go away faster if I promise not to fib again? Any tested remedies?

Or do I just "un-cross" my fingers and dare to log-in..