Eleven on Ten

(For Abhiir at 10-11)

Last year for Christmas, we wanted to play ‘ Secret Santa’ within the family especially to teach everyone to think about what the other person may actually like to receive as a gift and not just to think about what they want as their own gift!

We decided on a fair maximum amount of AED 60 for everyone, so that its neither too less, nor too much for the kids to handle. The game was mainly to see how much does one really know their family member? About likes and dislikes, colour preferences and so on.

We rolled the chits and got the name of the member we were supposed to buy the gift for. We went together on the holiday of December 25th to a mall. We decided to disperse, shop and meet again in the atrium in next one hour, with the gifts , and then to have lunch together.

This time Abhiir, my gen alpha boy, had got my name on the chit he picked. He insisted on going to the shop of his choice alone to pick the gift. We were all in the same mall on the same floor , so we allowed him.

Now getting a gift for your mother is the most difficult one for a ten year old boy. He asked AI for ideas! Obviously. AI suggested jewellery, flowers, perfume. So now the challenge of getting all that in AED 60 was the big one.

He did an online research (the night before) and looked for how to fit jewellery and perfume in that amount. He noted the suggestions down(on a piece of notebook paper in neat handwriting :) and carried some change from his coin purse, so as not to fall short of a few dirhams to not be able to pick the right gift!

I am sure AI asked him , what theme may your mother like? I am sure he said floral.

So he shortlisted a pair of floral earrings and a pendant set and an orchid perfume, from the suggested shop, that would fit in the given budget. He showed his neat notes to the kind lady at the shop and she helped him find the things and gift-wrapped them for him. The man with a mission was on his way out from the shop, where he met the older brother, Arhaant , who asked him what he had got for Amma.

The 15 year old said, of course Amma has a very specific taste in jewellery and she may not like the gift. But our Gen Alpha hero did not get dejected. He was very confident about his choice and his approach towards shortlisting the right gift for his mother. He said, I am sure she will like it!

We met in the atrium. Abhiir had a big toothy grin. He gave me the gift. I opened it. Arhaant kept saying, I bet, She wont like it...

But when I saw the handwritten notes about the floral earrings set and the orchid perfume, I couldnt hold back my tears! Abhiir had actually treated this exercise like a school project. He said, because of Amaira and her red hibiscus, he was absolutely sure I would like something floral. Arhaant kept saying, Amma never wears such earrings. But I said, this time Amma will wear these earrings! If they are handpicked with love, so carefully, systematically by her ten year old son, who did so much research and hard work for the gift, how could any Amma not like it!

I wore the earrings, the pendant and the perfume for Abhiir’s yr6 graduation to honour not just the gift, but his confidence on his choice and the effort he took in selecting the gift. I still have that handwritten note describing the brand name of the floral earrings set and the orchid perfume. It was four dirhams more than the decided amount, for which he had carried the coins! I will always keep the note and remember this incident with a proud teary smile.

I do believe, the kids of this generation know how to use technology much better than us millennials!

Later, I asked Arhaant what he would have got for me, if my name had been on his chit?

He said, I know you are very selective in your taste. Its not easy to find something that you will definitely like. So I would have brought real flowers - a bouquet of red and white roses or lilies and dark chocolate, all to fit perfectly in that budget. Nothing can go wrong there. I smiled to myself. He does know me too well...

But still, sometimes something offbeat, done with maximum love and belief may just bend all the rules for the mother within...

Now I understand when they say, its the process that’s more important than the end product. 

Dear Abhiir, 

I will never forget your sweet, meticulous gesture at the age of ten. Eleven on ten for that!

:: Gift and the handwritten note :: 

:: I wore it at the graduation!::

Past Phew Months

(For Arhaant at 16)

If someone had told us last year that the grade 10 board exams were going to be cancelled next year because of the War, we would have laughed! But here we are now, actually been through that situation! It's true. Sometimes what we worry about never really happens. And what we never even think about even in our wildest dreams, may actually happen!

After several weeks of cancelling, rescheduling, postponing and being on hold half-way through, the exams are finally done! These mock exams were treated as the final exams this year and the scores from these exams will be the final result. Fair enough.

In the earlier months of alarms and apprehension, I can’t imagine how these fifteen year olds must have felt! After much ado about the importance of these exams, the real deal happened in a much different setting. Many years later , these gen Z people would be telling the younger lot about the exam fiasco in “ their time” due to war, similar to how our grandparents talk about Independence and Partition or how our parents talk about floods and earthquakes of their time!

I definitely brag about having written my second book through COVID days and having started on my third through the uncertain war times!

The past “phew” months have tested most of us to the highest points of tolerance and patience, being on stand-by mode for the longest periods of time. As if being a parent to teens was not enough. However, the homeschooling bit this time was much easier to navigate than the COVID times. But exams are something my mind is accustomed to stress about.

During my tenth grade board exams, I used to ask my mother if I had studied well. She would just say without much thought but with a reassuring smile, “Yes, you have studied very hard and I am sure you will do well in your exams.”. Honestly, that statement was like a quick recharge for my mind. It's just about our mother being there for us when we need her around.

That’s exactly what I have tried to be for my older son this year. I will not take any credit from him about planning his study schedules. He has done it well and been quite sincere throughout this academic year. I have only been there to eavesdrop on some of those “late night online study meets” to check if it was really about the studies or some blue pill red pill discussions ;)

I have been there for that quick break of basketball on the terrace, one v one or two v one, when I kept telling the boys how our girls team used to lose terribly at the inter school basketball matches and they exchanged smiles, refusing to believe that their mother was on the inter school basketball team!

I’ve been there for those loving hummus and zaatar sandwiches and oats with fruit, accompanied by my motherly pep talk. For the fun of wall tennis on windy evenings, avoiding hitting too hard or else the ball will keep going into the neighbour’s garden. Or to become the bowler, when one is batting and the fielder when both of them are fighting over who gets to bat... and so on.

On the side, I have been doing some freelance landscape work, done lots of writing and art. On all the important milestones, I have tried my best to keep myself available for my children just like my mother used to.

The graduation celebration was a great success. It's a 'proud parent' feeling to watch our almost 16year old son walk in the graduation gown to collect his certificate. 

My much fancied double graduation(grade 10 for Ary and grade 5 for Aby) finally happened this year! We had missed one such opportunity back in 2021 when everything was online. But this is just the beginning. An important milestone, amongst many more to come.

Finally, since the exams and celebrations are over, we definitely need to take “phew” breaks this summer to recharge from the past few months! Phew!

Dear Arhaant,

Happy 16th Birthday! This is the first year when there are no exams on your birthday! The football season is here, like it is every four years around your birthday. Watching a football game with friends would be an ideal celebration! Keep swimming, drawing , playing whichever sport that is your favourite this year! Please don't overdo the weights! Yoga is equally important. Everything else after 18 ;)

And...most important - If you have to choose between being right and being kind, choose kind. (I know you want to choose right ;)

The IKEA style carrot cinnamon cake is on my to do list. Of course, mine will have finger millet flour and lots of other healthy things you may not always want ;)

Amma 

:: Arhaant at 16 :: 

:: Yr 11 Graduation ::

 

What's a Poem?

When a grey cloudy roaring sky,
suddenly turns crisp blue
and whistles with the wind,
a poem is born…

When you were all prepared
for a rough hectic day ahead,
but it turned out to be
much softer and sunnier instead.

A poem is that little moment
tucked between two happy thoughts.
It's the stamp of time just when
a fluid darkness spills into dawn.

When you couldn't sleep all night,
it's the blanket of warmth,
that feels like a full deep slumber,
with a dream, minutes before you woke up.

A poem is the correct shade of pink,
slightly brighter and richer,
than your natural lip colour,
which makes your smile better than usual.

When you remember old days,
and quietly nod to yourself…
Someone looks back from the mirror,
reassuring, you've come a long way.

A poem is hidden
in a sleepy snail shell,
waiting to be picked up on a rainy day,
by muddy little playful fingers.

It's the song that shadows write
on blank sunny white walls,
listening to the leaves and birds,
as they turn it into a mural.

A poem is a doodle in my diary,
scribbled somewhere on idle pages,
amidst awkward pauses of work meetings,
for a quick refresh of my mind.

Between the last bronze of the sun
and the first pearl drop of the moon,
there is always a poem,
peeping in and out along silver linings.

:: This poem was written for poetry reading events and workshops for school children, lined up for this summer at the School Book Fairs, that I was supposed to be a part of.  I wanted to teach the children, how a collection of beautiful thoughts can become a poem! Unfortunately, because of the current situation of the world, schools are on distance learning and these sessions got cancelled.  This poem remains in my mind as a bouquet of quietly beautiful things, to refresh the mind and bring back some positivity . 

This poem is inspired by the question in the picture book "This is a Poem That Heals Fish" by Jean-Pierre Simeon", translated into English by Claudia Zoe Bedrick. I got a glimpse of the book on 'the marginalian' by Maria Popova :: 

Pendulum

Beliefs sway back and forth
on the pendulum of uncertainty.
Within the torn tapestry of war,
we rediscover new threads of relationships.

Longing for a glint of the crescent moon,
on bruised grey-blue skies,
we catch a precious dream- filled cat nap,
between startling alerts and alarms.

Like a fulfilling sip of coffee
on a rushed stressful workday.
Or a hushed full deep breath,
amidst a fast- paced running race…

Jets no longer display
colourful trails for an airshow.
We wish for innocent paper planes,
to hold onto our faith and memories.

Smoke disguised as clouds
creates an illusion of normalcy.
But the sky quietly weeps at dawn,
washing down the trauma of last night.

Clueless kids happily call it rain
in today’s child-friendly reality.
Yet somewhere in between inhumane acts,
life continues to reveal little moments of empathy.

#tapestryofwar #betweenalarms 

STOP

Happy 2026! This one is a milestone year for us in many ways.

Firstly, I am extremely thankful for everything that 2025 had to teach me. Mainly I have learnt to accept constant change, which means, CHANGE is the only constant in this equation of life! We cannot keep holding on to the same things forever. Forever is almost a myth! We have to be flexible, adaptable and open to learning some good things from the new generations.

I love the gen Z trends and words - - - micro shifting, micro retirement, rage baiting, aura farming, career minimalism,  trad aesthetic , identity stacking, soft power posting…Oh I love them all! In fact I have been believing in some of the gen Z concepts even through the millennial era long before they were named! Delulu? Sus? Whatevs!

If I can think of one word for 2026 it should be BALANCE.

While the year is still NEW, this time instead of a TO-DO list or a TO-DO-BETTER list I came across this unique idea of a STOP DOING List for the new year!

So in 2026 I will STOP - - -

1. Over thinking/ Over analyzing
2. Trying too hard for perfection.
3. Over explaining myself - my plans/ decisions/ actions.
4. Feeling guilty for resting/not doing what I am “supposed to be doing” according to others.
5. Getting very angry/ irritated/disturbed for small things.
6. Chasing that perfect job! (It doesn't exist!)
7. Feeling responsible for everyone’s happiness.
8. Underplaying my personality/ abilities.
9. Being scared of taking up new challenges outside my comfort zone.
10. Buying new clothes that I don't really need!
11. Wanting phases/events to just get over. ( I need to learn to enjoy the process, not just the end product; the journey, not just the destination.)
12. Worrying about the future all the time.
13. Reacting too soon.
14. Expecting that everything will go as per my plans/ instructions/ expectations.
15. Trying to fit in precast moulds of one size fits all.

Soothing Shades of Childhood

Our childhood spaces leave a deep psychological imprint on our minds. My childhood garden has shaped me as a Poet, an Artist and as a Landscape Architect. It's only now that I realise this connection that began sprouting in those early days.

Those tall trees, flowers, birds, squirrels, our cats, the swing, the balcony, the ladder short cut, the back door, the water tank with fish, the terrace, the stone pathways , the creepers, the dappled sunlight and all that magic in the soothing “shade”of our home, is a nostalgic collection of memories we shall carry in our hearts forever.

In our mind lanes, my sister , my cousins and I continue to celebrate our childhood garden and our family home, not just one last time, but over and over, before saying a final goodbye to it in the real world.

I cannot describe it in any other language but my mother tongue!

सावली 

चिक्कूच्या झाडावर चढून, 

पुन्हा एकदा खाली पडूयात!

हौदात पाय बुडवून, 

गुपचूप दुपारी मासे पकडूयात.

झुडपातल्या फटीतून 

शेजारी जाऊयात,

पुन्हा एकदा त्यांच्या झाडाचे 

चोरून पेरू खाऊयात!

चाफ्याची फुले वेचुन,

ऊंच शिडीवरून 

चोर दरवाज्याने गच्चीत लपून बसूयात!

आईच्या चाहाचा एक 

गरम घोट घेऊयात... 

मोगरा फुललेला असताना,

कोकीळ गुलमोहराच्या फांद्यांवर गात असायचा. 

संक्रांतीचा वेल आकाशाला भिड़ायचा!

चला पुन्हा एकदा ती गाणी एकूयात!

लहानपणीच्या आठवणीत 

कायमचे रमून जाऊयात!

जिन्याखाली भातुकली मांडूयात,

आवळा सुपारी खाता खाता,

पत्त्यांचे तीनशेचार डाव खेळूयात!

पावसाळ्यात छत्री घेऊन, 

टाकीत पाणी भरले का ते बघूयात,

उन्हाळ्यात पापड मिरच्यांचा सोबत 

गार गादीवर चांदण्या मोजूयात. 

लाडके मांजर आणि झोका,

खिडकीतून खोलीत येणारा दुष्ट पिवळा बोका!

मागच्या दाराने त्याला बागेत हाकलूयात.

हे सारे परत एकदा उपभोगूयात.

आज जगात कुठेही असलो, 

तरी मनात आपण सगळे लहानपणीच्या सावलीतच फिरतो...

पुन्हा एकदा एकत्र राहून बघूयात.

ते दिवस शेवटचे जगून घेऊयात!

 - नताशा बेडेकर

Decade Accolade

(For Abhiir at 10)

The table tennis coach came to me and said about Abhiir, “He has the feeling for the game. Looks like he got it from his mother…” I recalled a similar incident when the old Egyptian football coach had said to Kris, “This boy will make you proud”

The summer of 2025 has been more of me and Abhiir, being there for each other! While Kris had gone for his biking tour and Arhaant for his teenage summer camps, it was just me and Abhiir together — We went for the table tennis tournament, where I cheered so loudly that everyone thought I was his coach ! We watched Masterchef Australia, played LEGO, cycled on the new track and of course made some crafty things indoors in the ‘45 degree afternoons’.

Dear Abhiir,

At ten, what I am most proud about, is that you can now make your own fried egg independently, without any help. I am also very happy to see these awesome Cobra Kai cards that you made, taking inspiration from the football and transformer cards. You just came up with the idea and completed all 20-25 cards, front and back, tirelessly and consistently. That's remarkable!

I liked it when you went to Baba’s office for some half days of “ pretend internship” , where you sat on an empty office desk, and completed your cards. You took your bag, lunch box, Harry Potter book to read and headphones. It was another great idea, because I know, deep down, you envied the teenage summer camps that Arhaant got this time and you didn't!

Be this fearless boy, you always are — The class monitor, student councillor, lead singer, head boy material ;) and gadget guru with amazing typing speed! Keep making your own sandwiches, fried egg and cucumber salad. Take the lead when Arhaant is feeling moody and hesitant ;)

And I know, you would rather have a new football jersey and a party for your birthday, than a trip that even all of us get ;) I won't be able to say from now on that the spring break trip itself is your birthday present ;)

Thank you for patiently collecting all our favourite songs for my car playlist. I can totally count on you for such things. I am always amused , watching your fights with enemies from your imaginary world and your accented commentary for imaginary matches that you play in the living room with famous footballers! This kind of imaginative pretend play is the best!

But please, watch your screen time and do your warm up and stretching exercises. Ten year olds with older siblings are always more mature these days and know a bit too much for their age! I still do need to keep a close watch on you!

Keep up your main character energy ;)

Love, Amma

:: Cobra Kai Cards by Abhiir ::

Then and Now

(For Arhaant at 15)

I still remember that day, when Arhaant was three. I had gone to his nursery to watch his concert. I reached slightly late after all the parents were already seated. He saw me, stood up and shouted with joy, “Look! That's MY Amma!”

And then, I’m here today…watching Arhaant prepare for his group project to be presented in front of the parents. He is wearing a formal blue shirt and has a slight hint of a mustache under a 15 year old grown up glance. He gives me a "Don't look at me like that” kind of expression. I totally get it!

But I'm just feeling so elated, looking at my tall, mature son, speaking in a rich baritone, confidently.

Dear Arhaant,

Don't look back …look forward to a new exciting life!

I will always wait with longing teary eyes to note down your achievements. At fifteen, I am so happy to see you speak so well in front of a crowd. This summer you have participated in many summer camps of team building, group projects, transformative journalism, to name a few. I am most relieved about the fact that you have started taking the public bus and begun your journey towards full independence.

It was another weepy moment for me to see you get on the Abu Dhabi City bus that morning, one hour early, responsibly, to reach your class on time. Such habits will take you a long way.

I want you to keep drawing, painting more and more, like you do. Keep up the fitness regime and body building that you are so interested in these days. Keep reading and studying hard, especially for this important academic year. I know I can always count on you for all those intellectual conversations.

As I write this, I realise, I am actually wearing your old tee! 15-16 years from the boys section! You did not fit into it even for a few months! You are taller than me, your shoe size is much larger and your biceps much thicker than mine :)

This journey from the car seat to the front seat will soon turn into you being in the driver’s seat, with me in the back seat perhaps! For me, this is time travel ! Delusional? Or Delulu ;)

:: Arhaant at 15 :: 

:: Arhaant at 3 ::

Portal of Midlife

The portal of midlife,
is a delicate difficult junction,
of change and challenges.
Lets give each other
another chance
to greet our older selves
with new eyes.
Hold my hand
and cross this threshold together…
Let’s renew “our space” again.

Over the years we have learnt, there cannot be two alphas in a relationship. When both partners have a strong individual identity, they often need to balance between playing alpha and beta as per the need of their life’s situation.

Marriage and Family cannot be an individual championship. It's a team sport, where each member needs to play at multiple positions.

When one partner gets to enjoy the limelight of playing center forward, the other partner shall guard the goal and play goalkeeper, at times filling in to be the defender as well. Grown up children eventually step in to play at mid level, helping both partners as required.

Currently, I think I am the goal keeper and sometimes, the referee. I got my chance to play center forward and be in the limelight. I will give the boys a chance to shine now at their positions.

Generally, males are programmed to have more 'doing’ energy while females to have more of a ‘receiving’ energy. If the woman has very strong beliefs and opinions, she sometimes needs to deliberately switch on her receiving energy in a marriage yet continue her 'giving energy’ in a family.

This is the delicate challenge that midlife presents in a marriage. As we count 19 years of married life, it's the portal of midlife which we must cross carefully together, helping each other along the way.

I hope this year steers us to the direction that aligns with our life’s true purpose.

:: Our 19th Anniversary pictures began at the Lempuyang Temple , Bali this Spring,  but the real celebration was a cycle ride date night in Abu Dhabi. We went to the posh hotel on our cycles, had a drink at the rooftop bar that windy evening in September and then cycled back, me, wearing a dress with trainers and a helmet, French style! This has been my favourite so far! Perfectly age-appropriate!:: 

:: Lempuyang Temple, Bali :: 

:: The Portal of Midlife ::

Horizon

When an unstoppable sense
needs to return to the ground,
the wheel of life
gets stuck in difficult sands.

Melt yourself out and walk slowly
towards a new horizon…
where even the tallest soaring sky
bends low to reach out to the earth.

#selfseek #upsanddowns #throughthickandthin #reset  #jointhedots #largermasterplan

Silver

In the bursting blue veins
of hardworking hands,
what begins to show up…

Is a head held high in courage,
yet the folds of her neck
spill out that secret.

Kohl-edged lids hold up weary lashes
Cleverly covering up
many-a- sleepless story.

The worry- bag balances
from one shoulder to the other,
fishing out a pair of glasses,
to spell it out correctly.

Twenty projects of youth,
Thirty loads of motherhood,
Forty winks of lists to do.

One manic panic morning,
the rear view mirror displays
all the roads taken till half of a life.

From the creased corner of the eye,
next to the forced smile,
I see her wave back.

She assures with a sharp eyed spark,

I am with you, within you - - -
Your younger, brighter, quicker self.

#aging #youngerself #fortyplus #womanoverforty #greyhairgreenmind #amairathelittlewoman

Also tried the Marathi version of the same poem ---

(This has been manually typed in Marathi language as well and it is not an auto translation.)

 

सोबत वयाची

कामसू हातांवरच्या निळ्या रेषांमध्ये दिसून येते.

डोळ्याखाली ओघळलेल्या काजळाने ती लपवते...

लिहिलेल्या शब्दांचा खरा अर्थ समजून घेण्यासाठी, 

गडबडीत चष्मा शोधत राहते...

एका खांद्यावरून दुसऱ्यावर ओझं ढकलताना, 

अलगद हसणार्‍या ओठांभोवती घड्या करून बसते... 

वीस तरुणपणीच्या गोष्टी, 

तीस मुलांबरोबरच्या, 

तर चाळीस करायच्या राहिलेल्या!

अर्ध्या आयुष्यापर्यंत तुझ्यासोबत मी राहिले,

आरशाच्या मागून मला शांतपणे म्हणत राहते ---

तरुणपणीची मीच!

 - नताशा बेडेकर

The Concept of HOME

In childhood days, when my sister and I would walk back from the sports ground in the evenings, our mother would show us birds in the orange sunset sky. She would say, "Look at the birds going home in the evenings.” It was a comforting statement , which in an unknown way was sowing the seeds of a strong belief in my head.

Even now, whenever I am walking home or driving home or cycling home in the evening, out of habit I look at the sky and I see the birds going home as well. That makes me happy.

My mind is conditioned to think that when the day is done, when it's evening, I must go home. I cannot stay out of home after evening. I feel a strong current that pulls me homewards. And that's why, for me, it's almost impossible to work late. Going home on time is my emotional NEED.

This feeling has something to do with one’s childhood home. I am someone who has had immense attachment to my childhood home, with my cozy bedroom that I shared with my sister, the garden with amazingly full grown trees, the balcony with jasmine climbers, our cats, the water tank with guppy fish, in which we would dip our feet, the chickoo tree with branches leading to the balcony, the cold stone floors, sun rays filtering through the staircase windows, secret hiding places in my grandparents room …everything about that stone bungalow, has a special connection.

It's such memorable elements related to the house from our childhood that create the concept of “home” in our brains, I guess.

However, this is something my partner does not really comprehend. During our dating times in college days, when it was slightly late in the evening, I would say, “I need to go home now”. But I never sensed any strong feeling in his mind that would ever pull him to his own house. Of course it has to do with how his own home from childhood was… did he have enough space that he could call his own? Did he have a connection with a bedroom that took him to dreamland?

Everyone carries the baggage of diverse childhoods, upbringings, dissimilar cultural backgrounds that instill a strong ( or insecure) feeling of home in our minds. Some people, in fact, are taught to leave home to chase dreams that aren't necessarily their own, to earn more and more money and never look back to get tied down…

In reality, wherever we go, in our minds all of us continue to live in our childhood homes. It hurts me to realize the confined idea of space in his mind.  He can sleep on any bed of any size, any couch and snore as loudly as he does on our bed! The concept of home and space in his head is just the opposite of what is in mine!

I carried my special home feeling with me when I moved to Abu Dhabi after getting married. It's mostly the mother who instills that warm comforting feeling of “home” in her children’s minds. Given our different mindsets, it became all the more important for me to set up a feeling of permanence for my children in our house, especially in this transit country where most people settle only for a few temporary years.

I worked hard to recreate memorable home elements for my boys…something that I deeply cherish while my husband does not even identify with that need!

Just a few days ago, during this summer break I asked my grown up boys, if they have this unseen alarm embedded in their minds, like I do, that starts ticking, telling them to rush home in the evening if they are out of the house for a long time? Is there something that pulls them homewards? Do they miss their bed and their bedroom if on a longer vacation, especially to India? They admitted, they do! I am so relieved to hear that! So in a way, I have probably passed on that feeling to my boys. And I think I have been successful in explaining the importance of this concept to my husband as well...

When the parents come from totally different cultural backgrounds and upbringings, it's difficult to find what is really important to be passed on to the next generation… This feeling of “home” and being drawn homewards is very important for me to feel secure and confident. My childhood home has shaped my personality. I don't think I would be into art and poetry if it weren't for that setting that I grew up in and that reassuring feeling of home.

I just hope the emotion is similar for my boys where they draw inspiration, comfort, security and love from the beautiful space called HOME, created and decorated together by their architect parents!

The scene from the title track for the comedy series 'Simpsons' has stayed in my mind, where all the family members rush home in the evening, from different places and finally crash on that one big sofa in front of the TV. That's my ideal beginning of the weekend that spells HOME AT LAST!

#conceptofhome #quiethappinesstasha #homeiswheretheheartis #lovehome 

:: A bit of Bali at HOME ::

Quietude

Four white-eared Bulbuls were having an important discussion in the garden this morning. Two of them, perched upon the edge of the birdbath and the other two hovering in mid air, circling around occasionally, trying to make dramatic performances!

They continued to debate endlessly, while the pair of laughing doves on the parapet wall heaved a hooting sigh and finally gave up on their turn at sipping the cool waters.

I was waiting in stillness next to the slender armed graceful olive tree that was creating dancing shadows on the sun-washed white walls. The garden needs to be watered, I pondered, before the already harsh sun rises higher up in the dust-lined summer noon sky, casting a blinding spell.

When I am in the garden, I wonder, am I not supposed to be working at this time… When I am at work, I miss being home at odd hours to witness the dialogue that happens between the flora and the fauna.

Not everyone will understand why one chooses to take a healing break for themselves from time to time. The bulbuls, I felt, were actually cheering for me and supporting my life decisions!

The birds kept gossiping . I watched them silently… just grateful for such ironical quietude Life gives us, by serendipity.

Solitary events, crafted coincidentally, completely ours to be savoured deliberately. It's in such still moments, collaged together, that Life compiles the mixed tape of unsung melodies.

#summerbreak #healyourself #creativehibernation #findyourzen #quietude 

:: My Zen garden and the Birdbaths:: 

Hero the Hare

At school we were taught the story of the Hare and the Tortoise. We were always told how slow and steady wins the race. We never questioned, why do we need to win the race in the first place?

As a little girl, I was moody, restless, impatient and impulsive. I would want to finish my work before everyone else in the class and then I would ask the class teacher, “May I draw”? in the leftover time. She would always urge me to check my work once again and then allow me to draw. All I was interested in, was drawing.

The explanation in my head was, I finish my work fast only to have that golden time to enjoy drawing … doing what I love!

Hence, in the Hare and the Tortoise story, I would find myself defending the Hare, even though he lost the race in the end. He ran fast so he could afford to have the golden time for that nap under the tree! So what if the Tortoise went ahead. What if you actually enjoy taking that lead only so that you can get your well deserved break later!

Now I have come to realize, the Hare has been my hero. It's not about winning or losing, but about knowing your strengths and using them in the right way, to find that precious me-time along the way to do what you love.

I want to be fast and swift when I can and finish my responsibilities, only to be able to get life’s sweet sabbatical after all the hard work. I want to switch myself off when I wish to. There is more to life than winning races. I want to savor my power nap in the woods…and then get ready to run again as needed.

#metime #dowhatyoulove #againstburnout #goldentime #welldeservedbreak 

Sunrise Seagull

Take a pause. Breathe.
Feel the aura at sunrise.
The sky reflects a pink-orange blush
as the Earth gives birth to her Sun.

Seagulls in slow steady flight
are flocking in celebration of the newborn.
Hurried haphazard roads unaware of the drama,
against the calm graceful gait of Nature.

I stand on the edge
as Life pulls me onto the faster track.
My mind longs to step back
and take the leisure trail instead.

Just then my gaze catches
a lone young seagull.
He flies solitarily with light on his wings,
away from the crowd.

His quiet determination, powerful motion,
spells a magical freedom.
Reminds me, Life’s tugs and pulls
are not without a larger reason.

:: The Landscape Architect , yet again, has stepped up to take care of the Poet and the Artist residing in me. She knows, passion alone is not enough to refill Life’s half full cup. But on a quiet Saturday afternoon, the Poet slowly rises and pours life force back into her tired soul…::

The best part of UAE winters is the migratory birds, especially seagulls that stay until the beginning of spring. Watching the seagulls in their slow steady graceful flight on these winter mornings is truly inspiring. Reminds me of Jonathan Livingston Seagull… one of the first few books I read growing up.