Hello Dear Reader,
The last week ushered in “The Hallowed Monsoon” in India and Mumbai in particular. Mumbai rains act as an equaliser in the city. It pours over all and sundry without discrimination and brings forth curses, umbrellas, water clogged roads and even more clogged traffic with mirth that defies sanity. Unlike other Indian cities where there’s respite between rains, Mumbai rains don’t get breathless before at least a week to 10 days. It will hold you by the collar and jangle your nerves till you’re humbled enough to thank God for the shelter you have and emotionally refuse to leave it behind for any kind of work. Away from Covid menace, the ‘Work From Home’ concept now thrives in this season where it becomes a crutch for commuters as they can afford not to travel and still get their work done.
And as I stayed put working from home over a few days stretching to a weekend I got to spend some quality time with our new pet Mithai. Mithai is the second one in our family after our first retriever Kulfi left us in shock and with a broken heart. Very like my Indian roots, two back to back pets made me draw comparison. The first one obviously smarter, more civil, with a bigger heart and better intelligence being my heart beat, was always closer to my heart. So close, that at times with Mithai, I felt that I am having to put off with an obnoxious dog looking donkey as pet instead of the king of the canine world, Kulfi. In truth, I had closed my mind , heart and brains to not let Mithai in. I was so convinced that Mithai is a mistake thrust upon me, that I avoided him to the extent it’s possible to avoid a fur ball always lolling at your feet.
Everything Mithai did, brought in a frown and smirk. His unruly toilet habits, his joker like way of gobbling up his food, his chewing every corner of my precious coffee table, tearing off the edges of my rug, irritated me and pushed my button. I swear on God even his happy smile looks manic and confirms his lunacy. Unlike his angelic elder brother, Kulfi who could melt iron hearts with one “hug me” look, this one just brought me to the edge of losing my credibility as a pet parent. As Mithai tore apart my love filled heart for all four legged creatures with his antics, I started to enjoy his unpredictable raucous nature. His fearsome competition with his daily carrot treat, where he will play with it like a football, trying dribble it and throw it up in the air before catching and biting into it with luscious joy, made me laugh. I could understand why he starts nipping at us trying to gain attention, calling us when he’s hungry and dragging us when he wanted to play. I slowly started reading Mithai. His vocabulary is not similar to Kulfi’s but his needs are the same. His expression are definitely not as sober as his elder brother’s but intentions where the same.
I realised that your life gets touched with different kinds of love. All of them, changing you in a way which is unfathomable. As I’m still coping with the loss of Kulfi, Mithai has started inching in slowly and steadily. I hope dear readers, you give yourself a fair chance to love the second time, third time or as many time as it may call for. For we love not for others but our own sake. Inherently human nature takes to love and acceptance, until civilisation taught us to be selfish. As the world grows murkier in front of the eyes which are ageing, do love in abundance, in whatever forms, shapes, and sizes it comes to you. And do not look for similarities or precedence. This one emotion however age old will never fail to surprise you and go by teaching a few lessons.
Here’s wishing love, transitional in nature, fickle and unpredictable for the coming days. Stay well and try to stay inside if you’re in those parts of the world where’s rains are lashing in.
Always yours,
Pocket full of life.
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