Letter to the Unknown Reader Series 1 : Mayhems are beautiful

 Hello dearest Reader,

Hope you’re doing well and thriving in your individual lives. I’m on my ride of daily roller coaster of a life and always look forward to welcoming weekend.  Here routines are broken and doing nothing seems like a great accomplishment. I was musing as I thought over this weekend’s blog as to what prompted me to include Series 1 in this blog title. Am I dreaming of a Series 2 or a 3, like hindi movie sequel? Am I over ambitious and have such faith in my imagination that I believe I can churn out weekly blogs year after year? It was hilariously theatrical to look at my bloated ego from a distance and I couldn’t stop laughing at the incredulity of the idea.

I’m a working mom. Have a teenager and his four legged son to take care at home. Oh I forgot about the husband, he too needs to be mollycoddled enough. God has made me ambitious, and God knows why? Did He not ever think of work life balance? No body shared illuminating thoughts about how multitasking is no more the fad. And he creates a woman who wants to run a home like Martha’s Vineyard videos but also have to climb … errr, claw in a thriving career. Career thriving or not, I’m not so sure. But I’m absolutely sure that I have to thrive in this career as it allows me to pay my bills. So there you go… a living oxymoron, a home body who loves his career, an introvert who loves to travel and meet newer worlds, basically a woman who’s a contradiction in herself.If such is the woman, how on earth her weekend will be sane and picturesque. So my weekend was filled with melodramatic mayhem. 

A husband who flew to hometown for a few days had to be dropped to the airport. Not sure if anyone will resonate , at times it’s a sigh of relief when boys who you have to take care off goes out of the city. Gives you a break. Specially for me, as I thrive when I’m alone. I need my silence, my space, my nothingness to feel alive. Crazy me!! 

Following the airport drop, I had to go to my most favourite destination - Doctors chamber. And as luck would have it, this particular Doctor sat in Room number unlucky 13. And of course as such intricate working of destiny will have it, the OPD reception told the Doctor’s assistant about waiting patient (me) and she conveniently forgot. Which resulted in me running after the Doctor,  chasing him down to his car, getting my check up done finally, just in front of the hospital lobby, panting and gasping for air. Guess what was the check up all about??? Migraine!!! Solution for migraine was identified amongst a situation which can give any normal person a headache of sorts.

After my hospital tryst, I visited a Saree exhibition. For the uninitiated readers, Durga Puja is round the corners. And like any true blooded Bengali, the Divine Goddess resides in my heart months before the actual celebrations. She skilfully instigates us to splurge on everything which is traditional, beautiful, costly and beyond means. In the name of these hallowed five days of festivities, we, like hypnotised kiddies give in to buying all that catches our fancy and turn a pauper even before Puja actually kick starts. Saying it, it makes the women bond. I caught up with one of my neighbours and video called another giggling and discussing our loot over shared video calls  and messaging groups. It’s such a beautiful feeling to see how we all connect and be happy for each other’s happiness.

Finally as my husband traversed thousand kilometres to land in Kolkata I traversed fifty odd of them in the city of Mumbai and landed back home. Satiated like happy sunflowers.

As I enjoyed my sushi with my son, watching a delectable mythical folklore movie named Slumberland, I saw my happy four legged furball Mithai tearing apart newspapers and Amazon boxes in welcoming glee. But then at times mayhems are also magical, very like the movie we saw. If you can, do watch it on Netflix. Young and adult it’s for dreamers. Like us.

Hope you keep dreaming and enjoying your very own mayhem magic. See you again on the other side of the week. Till then…

Always your,

Pocket full of life

Letter to the Unknown Reader Series 1 - From the sea

 Hello dearest Reader,

Nice to meet you all again at the other end of week. Before we all kickoff another adventurous week ahead, let me share this month’s newest activity which I could include in my repertoire. It was one of the most wonderful feeling. I did enjoy after the tedious routine of our day to day.

My wonderful husband’s birthday fell right in the middle of the week and like most of us, middle aged couples with years of marriage behind us, neither of us wanted to indulge in a mid week celebration, storing to stir up some storm over the weekend.

The birthday gift to the birthday boy was stay in Alibaug, a quaint seaside village over the weekend. Also we wanted to experience the often talked, newest addition to the city of Mumbai, fondly called RoRo. These are huge boats which ferries cars and passengers from Princess Dock of Mumbai to Mandwa Jetty near Alibag. 

It was too much fun to have the car crawl into the belly of this small ship. As we disembarked from the car and climbed the deck, the rolling sea, the cloudy, drizzly August sky welcomed us. As the vessel left port, the lapping sea divided and lapped at its skirts as we lolled towards Mandwa. It’s hard to explain how the colourful boats and water vessels of all shapes and sizes can awaken the child in you. It was blissful to surrender to the dance of the waves, the roll of the ship, the grey clouds floating by, indulging in thoughts which only belong to you.

As we reached Mandwa, we again boarded the car and sped towards the resort which was to host us for the weekend. Raddison over the years had turned out to be our favourite. The property itself was sprawling and beautiful. Its proximity to Varsoli beach was an added boon. I was in august company with my August born boys accompanying me. We strolled around in the beach soaking our feet and our hearts into the love dripping nature, as the fingers of the Gods blessed the coast with its golden lights.

The sunset cast a web of magic, as the emerald greens of the place kissed the evening softly. The narrow roads looked quiet and calm as they laced through the small villages dotting the coast. As we indulged in good food, raucous laughter, books and silence, we bonded as family in its cosiest forms.

Our tired hearts, lived a happy weekend and headed back to our nest where our beloved Mithai waited for us, not too happy at being left behind in this adventure. If you get a chance, do try out something new over any spare weekend you have.  Smell the greens, inhale a lung full of  sea salty air, let you hair blow in the monsoon wind as you stroll without having a destination in mind, nor any time to keep, just being around your own.

Always yours,

Pocket full of life