Circus

Circus was a profound part of my childhood. I can still feel the thrill in my heart when I pass by a circus set. We used to get so excited whenever the circus came to town.

An uncle of mine would take us to the circus every time even if it’s the same one. He would put in a huge effort to make sure that we can see properly in the overcrowded audience.

Today I took my daughter to the circus with the same excitement. Having learned from previous experience, I ensured that I buy tickets a couple of hours in advance to not miss the chance.

I was stressing out to reach before time to get a good spot. When we arrived we saw the sitting mostly empty. There were about 3-4 families in the whole area. I thought it would start getting filled up soon. A few more families arrived but the stadium stayed 95% empty.

The show still went ahead. Since animals are now banned, the fun was not the same, however, the talent the performers had was incredible.

They performed their best, they gave their best regardless of the size of the audience..

The world of technology, video games, and AI based engaging activities are taking over the pure art of entertainment.

It cringed my heart that the circus is dying. Soon these people might have to start seeking a different profession. The art will no longer pass down to the generation

Incredible life

It’s incredible how life can twist and turn, and then suddenly when you least expect it, you find what you were looking for.

It’s never too late for anything. Life is a constant. Life is in the moment. Especially, it’s never too late to find love. Love that you deserve. Love that deserves you. And once you find it, you must treasure it.

Dedicated to a love story of 2 people whom I have never met but known through someone, and it warms my heart to know that they found each other. Eventually.

15 mins yoga every morning

Describe one habit that brings you joy.

15 mins yoga and pranayam every morning sets me up for the day where I play multiple roles.

I am a mother, a wife, a daughter in law, a manager that requires me to wear and dynamically switch hats during the day.

Spending these 15 mins every day for myself before my little world wakes up, is one habit I absolutely adore.

Little things

What brings you peace?

There is no one thing I can point to that is solely responsible for bringing peace to me.

Little things daily that give purpose to my existence brings peace to me.

Little things like 10 mins of yoga in the morning, playing with my kids in the evening, a simple kiss from my loved one, a cuppa tea xx

Not everything happens every day but a combination of these brings peace.

Little things like being on top of laundry and dishwasher also brings peace most days.

Little things like enjoying wine with my loved one brings peace.

And sometimes, doing nothing brings peace.

Last evening, watering my garden with my 5yo brought immense pleasure leading to peace as we walked barefoot on the wet grass.

Every little thing every day that makes me feel the purpose of my existence brings peace to me

વાતો કર!

Talk to me!

We spent the evening out. A couple of hours at the park and then dinner. My husband was putting down our younger one to bed and since our older one wanted milk, she and I were at the dining table. She was drinking her milk. I just sat there.


She said, vaato kar (talk to me).. I was gladly surprised because usually it’s me saying this to her but she doesn’t talk if I ask her to talk. Guess she just wasn’t in that age yet (she is 4 yo). Although she would talk a lot if you just started talking.


So when she said this, I admired the moment. However I couldn’t think of anything to talk about. The whole day went through my mind but I couldn’t talk. So, I said, umm I don’t know what to talk about. She said, talk about anything you want. I was still clueless. I couldn’t find an incident interesting enough throughout my day that I could share. Seeing that I was struggling to find what to talk, she goes.. tara day vishe vaat kar! Te shu karyu.. (talk to me about your day, what did you do)

She really wanted to just talk and listen. So I talked. I said I was stressed in the morning because the house was a mess. The cleaning lady didn’t show up. I started cleaning but it was exhausting.

By that time she had finished her milk. She came to me, climbed onto my lap and hugged me. I kept talking, whilst she was hugging, kissing in between and just listening.

My heart went awwwww.

Riding a motorbike

What is the last thing you learned?

As a college girl, it was always my dream to learn to ride a motorbike. I loved the way they’d sound. Back in the day, a girl riding motorbikes was looked upon as Bold. I was bold and I wanted the world to see it.

Since my dad gave me a car for myself much sooner than I had expected, I couldn’t ask for a bike. So I waited patiently until my brother got one. Eventually, he did get one but it was much too large for a short girl like me.

I dreamed of getting a bullet for myself one day. But my career didn’t bloom in the early days. I got married and moved countries.

In the UK, getting a car driving license was an achievement. Long time had passed since those college days and I wasn’t that young girl anymore. I had responsibilities. I was answerable.

The dream was gone. Forgotten even.

My husband had the same passion for bikes. He had been doing man-math for a long time about getting one. A couple of years back I encouraged him to get one and he has not regretted it for one minute. My dream yet stayed forgotten.

When I was pregnant with my second child, my husband rekindled that yearning. That dream. One that I had conveniently deleted from the list of my aspirations.

So, the last thing I learned a couple of weeks ago was the basics of riding a motorbike. And now I dream again.

Balance

What is the biggest challenge you will face in the next six months?

I will be resuming work after maternity leave within the next six months.

The biggest challenge I envision will be to raise 2 children, manage work which is highly intense, manage home, manage my relationship and manage personal time & care.

Though one part of me says that I’ll be fine, I fear that I might lose myself more and days/weeks/ months will just keep slipping by.

Mystery shoes

Tell us about your favorite pair of shoes, and where they’ve taken you.

I moved to the UK in August 2015. Landed myself in a job in December 2015, with a joining in Jan 2016. I had a couple of weeks to prepare and move to another city about 200 miles away. 

In those 2 weeks, I shopped for work. Dresses, shoes, etc. I bought myself a pair of block heels, black in colour with a belt that went around the ankle. I loved those shoes, although they weren’t my regular work shoes. I preserved them.

We lived in a rented house for about 8-9 months. Post that, we moved to another rental house. In the midst of all these moves, I had kept some extra luggage at a friend’s house. In this second rental house, I never saw that pair of shoes. I thought perhaps I packed them with the extra luggage stored at my friend’s.

We lived about a year in this second rental house before buying our own home. I finally got all the luggage at one place. I was eager to find my shoes back. And I didn’t.

I unpacked everything. I checked stuff in the garage and extra storage cupboards for about a year after moving into my home. But in vain.

Painfully, I accepted that I lost those shoes.

6 years passed.

Last week, my mum was sorting out some of my old stuff because I am in India and she wants me to clear unwanted things.

I am at my in-laws’ currently so she sent me a picture of these shoes to ask if I still needed them!!!

I can’t wait to go back to my mum’s next week and try them on after all these years!!?!!

A half drunk coffee

Can you share a positive example of where you’ve felt loved?

I was at my in-laws’ with my younger daughter and my husband had stayed the night at his sister’s with my older daughter.

The next evening we were reuniting. As I drove into the parking space outside the house, we saw my husband at the gate with an eye on the road. We assumed that he must be waiting for our younger daughter. He went straight to her door to get her out of the car who was sitting next to my mother in law. My mother in law commented on how eagerly he was waiting for the daughter.

He replied to her which I didn’t hear as I had gotten out of the car. He said, he was actually waiting for me with a cup of my favourite coffee that he had half drunk.

Live!

What is your mission?

My mission is to Live. Just live. Live every moment. With myself, my family, my children, my love, my friends. Just live.

To live, I may do things. I will need to work to earn, I will need a career for my ambitions, I will dream to give my children the best possible opportunity. I will do chores to run my household. I’ll give myself and my family some comforts. I’ll do things to survive but I won’t define that as living.

Above all, and beneath all, my mission is to Live. Live without regrets, live without hatred, live without jealousy. Live in full spirits. Live passionately. Live like a flowing river.

Just live!