How I Found my Peace

Not by a change of circumstances but by a choice of perspectives!!

We went to stay with our children abroad – where despite a surfeit of all material goods to make life comfortable, the ubiquitous bai or the maid – an indispensable adjunct of the Indian life - is notably absent.

Opening up to a new Perspective

So in our one month of stay I worked at a frenetic pace to set right everything from the pest problem to the polish of the silver vase; from repairing the broken lights to cleaning every crevice and drawer in the kitchen; from turning the cupboards inside out to eviscerating the slightest hint of mustiness. Till the house shone bright and clear. 

Giving them mental and emotional support, getting their meals on time, dishing up a variety of Indian meals... boy was I proud of myself!

Instead of accolades and an award for my herculean efforts the children buried me under tons of brickbats. They wanted me to enjoy the time in this first world country. 'Don't squander your life between the kitchen and the washing machine dishing out caramel halwa and ironing the clothes,' they said.

Their exhortations however had no effect on me, smug as I was thinking I was the super heroine managing them and the household single-handedly. Then, three weeks after this roller coaster existence, it all fell in place one night. At 3 am – unable to sleep because of over exhaustion - I stepped out into the cool of the balcony and wondered - was I doing the right thing by trying to set it all right for them – the food, the clothes, the kitchen, the house? Why not let them find their own answers, solve their own problems in alien lands, and so let them soar higher than the limitations of my expectations? I should rather leave behind a legacy of a different kind – an exuberant positivism – which would equip them to handle life in whatever manner it is gifted to them. 

That was the first night I slept peacefully with no agenda of self imposed deadlines for the morrow.

I had found my peace! 

What I Look for while Buying a Work of Art

I relaxed and took stock of the situation. Amidst the hors d'oevres and the animated conversation, the oil painting’s four feet by seven feet canvas captivated me. It was the back of a portly middle aged woman in a vermillion sari with a green border, her hair neatly tied in a small bun, looking out of a window. Though I couldn’t see her face or the expression on her face, I was drawn to her thoughts. What could she be thinking in this sunset of her life – was she waiting for her spouse to return from work or was the husband resting after a hard day? Was she expecting her children to come home or was she hoping for unexpected guests who would give her great joy? Maybe it was my imagination only, and she wasn’t thinking of any of these things. She could be lost in the ocean of her memories – of how life had treated her or how she had treated the spikes and lows handed out to her...

The waiter thrust a tray of mushroom quiche towards me, startling me... and I realised I had found the answer to what to look for while buying a work of art. 
I would like to bring home a piece which I could look at day after day, which would fascinate me, draw out my latent sensibilities. Something like what literature does.