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.
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.
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| Opening up to a new Perspective |
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!
