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!