Monday again! How regularly they turn up! Oh well…it has been a quiet weekend and although Hubby returned from a week-long absence and entertained Junior for a couple of hours…well that’s just it…it’s a couple of hours out of the 24 and not nearly enough…but hey! I’ll take what I can get. I’m a little out of sorts…can you tell? It’s how I typically react when Hubby gets back from being away…there’s the return to a more intensive routine that bugs me for a while versus the joy of having him home. It takes a few days to get things in balance again. The achievement of that equilibrium is however a delicate process – easily derailed – often by silliness and randomness 😛 You know what I mean…having to make a cup of tea when I’m deeply engrossed in a book…that sort of thing 😉 Also, is it just me or does just the one extra person mean so much extra work and planning?!
Oh I know I’m cribbing…who cares! It’s Monday and I’m entitled…especially because I’ve just received a phone call from my maid’s Mom saying she isn’t well and won’t be coming to work today…so as soon as I get breakfast for said, now unsurprisingly, even more irritating Hubby, (this is a very Asian thing me thinks; this getting all het up with the Hubby when the maid disappears!), it’s off to do a sink full of dirty dishes and other ‘housework’, when I’d rather be writing! See what I mean! Well, at least she called which is more than some others do!
But there is one thing I did this morning that might just be my ‘Happy Fix’ for the day…took a picture of the beautiful, luminous moon at 6 am as soon as I got up 🙂 Just writing about it brightens my mood! So I guess it’s true about the Deadly Donkey then…
Well now! Isn’t that a deep rhyme to be living by! Sounds a lot like my Granny actually 😛 Thank you Mr. Monkton for your deep insights!
So today…I choose the Moon in all her wonderful lunacy!
Woohoo!!!!!!!! Survived another play date, with a trio of hyper-excitable, hyper-energetic, just about hyper-everything 4-yr-old boys 🙂 I mean, I love my child dearly, but why do the things that make him happy, have to be so exhausting for me?! This is when I’m convinced that if there is indeed a God, he is definitely a MAN 😛 😉 No offence to all you dedicated Papas out there (Hubby included), I know you exist, but well…Majority wins 😉
And yet, what is it about watching them play that brightens our days so and lightens our hearts? What is it about the mad, seemingly chaotic running around that makes our hearts flip-flop madly in our chests and turn us into grinning idiots? Is it the instant flood of memories that rush us back to a time when we revelled in the gay abandon of rough and tumble play? Is it our craving for their obvious innocence as they caper about like monkeys, laughing & screaming for no reason, falling, fighting, and making up all in the space of seconds? Is that why we laugh while our hearts cry for our own lost youth?
Or perhaps it’s just their sparkling eyes, red sweaty cheeks & hoots of echoing laughter as they kick the ball high into the air, or run around like headless chickens looking for a place to hide in a madcap game of hide and seek, destined to fail because they will not stop giggling!! Boys giggle just as much if not more than girls, people! Especially 4-yr-olds! Whatever our reasons, however hoarse we get from the constant cautionary shots of ‘LOOK OUT!!!’, “Get OUT of the car’s way!!!!”, “NO GOING OUT THE GATE!!!!!!!!”, as much as we pretend constant worry at their hurting themselves – deep down inside, in our very cores, it is…what’s the word…Restful. Yes it is! Oh so Restful…and for those all too brief moments, All is Well with the World!!
Cheers to children everywhere & how about indulging that inner child this weekend?
Go on – do something silly and laugh!! You know you want to 😉
Here’s the thing…Maura, my friend of the sharp wit and ‘pregnatress’ (Yoohoo! I’ve saved a word and used it too! Here’s how.), of her excellent blog 36 x 37, has tagged me in an online version of the ancient game of Tag. Yes, they have online versions of everything now, and so I have 8 questions to answer and 8 people to tag in turn. Thanks Maura 🙂 I am honored, happy and saved, ‘coz I was down with a bit of writer’s block after an exhausting festival season, or maybe it’s just the dullness of routine. Shouldn’t last long…my boy restarts play-school on Monday and then Life will be anything but dull…loud and teary is more like it!
This Tag business got me thinking about being IT. As a kid, I was not very sporty but I did play my fair share of Tag and Hide and Seek. I hated being IT. I have no clear recollection as to why, but probably ‘coz it meant being alone while everyone else was together, or maybe even then I was a hider not a seeker. Certainly as an adult I crave solitude like some people crave chocolate. I also crave gin & tonic…but that’s another post 😉 Back to being IT…I still haven’t got over that ‘Itsy’ feeling from my childhood. Some days it sweeps over me like a raging storm and I despair of being alone (figuratively speaking of course! Alone-ness is not a luxury I have in real life…sigh.) & ever making it through, while on others, it’s a flowing stream that’s gently refreshing, and I bask in its quietness, renewing my spirit. Those are the days when Ishaan is being an angel 🙂
Ever since the day Ishaan entered my life, I’ve been IT. No sick days, no holidays, no i’ll-just-be-in-my-room-reading days, no ‘Do Not Disturb’ days, just continuous, ‘Mommie’ days…where I’m IT, the ‘One’! I’m not complaining, just stating facts! Yes, I have help and an incredible support system and access to resources that many don’t, but that doesn’t alter the fact that the ball ends with me…I’m IT and always will be! And while that brings me boundless joy, it is the scariest feeling, ‘coz who shall I tag! Not a soul, that’s who! While I love the feeling of being the ‘One’ he turns to in sickness and health, in happiness and tears, along with it comes the immense responsibility of raising him right, keeping him safe and making him happy. And so that brings me to the first question…superpowers, ‘coz lord knows ‘parenting’ is hard enough even with all those I already have 😉
1. If you could have any superpower, which one would you have and why?
I have to say this, ‘coz it’s the first thing I thought…just one? No fair! It’s a tough call though…I think I’ll settle for being able to read minds or mind actually…Ishaan’s. So I know what devilry he’s planning when he’s giving me that ‘look’, deceptively innocent yet potent enough to floor every damsel from here to eternity (I jest, I jest, I’m a Mom!). Also, I’m thinking this power will prove invaluable when he’s a teen and not saying anything much at all! Although the thought of reading minds in general is rather interesting, I don’t really want to be Mel Gibson in What Women Want! Don’t think I could handle that kind of chaos!
2. Who is your style icon?
At the moment, my style consists of throwing on anything that is comfy, loose and preferably stretchable 😉 I like old-world style, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelley, Julie Andrews, Jackie Onassis and Audrey Hepburn…my favorite. Simple, elegant, classic!
3. What is your favorite quote?
There are many…but all time favorites are “Happiness is a Journey…not a Destination” – Souza. And the poem Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou. And then there are the funny ones like, “Wherever there is a will, I want to be in it!” and because I’m immersed in the world of Tolkien at the moment and am living most of my days happily in Middle-earth, I want to include this one, “All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost.”
4. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received?
I’ve received my fair share over the years…but those that compliment my son & my writing, in that order, are closest to my heart 🙂
5. What playlist/cd is in your CD player/iPod right now?
A mix of Bollywood, Celine Dion, The Beatles, The Beegees, Mariah Carey, Queen, Tina Turner, Michael Buble and music that my brother played on his keyboard. I like music to be musical…no Hard Rock & Heavy Metal, although Bon Jovi is a well-loved companion 🙂 This is Queen…singing one of my favorites 🙂
6. Are you a night owl or a morning person?
An owl I am, An owl I’ll stay,
Always, forever, in every way.
My wisdom belies my tender years,
Silently I hunt my fears!
I thought that up all by myself! Sorry, couldn’t resist 😛
7. Do you prefer dogs or cats?
Dogs, Dogs, Dogs….except for this fella…
8. What is the meaning behind your blog name?
Well rather self-explanatory really…H is for Happiness. My name Harsha, means Happiness and so H is for Harsha and H is for Happiness J I started this blog to get back to writing, a hobby that fell by the wayside while studying medicine and other stuff. I’m happy to say, it has done that and so much more…I’ve found like-minded friends, fantastic writers and a constant stream of Happiness to keep me going. I’m enjoying the journey and hope it’ll be a long one 🙂
So, here’s to you Maura, for tagging me, getting me out of my rut and introducing me to some very fine blogs like Herding Cats in Hammond River, which I must confess confused me initially because I actually thought it had to do with herding cats! Blame it on my rut or on my mind-numbing Aragorn obsession…I’m not usually this stupid! I must confess, rather shamefacedly that I don’t have 8 people to tag, but I’m working on that. So I’m tagging a dear friend, someone I know will enjoy this exercise and have witty answers, Aarti @ Indigo Violet’s Blog
As for the rest, anyone who comes by, consider yourself Tagged!
H is for Happiness 