“Aye jaate hue lamhon, zara tehro zara tehro…”
I just can’t seem to find the words these days. Plenty of things have been happening (mostly good) but, overall, it’s been pretty intense for me. I have not been in much of a sharing place (even with you).
We celebrated little N’s and my birthdays in August. Most importantly, little N showed up at the Motor Vehicle Commission at 9 am the morning after her birthday, parallel parked in style, and got her license on her first try. I will tell you this, there is nothing quite like standing in your driveway, and watching your excited teen with her newly minted driver’s license driving away from you and turning that street corner alone in your car. No, I didn’t run behind the car (although I did consider it). Reminded me of little N’s first day in Kindergarten when I followed the yellow school bus all the way to school just to watch little N get off the bus safely. Well. This time I just sent a silent prayer up to the Gods, and busied myself with loading and unloading the dishwasher until I heard little N’s steps in the garage.
Little N is a senior in high school this year. And college application season is upon us. Makes for some very busy times (for little N) and lots of rumination on my part. I mean, I was reading in bed the other night when little N came in to brush her teeth in our master bathroom. Watching her, I found myself thinking “Man, it seems like just the other day that I was teaching this child how to hold her toothbrush. How did time go by so fast?”. It’s tough, when this is the kind of thinking that goes on in your head.
Little A is in 8th grade this year. While that blows my mind as well – that little A will be in high school next year – I think, right now, having a high school senior takes up so much of my (tiny) mental bandwidth. Little A is up at 5:30 am with me on most days. Finishing up homework and starting on her breakfast as I bustle around our kitchen making tea and packing lunches. I find little A’s middle school tales both comforting and delightful – stories of simpler times that I now know to pay attention to and enjoy.
In the interest of making things easier (for myself, who else?), decided to ask if cook, R, can possibly come over to help me out twice a week (instead of once, as she’s been doing). Somehow the planets were aligned when I asked her, and she responded with a resounding “yes”. Absolutely love this delegating! With our (well, N’s) work life getting super busier by the day, it is a blessing to be able to access such good quality help on a regular basis.
I am totally in love with my W. He is such a gentle presence by my side on days (well, let’s be honest – on some days) that I work from home. I love my morning walks with him after N and the girls head out to start their days. He meanders around our neighborhood looking gorgeous (if I say so myself), sniffing at fire hydrants (“community bulletin boards for dogs”, I read somewhere), chasing joggers and bikers, doing a merry dance with other neighborhood pooches out on walks, and looking back every few steps in a most endearing way to check if I am still there on the other end of the leash.
Navarathri Golu season is almost upon us. It is on my to do list for this week to watch a few youtube videos and really ace that saree-tying thing. Have become far too old at this point for it to be cute that I am still not comfortable tying a saree.
Che, as I write this post, I notice myself looking at the word count at the bottom of the page. And thinking random things like “Ooh, 669 words. More than enough for a college essay.”
Seriously.
In the name of sanity, Got. To. Detach. 🙂
