Twenty- five Seven

Upside and Downside: The Year that was

January 7, 2020
It’s the first Monday of 2020 and I wonder what it will bring for Mumbai On A High. I also wonder what it will bring for me. And as the world burns around us, I wonder what it will bring to the world.

2019 has been a mixed bag Life is a series of ups and downs isn’t it? Each one of us has happy days, sad days, disappointing days and delightful days. But most importantly, each day with its new set of experiences marks another notch in our learning journey.

I have found that the WOTY invariably sets the tone for the year. It may be serendipitious or subliminal messaging but it happens for sure. My WOTY for 2019 was REFRESH. I must say that to a large extent, my life was refreshed, though unwittingly.

The Downside

It was a fall from a ladder in the last days of September that actually forced me to ‘refresh’ my life.

As you can imagine this is not what I had in mind when I wanted to ‘refresh’ my life.

Daily routine

My regular early morning wake up routine was now dependent on Sushama whom I had employed to give me a bath. She is a masseuse with a clientele of highly temperamental women. Since she very kindly squeezed me into her packed schedule . Hence bath time varied every day and, horror of horrors, once or twice I had to even go without a bath!

Wardrobe refresh

With a broken arm, I had to refresh my wardrobe. This was quite a challenge as no one seems to cater to the wardrobe requirements of oversized women recovering from surgery.

I also had to plan my clothes according to my ‘schedule’. For instance, if I was going to visit the doctor, I had to wear a loose, baggy T rather than my tie-up nightdress which had replaced my regular clothes! This restrictive wardrobe also restricted my going out.

A new look me

I couldn’t comb my flyaway hair nor keep it off my face so I went for a short bob. Unfortunately, this made me look like a cross between the unflattering version of Mrs. Munion, the housekeeper in ‘Yours, Mine and Ours’. and our ex-President Dr. Abdul Kalam. The fact that I couldn’t put on lipstick, perfume and eyeliner didn’t help my look nor my spirits.

Oh No! No holidays

The worst disappointments of the year were my cancelled trips overseas and in India. I was planning to meet my friends in Europe and accompany Ms. Papaya and her mom to Pench. Unfortunately, my friends and the tigers will also have to wait till my arm is strong enough to lug bags and withstand bumpy safari rides.

The Upside

But 2019 had its upsides too.

Celebrations

The year began with our college reunion where it was fun to meet alumni and teachers spread over four decades. How different we all were from those carefree college days. Grey hair was a given. Some of us had achieved our dreams, some hadn’t but all of us had an air of contentment.

Throughout the year there were impromptu meetings with friends and family, planned dinners and lunches and birthday celebrations of the members of my four-generation family.

Circle of Life

With the Little Ones going to big school, life completed a full circle as I reconnected with mums I used to meet at the pick-up time of our children. Now as 60-year-olds we looked more relaxed and happy than we did in the old days.

Every cloud does have a silver lining.

My broken arm was a life-defining moment.
- Delegate, train and supervise
For one, I learned to let go and delegate. It came as a shock to me when I realised that I don’t always have to do everything myself. Proper instructions and supervision is key to getting things done exactly the way you want.
- More time to explore and learn
With more work done by others, I had more time to think and more time to do new tasks. I was forced to use my left hand more.

I discovered how to write and type with my left hand.

I explored my computer and iPhone and discovered the joy of dictating to my iPhone. This made emails and WhatsApps a breeze!
- Catching up with reading
Being housebound, I caught up with my reading and actually fulfilled my Goodreads Reading Challenge 2019.

Since I actually read more, I participated in the #DecemberBookLove, an Instagram challenge sponsored by Shalz and Soumya.

This challenge forced me to explore Canva and discover other bloggers and the books they read.

Gratitude for 2019

As the new year begins I can only express gratitude for the good things that happened in 2019. Because there were many good things that happened despite the not so good ones.

I am actually grateful for my fall because it gave me a fresh perspective of life.

Thanks to my daughters Anna Shetty and Daughter No1. who helped me with my surgery and post-recovery.

I am lucky to have Dr. D around to help me with my fracture and surgery.

And of course I am grateful to all my family and friends ( both real and virtual) who cheered me up with visits, calls, and messages during my lying-in-bed days.

So with my ordeal slowly coming to an end, I can only say that I am glad 2019 is over

Welcome 2020

20/20 vision indicates the sharpness or clarity of vision at a distance. Distancing oneself can give you a better perspective as you are on the outside looking in.

There! I’ve got my #WordForTheYear 2020 – It’s DETACH.

Before I sign off, I’d like to ask you if you are one of those readers who have been lurking around my blog. Please, do me a favour and leave a comment so that I know who you are. This is part of #International De-Lurking Week hosted by Parul.

Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you soon.

Ciao

Linking up with VidyaSury’s #Gratitude Circle and Corinne’s #MondayMusings
‘Tis the Season #ThursdayTreeLove

January 3, 2020

This was supposed to go up on the earlier edition of #ThursdayTreeLove for ’tis the season when decorated Christmas trees are found almost all over the world.

While real trees are dressed up, in my part of the world, most of the Christmas trees are from China. But unlike the fake trees we got in our time, these look somewhat passable. The Christmas trees I remember growing up with, did little to disguise the fact that they were bottle brushes painted green.

However, thanks to the Chinese the trees look slightly better. And while we try to avoid the fake snow, we cannot help but indulge the Little Ones with ornaments like sparkly reindeer and pine cones.

This year, the Little Ones added their own homemade danglers: a snowman and two pups from their favourite show – Paw Patrol.

But not all fake trees are evergreen. This tree, for instance, is ingeniously making use of the wooden hangers used in this men’s clothing store around the corner.

And in keeping with the spirit of good cheer, I am sharing this cartoon that should bring a smile to your face.

Sharing this with other tree lovers on Parul’s #ThursdayTreeLove-78.

Have a great weekend all!

Ciao,
Breaking Bread #ThursdayTreeLove

November 28, 2019

Today the US celebrates Thanksgiving. Today is also the day when Vidya Sury opens up her #Gratitude Circle.

So perhaps it is a good idea to share a photo of the Breadfruit Tree. I found this tree growing in the compound across my house.

I first heard about the Breadfruit tree when we learned about the Pacific Islands in class 6. Of course, I didn’t imagine it to be a tree with loaves of bread dangling from it! Nor did I expect its fruit to be like baby jackfruit without the spiny cover.

For more on this unusual tree check out here

Breaking Bread

Breaking bread means having a meal together. This month I’ve hardly had a chance to break any bread because of my injured arm. But I did have a chance to break bread with my friend visiting from the US. Thanks dear friend for squeezing me in your rushed visit.

I have been breaking bread with all kinds of people – and at all kinds of meals. Our home was always open and we’ve had strangers (to us – not my parents!) joining us for a cup of tea at 6 am to a mid-night visitor whose flight was canceled!

If ever I feel resentful at this intrusion, I remind myself of my granny’s wise saying:

People only visit homes where they know they are welcome.

I’m grateful that people feel comfortable enough to drop in unannounced

Company while recuperating

Recuperating can be quite boring and tedious. Especially when the treatment involved is just waiting for the healing to happen. I am grateful for my friends both real and virtual. Your visits, calls and healing messages have helped keep my spirits up. I’m afraid I cannot thank each of you individually because single-handed typing is a real PIA. But you know who you are so a big thank you.

I am grateful that my Octogenarian parents could visit me one weekend and see for themselves how I am getting along. Being their firstborn, they have always put me on a pedestal and I’m really grateful to have them around.

My parents don’t visit often. This visit both my girls took extra care to entertain them and make this trip really special for them. I’m really grateful that these busy women still find and make time for family.

Thank God 6 weeks are over

I can hardly believe it’s almost 6 weeks since my surgery.

In this while, my stitches are slowly healing. I’ve been doing some passive exercises to keep the muscles from stiffening up. I am grateful that I don’t have a job and I can recuperate without worrying about a boss, loss of wages and all the things that can come in the way of recovery.

Lastly, I’m grateful that I have help to get through the day without much trouble.

I’m hoping that with December, the rehab will pick up speed so that I can get back to my regular life.

Sharing this with Parul on #ThursdayTreeLove-76 and Vidya Sury’s #GratitudeCircle.

Ciao,