Stuck in Traffic

Beautiful evenings these days. In a hurry to reach destinations (though I don't know why I hurry) there have been one too many opportunities lost where I could have rolled down the window, slowed down and enjoyed the ambiance.

This weekend I got a chance to do just that - am happy the choice wasn't mine to make. Was a beautiful evening with a serene sunset.. one of those sedately darkening nights. And earlier on winding country roads. Had the windows rolled down, with me in the backseat sleeping on and off for most part of the day. Was heavenly!

Slowing down and enjoying the moment -that seems to be the path to bliss..

Remember when....

The dark hours of the day. The kids all settled in & sleeping.. or so they were supposed to be. The wooden gate would open and in would walk a gaggle of friends out to collect their Aunt, on the way of their ritual walk. The two little tots couldn't contain their curiosity and followed them where they led. On the road they romped along on all day but looked not the least bit familiar at this mysterious hour. Careful to keep their distance lest they be discovered.

The words among the friends were flowing - whispered, sounding like a wash of sound rather than anything meaningful. They reached the open fields. And the last remnants of light the lonely streetlamp was shedding vanished. The kids could see nothing beyond. And their Aunt had disappeared into the darkness, engulfed by the unknown. Their tiny hearts beat hard pondering the dark void in front of them. They wanted to be brave, but the sound of the night creatures drove their thoughts and steps around. Running for their lives back to the known comfort of the cool white sheets under the starlit skies. The sheets that would protect them against the spirits of the night until their eyes shuttered and they slipped into blissful sleep.

The unsolved mysteries.

The Best Wheels

Changing seasons. The wait for sunny weather. The cursing of cold days and nights; especially when you happen to leave that jacket behind at home. The joy in gliding down bare white slopes. The Earth pining for those long awaited showers; the heart for the splendor of the skies - lightning and thunder. The anticipation of new blooms. Love everything about changing seasons that finally lead to a Summer!

A bright afternoon. Shiny new wheels. The rush of leaves as the wind blows though your hair and into the trees. The crunch of gravel under the slender tires. California summers! Especially while on a bicycle in the woods, with a blanket in tow for that nap under a tree.

Used to take sunny weather for granted. But now that I've been away from India, I yearn for and am grateful when sunny days happen and I have the chance to be out on such days. And only a fellow Indian would probably understand why a "changing" goes in front of seasons when it is so obvious. Nice to have a bike again!!

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PS: Thanks Madhav, Anshu for making it happen :)

Words

Love how words work together. Love how writers get creative with their choice of words - a string of random words does not a book make, but the right combination makes a story worth reading. How they can riddle you up with laughter making people around you wonder whats wrong with you or how they make you clear off that tear trickling down your cheek before anyone notices. How one word makes up for all the hurt. And another fills you up with joy. How put to music you can hear them over and over again. They have the capacity to mean everything and sometimes nothing. And how you feel miffed and confused when you don't find the right word. Phrases you remember forever and end up making yours. How what you read and write and say eventually speak for what you are.

Was a time when I couldn't turn a book down before I was done reading it. Now the book from the library languishes on the bed till I'm beyond the allowed renewals and at a stage of trying to avoid fines. I hate that I'm addicted to the online games and plead sore eyes when friends suggest online books. I hate how I rant but don't do anything about it! But I have hope. And that is my favorite word these days.

Words are powerful.

Girl Time

A very good weekend. With just the girl friends and fun. And realized how much I enjoy "girl time". I've been into girlish stuff recently - pruning the hair fashionably; experimenting with clothes; painting nails; pumping up the heels.. you get the picture. And loving it. This just might be one of those phases.. till I start believing again that its all superficial and over-rated. But I intend to enjoy the time till it lasts. Oh and scarves! love them.