Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Full Circle

I read this book by Danielle Steele – Full Circle – if you haven’t read it – then, it is about a lady’s life and how it goes a full circle. I don’t remember the details now, but something that happened last weekend, made me feel like my life had gone a full circle too!

As a kid, growing up with my sister and parents… we would go out in the car on weekends. So my dad, sister and I would get ready and go to the car. We were between 5 and 8 years old. We would wait for my mom in the car and she would collect everything we needed for the day and lock the windows and doors and come out later than us. (And this happened almost every time we went out together J )

While we would wait in the car, my dad would start the engine and say “Oh ho… Amma is taking too much time I am going to leave now” and then rev up the engine like he was really going to leave! I remember so clearly how desperate my sister and I would get – sitting in the back seat. “nooo… don’t leave without her… she is coming! She is coming!!”. And my dad would continue to pull our legs – take the car forward a few feet and pretend like he wasn’t going to wait anymore!! Am sure he was smiling all along!!

Last weekend, we were going to the grocery store and only after my son was in his seat in the car I realized I had forgotten his water bottle at home. So I rushed back home to get it. What do I see when I come back..?

S is saying “Mama is not coming quickly – I am leaving!! “ And Y (my son) is saying “ Nooo Papa – wait for mama… she is coming”… and I can see the concern in his eyes and voice! He was so worried!! It felt like déjà vu! Only it was my son in my place and me in my mother’s and S in my dad’s!

I went into the car smiling to myself! It’s funny how the same jokes get repeated generation after generation!

Home Sweet Home

Writing a blog seems harder than I thought it might be. There are so many thousands (millions) of blogs written everyday – and most of them interesting – and about different topics! Why is it so hard for me to start writing!

I am not the quiet person who has nothing to say. Hand me a phone and I can talk for hours about everything – and everyone J but thinking of one topic to write about is just so hard!

Do I write about an incident? A movie?  Should I write my opinion on something – that would make me feel judgmental – and I am constantly trying not to be just that!!

So I think I should settle for narrating incidents – funny, silly, boring, exasperating, scary – u name it – I will try to find an incident to match the emotion!

Here’s the first one that comes to mind:

I live in the US now and hadn’t been back home (India) for more than two years. For me, that was the longest I had been away from home – parents, sister, grandparents, uncles, aunts, friends and my good old Bangalore. I missed India a lot! And everyone here in the US, who has been here for just two years can vouch for that! (After that US feels more like home J - and I think I am slowly getting there)

So, I got on a plane, the first of three, with my two year old. I was going to be traveling alone and that can be a challenge with a two year old! But mine was really excited to go on an “airplane”. We got through security check (where I managed to get my laptop back from someone who accidently picked up mine as his!!) and got onto the plane. The first leg was the shortest – 1.5 hours to Chicago. So, I think – that should go by quickly!! Half way through the first flight – I hear “All done airplane mama!! Let’s go out!!” Ha Ha Ha… wait till the next flight sonny – that’s 8 hours long J

I can go on like this – but long story short – I had a fun filled journey with my son, but it was stressful with all the luggage and walking and changing flights. So, when the flight landed in Chennai I was exhausted, just waiting to get out and go home. A bad mood had set in and the excitement of going back home had died down just a little bit!

But thank you Lufthansa for cheering me up! The best part of my journey on Lufthansa was yet to come! After traveling in a terrible seat (no seat could take all my luggage!), with terrible food (never take vegetarian!!) and having long airport layovers – we land – and the nice lady announces “ welcome to Chennai international airport – blah blah blah (in monotone) “ and then.. wait for it… “ and for some of you… Welcome Back Home” !!!! Yipeeeeeee I was HOME!!! It brought such a rush of emotions to my heart – I had to smile and wipe away some tears!! I was HOME! That was the best feeling EVER! All the energy that had drained out in the last 24 hours came back with just one magical line! Thank you lady for bringing on the big smile that I had lost during a terrible journey! It made me forget (atleast for a few minutes) all the fatigue from the journey and I couldn’t wait to get up and get going again – full of cheer! Journeys home are always worth it J

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