Little joys

At some point if you’d ask me my definition of ‘ideal’, I’d say it is the thought of having my parents, sister and Mint with me, together, in the same space! My ideal world came into existence about a month ago, when Mint moved in with me, into my parents’ home. This is, ofcourse, a temporary move. But to my delight, it meant having all my precious people under the same roof, even if it was only for a while.

Well, it wasn’t exactly easy. Mint didn’t move in alone. He moved in with 20 other cartons (some that contain his MBA books and binders), 2 big suitcases and a lot of other stuff that we really don’t know how to accommodate. The hall seems to have visible taints of brown, courtesy the number of boxes and cartons that are lying around. A part of the dining table is being used as storage for more boxes. The side tables next to the bed are barely visible because of the number of things dumped on them. A towering heap of folded clothes rests on top of the printer. In short, it is plain crazy.

But, the joy of living together makes everything worth it. I know Mint and I will be moving out sometime soon, and that knowledge makes me cherish these moments even more. Each time  I realise we are all home for the day, each time we have our evening chai, each time we watch TV as a family after dinner, each time the sister, Mint and I engage in some ridiculous conversation, each time my parents pamper us, each time we go for walks, each time we have a spontaneous outing, I feel thankful. I feel thankful for all the joyous little moments I get to experience.

I must admit, it has been all joy and no work so far, because my parents run the home. The sister, Mint and I are simply treated as spoilt kids. We have no real responsibility. Mint is officially on vacation, though he does chip in now and then. The sister had exams so far, so she excluded herself. And me, well, I go to work during the day and that justifies not lifting a finger once I am back home in the evening.

Things are going to be slightly different now. My mum is off tomorrow to Dehradun. She will be traveling for 8 days. The sister’s exams just got over and she ran away to Goa. She will be gone for 8 days too. My dad was traveling on work to Bangalore. He got back today, but he will probably be traveling in this week too.

That leaves just Mint and I, to run the home for now. For me, this is the first time I will be managing work and home, both. Mint, ofcourse, is expected to take the larger part of the share, since he is at home.

Basic tasks like folding the sheets once we wake up, buying veggies, planning the menu, cooking meals, cleaning the kitchen after meals, scrubbing the counters at night, washing and folding clothes, packing my lunch box in the mornings, supervising the maids, and other chores seem alien to us now. I am sure this coming week is going to be a fun ride for us.  After all, we have to start living on our own soon. I see this as a rehearsal session. Let us see how we fare.

Yet another year passed by..really, how?

It has been a few days since I have been trying to compose a post. Actually, more than a few days. I remember trying to write since a few weeks. It is not that I didn’t have time. I did. Sleep took precedence on most days. At times, I would open this page, type two lines and then let out a small yawn, push the laptop aside and decide to write later. I never got around to doing it. I continue to wish I had the freedom to blog from my work place. *Note to self* – Make sure your next work place allows you to blog during work hours. I know, I have strange criteria.

One of the problems was that I had too much to say. Too many things to write about. It made me feel all muddled. So I refrained from writing. I hope I am able to fix this by writing everyday and letting out my thoughts in spurts, instead of creating a chaotic jam in my head . I think the longer you stay away from the blogworld, the harder it is to come back.

I celebrated my birthday last week. My birthday is that one event that gets me really excited. I look forward to it all year, think of ways to celebrate months in advance and generally spend the last few days counting down to the day. Last year, Mint was not around for my birthday, since it was just the beginning of his MBA. This year, I was doubly excited, to be spending my birthday with my family and Mint, both! That too, in my beloved city, Bombay!

As luck would have it, we realised that Mint had to travel to Bangalore on my birthday. He could cancel it, but the travel was to our benefit. Despite the benefits, Mint was all prepared to cancel the travel. So I had to actually smile and tell him I was fine, and that it was okay and that he must go and generally be all graceful and grown up. Sigh, the things that are expected of you as you grow.

Thankfully, he would be back in time for dinner. Since my birthday was on a Saturday, I was fortunate enough to not be at work. I woke up leisurely, went for lunch at a huge family gathering, cut my birthday cake at home with my parents in the evening and headed out to dinner with friends. We went to Salt Water Cafe in Bandra. If you live in Bombay and haven’t been there, I highly recommend it.

Mint got there from the airport directly. Most of my close friends, including the sister were there. The 8 of us had a good time, though the amount we paid burned a humongous hole in our pocket. Anyway, since we really did enjoy the dinner and the drinks, I am not complaining too much.

I turned 27 and I am still very clueless about life. Having kids, buying a home, clearing our EMI’s, saving money, I wonder what else is expected of us as we grow. This adult world is not very nice. Until I am mentally ready to cope with it, I will continue to snuggle in my warm bed and tell myself it is okay to grow up another day.