Just Another Day....

We have spread our mats out for another early morning yoga session. As we begin to warm up, my friend says, her mind can’t stop thinking about all the things she has to do for the day! I am amazed. It is so very early in the morning. I cannot even think, forget thinking about the things for the day! But then, I am not a thinker. ‘Just do it’ has been my motto for as long as I can remember. Other than the day to day routine things, I cannot 'just do' other things unless I have them on a list. In fact, I have learnt that my lists are like Hanuman’s tail and so I have started making them in a notebook. Now when I flip through the book, I have a smile all the time – for looking back and noticing the check marks besides the tasks completed, my chest widens like that of Hanuman’s again, feeling proud of my small little accomplishments! Not that I don’t think what I do is not important, but I think I rather dream, lose myself looking at the world around me than worry about the tasks that need to be done for the day! Even as I mention that to my friend, my eyes are already focused on the window outside. It is raining incessantly, and I love it – is it me or is there joy even in those dull drab leaf less trees? Why do I feel like the trees are soaking up the rain and telling me that we are preparing to shine, soon?

Talking of trees without leaves, as I drive home, I realize that I have all those leaves to rake still. It has been a late fall and it is almost the start of New Years and I am still talking of raking leaves. I take my rake out, get to work. I cannot help but smell the wood burning from someone’s chimney. That is the beauty and joy of this season you know! Imagining families around fire places, baking cookies or watching movies in front of the fire place! It is winter break after all! After two hours I am done with only one quarter of the yard. DH of course feels why bother with raking even as he comes out to the garage to offer help, DS peeping through the window knows it is soon enough time for him to come and help while DD brings me a hot mug of chocolate milk. Just for a minute as we all get together in the garage, we realize our dog has gone missing! Of course, he wants to be by me; playing in the yard as I work but then with those scents; bunnies, other dogs, squirrels and god knows what else – he is like “I love you “staring at my face one-minute sitting down like the best puppy in the world and the next “hey squirrel, chase!”. So, don’t blame me if he has run away. I have been busy too, between the raking and Kamal Jabbar telling me the story of John Wooden in my ears. Anyways, being the mom, I know the trick.

I step out again into the yard and go “Toby! Boost!” In no time, we hear the jingling sound of his tags as he dashes through the yards reminding me of, ‘dashing through the snow’ and is in front of us in less than a second, wagging his tail, with those soulful eyes like nothing has happened and pretending like he was always there. Almost all my friends find it funny that I use “Toby boost!” to get him to come home again and again. Yes, I am talking of the same boost, the kid one from India, “Boost is the secret of my energy” one! Now now, don’t assume he gets a glassful like kids do, he is a puppy! All he needs is just a spoonful; the habit that started with the left-over boost from the kids’ cups to his bowl! While the kids are fast outgrowing boosts of the world, I am glad to see my Toby loving it still! But then again, I wonder when sometimes we leave him in the yard, forget all about it till he comes to the door and scratches on it asking us to let him back in, goes to the bowl looking for boost, not finding it, I am sure in his mind, he is going all the time “This crazy family of mine!” If I could, I would assure him that he has it right.

As I go back to the mat with my friend for another practice the next day, she says she has been up since 4.30 and as an explanation to my raised eyebrows tells me that for the first time ever, she slept without doing dishes the previous night and had to finish them before our practice. I smile, making a joke that at least she could sleep the night, then draw her attention back to the mat with a “Close your eyes, rooting your feet ……”, as I try to look at the morning sky through the window while she tries her best not to think about the day ahead.

PS: I know there is nothing substantial, but even if it is 'just another day', sometimes simply can't resist sharing. Thank you for reading this. !

 

Dear Gauri,

So happy that you are enjoying your break. Impromptu trips are always fun, while walking the trails with family is beyond....we do all of these things, thanks to DH. Left to me, happy in the house with a cup of coffee and book or some art work!

Make them happen, you know you can! Enjoy the break and have a wonderful start to the New Year!

 

Thank you my dear friend, Satchi.....I don't why I like raking leaves so much - perhaps the cooler weather, the beauty of everything on the ground, reminding me of how beautiful it was all up there and the anticipation of spring perhaps! Yes, I skipped winter totally, I know

 

Thank you @Thyagarajan sir, for your warm words.

Happy New Year to you and your loved ones!

 

Dear Syamala,

You made me smile! You are right, once school starts it is all running around and grading and planning! Breaks remind us to slow down!

But my friend, my dishes are never done the previous night, it is always the next day morning! So my friend about her

sink, makes me wonder about my sink but both of us know it is who we are!! She has accepted that I can leave the sink as is and do yoga while she has to clean the sink and do yoga, the yin and yang you know