Finest Post Nominations - June 2022

Thank you Thyagu for bringing this lovely vignette on the innocence of childhood to FP. Response by @Thoughtful in
Platitudes On Indian Parenting

@Thoughtful says:
"My experience was so surreal, I might as well have walked into an RKNarayanan novel."

On reading the description of the playground and the children, I walked into many of my childhood park and playground memories. The kho-kho poles, the tennikoit net, tokkudu billa (hop-scotch), throwball, the swings and jungle-gym and cobbling together our own rules for the waiting line.

 

So nice to see nominations from you, Nandini.

When a post gets nominated, I am always reminded of shopping for churidar sets material. Seeing all those choices folded in the shelves, none stood out rightaway. But when we chose some to buy and took them home, and opened them to soak in water before giving to tailor, we were impressed anew by the choices. : )

What Makes You Truly Happy About? by @SGBV

SGBV wrote: That's when I realized the true meaning of happiness. Happiness comes from within & not from the external factors.

I cannot agree more. Even when external factors seem to influence our happiness, it is our internal reaction to them that makes us happier. It is indeed the little things that bring us deeper satisfaction though they may not be what we'd share in social media.

Philosophy by @anika987

As a casual observer and ardent reader of Anika's threads, I couldn't help but notice that most deep posts come on Sunday afternoons. This coming on a Saturday had me mildly curious. Perhaps it's due to the upcoming trip to des. : )

Quoting a few lines of hard facts and keep-life-simple advice from the post:

Happiness has become a competition..
Suffering has become a competition..
...
Celebrate your life! Most importantly..Celebrate yourself! You are deserving and just beautiful the way you are.Love and self care is very important.You are unique and there is nobody in this world who is like you.​

Life is how we make it! Be honest to yourself and life for yourself. Life is too short to live according to the society perceptions. Be you.​

 

Thank you Viji for seconding this nomination.
What Makes You Truly Happy About? by @SGBV
It's a question that bears visiting ever so often so we remind ourselves to make the time for these little things that bring so much happiness.

Viji jaan, the way you find posts to nominate always reminds me of a Hindi movie heroine in a garden, singing away as she casually picks the finest flowers and drops them in her basket, to take home later and offer to God. I prefer B&W for such songs, but an early color movie would also do. : )

Response by @nandinimithun in
What Makes You Truly Happy About?

There is indeed something indescribably charming about a group of young children doing yoga asanas. I find myself a bit envying their supple bodies while enjoying their pure joy and the bliss of childhood. My yoga teacher must wonder why I only click Like on videos that have children. : )

I am finding that many of the posts by Nandini make me happy. : ) Either I nod my head in agreement at the content of the post or make a mental note to seek, find and observe that in the future.

Aah Viji, I've already said you have such an eye for fine posts but have to say it again! You do!

Once Upon A Time! by @Mistt
I read the lovely poem on Friday itself but was saving a response for when I had more me-time, like a child saves a chocolate to have later or postpones reading a comic book to a quieter time.

Mistt has superbly captured the innocence, joy, bliss and simple times of childhood in her poem. It took me back to the favorite spots of my childhood school, parks, neighborhood, bangle-store, kirana shop, and a library where we could go read books.

" I played just like a baby deer. "
Indeed we did.

 

Viji sweetheart, dealing with the parents of our kid's classmates and friends is often tough. Thank you for bringing to FP one such situation faced by a mom.
Am I Being Used? by @paru123

The parents of our kids' classmates or friends can be like a necessary nuisance. We have to maintain some relationship with them whether we like them or not. They can be a source of support and help in emergency but tolerating them at other times can be tricky. Paru's post describes this problem very well and the responses there should help any mothers who finds themselves in the same predicament.

 

Parenting can be physically taxing when the kids are younger and more mentally taxing as they grow older. As I monitor Whatsapp and Google location sharing for updates on my older kids, I give the Naturtint hair coloring company lots of business. But nothing compares to the brutal years of parenting kids under KG age.

@NOW 's response in 3 Yr Old - Not Eating Or Always Crying
is filled with tips for harried mothers who need to provide nutritious healthy meals to picky children and get that food into them in a time crunch. How I used to wish for the family setting where the grandparents take care of feeding the kids by telling them stories or threatening to give the food to the crow or birds in the balcony. @NOW has given really useful suggestions, especially for families living outside India where mothers already have the challenge of learning about alien grocery items.

 

So agree with you on this, Laks. So much that I now sneak in "peace" into every card or wishes I write, be it b'day or any other milestone.

Peace Of Mind! by @nuss.
Life experience, needs versus wants, heart versus mind, financial advisor's opinion versus the satisfaction of paying off a debt... nuss has neatly woven these into a heartwarming snippet.

Congratulations, nuss. Heartiest congratulations.

We are simple, practical people, maybe even what some would call boring.
If that is called boring, here's to boring lives.

I was just reading that Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor called his wife Alia Bhatt the Daal Chawal of his life. Ranbir said: "I always said that we need tangdi kebab, and not dal chawal in life. But with experience, I can say that nothing better than dal chawal.”

OK I am going to start a thread on daal chawal recipes. : )