SIMPLE SIMON

Whew!!!

Finally back from the much needed vacation, or break if you will,....but wait a minute, did it feel like a break, I mean "The all rest and no work" kind of a break. Well, if there is one thing I did during my so called break, it is changing diapers, washed clothes, was constantly worried anbout whether my baby would be warm or cold which drove me into a manic, incessently removing and putting clothes, sweaters, socks, scarves, caps, on the lil one, and ya not to forget, constantly checking for my baby's poop....in between all this activity, i managed to breathe fresh air, stop and stare at the beautiful nilgiris, appreciate the green tea gardens and have some outdoor fun at Safari rides....

Well, it is funny how the idea of a vacation has changed over the years.....way back when we were kids, a vacation meant going to big cities from the lil towns we lived in and visiting monuments,famous buildings, museums,parks and all the known places...Today going on a vacation translates into hiring a small cottage in a hamlet hill station and enjoying the joys of a simple life amongst nature where no one would be able to reach you, esp colleagues... the urge to enjoy something simple that is so different from our fast paced lives in cities like Mumbai is high on the agenda of a vacation...

Sure I enjoy our weekly visits to the multiplex, grocery shopping in an air conditioned Mall scores above sweating it out at the local vegetable vendor, monthly indulgence to a posh swanky restaurant peps me up, and I love the rare visits to a downtown pub where i can be on my own....so just wanted to spare a thought , can I live without these "Big City things" in a small hill station hamlet with lot of greenery ...and then it hit me, I only enjoy these things coz these are the only vent outs for recreation i have, for example, living in a small town woul have me doing other things which I probably cannot do in Mumbai, for example, i would be cycling among the tea gardens and breathe fresh air, my grocer would be probably a furlong away and i could just walk down for my grocery, life without much Chaos would probably entice me into cooking elaborate meals...can have space for a garden and indulge in rearing flowers, go hiking whenever I feel like, entertain friends who are visiting, have a campfire and a barbecues in the garden ....

Ya life is not just about the lights and glamour, it is about simple things.....

Dilemma

Hey……. Wish you all a very happy new year…… Its been long since I even visited this site leave alone posting blogs…..This new year I have resolved to be more active with my blogsite, as a result of unemployment by choice, (no, I wasn’t given any pink slip)…but inputs might be a little slow coz as unemployed as I maybe, I am definitely not “jobless”….ask any women with a 6 month old toddler to take care of and you’ll know


It is that time of the year again when people make excuses to boost their spirits with “The Spirit”, just because they have made resolutions to abstain from alcohol….resolutions and excuses for reveling because of the resolutions……the promise of discipline to one self gives an excuse for breaking the rules before the pledge is brought into action…..it is almost like last few hours of freedom…..well, 31st December, 2008 was one such occasion for Gans…..Before you jump to conclusions about me policing my husband around with threats of abandon if he doesn’t quit alcohol, let me tell you that this was purely a promise he made to himself and I in this context was merely a witness of sorts to the agreement made by the two parties, my husband and himself……

On the said day, he said to himself aloud….today is the final day…I shall savour the all the joy the cans of beer might bring to my taste buds for in a couple of hours my tongue would be barren of this elixir…..and we went over his friends home for a nice quite private party carrying a dozen cans of the beverage as it was our contribution to the celebration….upon reaching we handed the “the elixir” over to the hosts as one might guess , to refrigerate( Gans likes( oops! Liked) his beer really chilled)…..in the meantime we decided upon putting our respective toddlers to sleep so that we would have no intrusion of toddling kinds ……the task which we hoped to be done with in half hour was a marathon one and apparently took us an hour and a half……finally as the two twits turned into sleeping angels Gans’ friend announced that the beer was waiting to be gorged by Gans…….bringing out the cans one by one I saw my husband downing one can after another….. to my astonishment he was well past his capacity….. “the moment of truth” had come….it was time to tell him to stop…..but he understood my apprehensions and assured me of his sobriety …..he pleaded with me not to ask him to stop as afterall he had only 2 more hours to go before the day ended……I agreed, but not before warning him not to make a fool of himself in an inebriated state……next thing I knew , he was quenching the thirsty saplings outside the house with the water retained in his body that was waiting to gush out with urgency…….I was flabbergasted…….I admonished him for not using the shiny white bowl built for the purpose……but it seemed that my displeasure made no meaning to him, for he continued to prance around in the state of happiness that he was in and out of the blue , he grabbed my arm started waltzing with me to the beats of the music that was playing, embarrassed as much as I was, this sudden display of affection caught me off guard…..and all of a sudden I saw a child in him …the naughty twinkle in his eye…..the endless songs he sang for me, those puppy dog expressions….that adorable tilt of head that exposes vulnerability……that immense love for me in his eyes….and last but not the least the endless attention he was paying me……

The clock struck 12 and we wished each other happiness and prosperity and a few phone calls later, he retired on the top portion of the house where the men has made arrangements to sleep, and I was with the women busy tending to the infants who we had well forgotten for a couple of hours……

At Dawn, we were getting all ready to leave to our respective homes, all somber and fresh….exchanged pleasantries with friends and as we were returning, I told Gans that I had a lovely time last night and wished he would throw me such excess attention once in a while so that I really felt special….he smiled at me and said, “I let go of all inhibitions last night dear, because I let the alcohol hit me. That’s why such public displays of unabashed affection…..but, that doesn’t mean I love you any less, alcohol just lets me express my feelings in a more animated manner….but now that I am letting go of alcohol, there might be little or no occasion where I behave like such a love fool…..”

That made me reminisce……I was so happy with Gans’ resolution prior to last night, but now I do have second thoughts as my need for attention has suddenly become more than his need for “ The Drink”…..You winsome, you loose some…..

PS: Still hoping he gets back to social drinking, and I get my dose of attention once a month at least…..Yes, I am evil!!!!!!!!