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.....