Walking in the park

Every morning, for the past several months (thanks to quitting the job and being a full time housewife), I have been visiting the neighbourhood park to get my few minutes of exercise. Its nice and pleasant in the mornings, when there is a slight breeze blowing and the Sun God has not got to be at his harshest.

Over the last one year, I have come to know the regulars - we usually greet each other with a smile, a good morning or a hello, how are you? I have come to associate each of them with their unique mannerisms and habits.

There is this group of 5 over-sized ladies in their late forties who do more talking than walking! And I once heard one of them complain that despite all the walking, she has not been able to shed any weight.

And then there is this ever-smiling and ever-laughing 50-something 'young' man - always ready to greet you boisterously and spread his laughter. Mind you, he is not one of the actual Laughter Club folks. They are a different set altogether, the LC folks - they bring you out of your reverie with their loud bursts of "HO HO, HA HA HA" and their sudden and energetic guffaws accompanied by vigorous clapping is sure to waken the Kumbhakarnas in the neighbourhood!

How can I miss out the elderly couple - the husband comes to the park to get some physical exercise while the wife gets her 60-minutes of "grievance sharing time"... well, its a different matter that her grievances are mostly centered around their daughter-in-law. I have heard the lady say in chaste Tamil ' "aval lesu pattaval illai" meaning "she is no ordinary girl - she's a mean one"! To make matters worse for the lady, the septuagenarian husband is a little hard of hearing and uses a hearing aid. Quite often, he forgets to switch it on and the lady after cribbing for a while, realises that he has not heard most of what she's been haranguing about. Now that gets her real upset - and she doesn't know if she has to be more cross with her husband or her daughter-in-law!

And then ofcourse, there are the folks who are serious about getting their speed, rhythm and style right. These exercise freaks are totally focussed on their walk / jog , and will tolerate no disturbances - not even a smile or a hi. They have i-Pods sticking to their ears and manage to enjoy both the sweat and the music!

I guess my walk in the park is made interesting thanks to this nice medley of people!

First day of school

My younger daughter started school last week. She is 3 years old and now goes to Pre-Nursery. Am I happy or am I sad? Its hard to say - my feelings are mixed.

On the one hand, I am happy for her - she'll get to meet new people, make new friends and learn a lot of stuff. But at the same time, I am saddened by this new phase in her life. I have got so used to having her around me- calling out to me at every step, every minute and every hour of the day; following me around like a faithful little puppy. I will miss those small, warm hands holding mine, the cute eyes filling with wonderment, and the happiness and surprise that fills her face at the silliest of things! Oh, I will miss all those small moments that I shared with her over the last 3 years.

Apart from missing her, I also feel bad that her life will now be more governed by the round device hanging on the wall - the clock - day in and day out, she'll have to get up by a certain time, get ready, rush to school, get back home, take a nap,....

Oh well, such is life. Anyway, on the positive front, she does not cry when I drop her at school. The first few weeks can be a torture for both the child and the parent (and of course the teacher too!) but luckily, she has taken to school like a fish to water. I guess the second child is more eager to see and experience what the elder brother/ sister gets to do at school!

Again, such is life!