Truly, madly, deeply!

Woody is my cousin sister(s)'s 15-year old pet dog. That makes him 105 years old in human years. As old as a dog can get. He is counting his last days and looks like, he too knows it. It's a pitiful sight to watch him. More so because his younger self was always a mischievous, sprightly, playful, amiable and a visibly active dog. Someone who loved the company of humans and more so children. Someone who teased us to play with him. Someone who goaded us to become alive and childlike again. Someone who made us forget our worries and be in the moment completely. In fact, I always had a surreal feeling that he was an angel sent from above. A kind and a noble soul. I love all dogs, but this humane quality of his was perceptible in him more than any other dog I had known.

Now given his age, the last six months have not been kind to him unfortunately. He has aged progressively in the recent past. He does not move much. He is laid up in bed for most of the day and has also lost his appetite. Since he does not eat, he has also become emaciated. He needs to be force-fed and carried around most times.

A few days back, I had gone to meet my cousin sister as she was flying back to London the same night. And just like me there were other cousins/relatives too who had come to meet her.

As is expected with cousins coming together after a long time, all of us were making a racket, chatting up, and laughing out loudly. While all this was happening in the living room, oblivious to our self-indulgent human senses, Woody was resting quietly (as was his routine now) inside the bedroom.

A little later we suddenly saw his frail frame emerge in the doorway of the living room. Apparently, he had heard our loud voices across the passage. And in spite of his poor health, he had quite gallantly hobbled out of his bed. Limped all the way up to the living room with halting steps, came and gently sat right amidst us. As a younger self, he would have typically come running and thrown himself straight into our arms but today he just came and sat, and with immense difficulty.

Till then, we in our ecstatic stupor had forgotten all about his presence in the next room, and were completely immersed in our idle chatter. But Woody, given his amiable, social and affable personality had just done what he always did. True to his inherent loving nature he came seeking for us, notwithstanding his weak health. And we, who are considered to be the more evolved and emotionally superior living beings, had not given as much as scant attention to him or his whereabouts.
That very single moment left a deep impact on me and a special connect. A connection that no social media worth its salt is capable of doing.
He had with his single act conveyed to us what companionship and belonging truly mean. A display of selfless love that is much deeper than what most humans are capable of realizing.
A lesson that will last a lifetime and a gesture that will remain in my heart as a beautiful memory forever.
Without a whimper or a whine, he just sat there all through the evening. And he sat although uncomfortable right till the time we left from there.

Woody, I salute your undying spirit, your unrequited love and what you stand for...the most loving, tender and generous soul. An angel.You will always remain the favorite!

Pic courtesy: Vinita Dhume

P.S: Woody breathed his last on Jan 16th, 2015. He died a peaceful death in my aunt's lap. This post was written a week before his death.

Resolutions and blah blah...

A week before Dec 31st 2014, an after-dinner conversation between 'A' and me went something like this:

Me: I am making a goal sheet and a daily schedule for 2015. (me gently avoiding the trending word 'resolutions')
A: Hmmm....(half listening as he is watching some vague football match on ESPN)
Me: It's a list of things that I need to do.... and a list of things WE need to do.
A: Oh really! (turns to me, only when I mention 'we' the operative word)
Me: Yes, do you want to have a look at it? Maybe you would like to add or change something in the schedule (trying to make it look like a democratic process)
A: Hmm...not really! (goes back to watching TV)

Me: (pursuing the conversation) See nah! This is how it goes. Our day will start with waking up at 5:45 am. Then Yoga for 1 hour...blah blah. Then after work it would be reading a book in evening or learning something new on coursera...blah blah...
(I am rambling knowing fully well he is sitting somewhere in Emirates stadium watching an Arsenal match)
Me: (I continue) On weekends a walk in Aarey for 2 hours....all dinners will be at 8 pm with no carbs... (vehemently pursuing the conversation) 
                                                              
(Suddenly I am in luck. There is a commercial break on TV)                                                                 
A: (he turns to me and says) Oh! So are you saying 'It's going to be that time of the year again...soon!'
(huh, so he was listening after all).

Me: Yes, and believe me, this time its for real..really!
(the drama queen in me surfaces)
A: Good! All the best....and count me out! (with a 'been there done that many times' air to it!)
Me: Don't be mean. You have to give another chance. And this plan makes sense only if both are in it together. If both work together like a team then one of us can pull the other up if the other is slipping. (here I was playing my last card)
A: Hmmm... nice try ma'm. (He knows me too well)
How about just sticking to what we should be doing anyway rather than making some new grand plans that fall through the crack in less than a month. (he says with an air of finality)
Me: Thank you very much for your 'enthusiastic' response. Hmph... I don't need your gyaan ok...just tell me...
(As I am about to retort with sarcasm that was thrown at me....the damn commercial break is over. 'A' is back where he belongs... in Emirates Stadium..and me with my grand plan...all by myself)

Dec 30, 2014
My plan is ready...the goal sheet print out taken (in Font size 16 and double line spacing). Loud and clear!
I have put it up on the fridge door for (my) whole world to know. That is my not so subtle way to convey that I am going ahead whether 'A' is in it or not. Also, it was my way of committing to the plan by openly announcing it. I was putting my neck online here.
'A' had passed by the fridge multiple times...and I was very sure I heard a chuckle every time he did (or maybe my brain was over-reacting). Well, at least he knew the plans, and that was clear. I was just hoping he would warm up and join me after seeing my continued dedication and commitment through the year.
So here I was, gung-ho and ready to go!

Dec 31, 2014 (morning arrives)
I am brushing my teeth in my half asleep and half awake mode, and then there is a sudden jolt of realization.
A thought suddenly breaks my sweet reverie in the early morning stillness.
I realized that every year I tended to go overboard with resolutions that unfortunately fell by the wayside a few months into the year (if not days). I also remembered the conversation of few days back between A and me. I put two and two together. Maybe he was right there, after all. Instead of changing lifestyle patterns drastically or biting more than I could chew, why not just stick to a simple regime and follow THAT perfectly well.
It could be just one or at best two new items on the list. And do them so damn consistently and so well that it became a habit and eventually part of life.
Just like brushing teeth in the morning or having a bath every day. We never forget to do that don't we, whether hell or high water. So just like that!
It didn't take me long. I looked at my list again, struck off the many new radical changes I was planning to bring in my life, all at the same time and focused only on  what mattered the most. And there it was ...my revised goal sheet in front of me. SIMPLE AND DOABLE.
And this time I knew 'A' would happily join me willingly.

Mantra for 2015
"If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way." - Napolean Hill

A new day, a new year, a new realization!

For many days that rolled into months, we had a 'work of art' nurturing at home. We ignored it like we would a messy crayon drawing by a little child. Thinking, if we didn't pay heed, it would stop craving for undeserved attention. However, it was not to be. This piece of art, which was till now successfully obscured by its uncertain future, suddenly started making its ugly presence felt. We didn't realize it was capable of creeping up on our neighbors, too, and 'keeping them awake' with its creative outbursts.

That which was privy to only both (hubby and me) of us till now had suddenly started getting attention far and wide. It was out there for everyone to see, just like an object d árt in an art gallery. Only, in this case, our neighbors would come visiting at odd hours, check the 'work of art,' give their vociferous feedback, and leave fuming. It somehow had a way of bringing out the emotions even amongst those who are typically unperturbed people. What's more, we had them come back repeatedly as they could not 'rave' enough about it.

As you must have realized by now, the 'art piece' was nothing to be proud of but the handiwork of a leaky pipe in our bathroom. We figured out (though late) that this artwork had indeed amassed a vast area and unexpected attention. In short, inversely proportional to the time we had spent in 'looking' at it (or into it).

But now enough was enough!

We finally decided to go to the 'he-art' of the matter and identify the problem.

I must say that this experience of a few months has left us a little wiser. Like leaky pipes, we need to fix many leakages in our career, health, money, and relationships. Here are a few learnings which I derived from this experience.

Leakage problems can be very tricky. We think we know the source of the issue, but only when the plumber breaks and opens up the facade, we realize that we have been barking up the wrong wall. The problem is somewhere else altogether. In career, health, money, and relationships, we need to go to the root of the issue and address it. Simple and quick-fix solutions will not always work.

It is essential to identify the cause of the problem at the earliest. Once identified, nip it in the bud and address it immediately. Or else, the problem can fester and then lead to minor scrapes, then cracks, and eventually a shaky foundation - just like in life.

What may appear like a small issue on the surface may have grave and major issues running deep down.

Personal issues can remain private only if given the desired attention at the right time. If not worked on at the right time, then it has the strength to become a spectacle for all to see and comment upon.

If we can't solve problems on our own, seek external help, especially from those who are experienced, wiser, and skilled in that particular area. It's good to get a specialist involved, and moreover, a different perspective does help sometimes.

I am happy to announce that the leakage in our bathroom is now a 'closed' issue. Thanks to Munnabhai, our Dr. Fix It for all seasons (no, I didn't make up his name. He is for real), it is now a 'water-tight' case!

I have said my goodbyes to mildewed walls, damp ceilings, and hideous 'artworks.'

Ready to start on a clean slate and looking forward to creating real works of art in the days ahead.

Here's to new lessons and new realizations!