Compliments

Courtesy : Write Tribe

How does it feel when you find the elders in the house consulting you on matters of importance even as a kid? Great isn't it? Well that’s how I always felt when Dad and Mom consulted me before taking important decisions right from my school days.  I took it as a compliment.  

Do you admire someone? Do you love something about someone? Do you appreciate a deed? Well then don’t keep it to yourself. Speak out. Let the other person know. Your compliment is precious but, unlike gold or money it is not something to be kept hidden in the locker of your heart. It is something to be shared just as you would an ice cream or a chocolate.  What happens when you share your ice cream or chocolate with your siblings or your friends? You bring a smile to their lips, a lilt to their steps. Compliment too has the same effect. In fact it is much more. The ice cream, the chocolate have a temporary effect. The compliment has a long term effect and in some cases it is lifelong. Your compliment can motivate someone, give them a reason to live, spur them in their mission to excellence, make their life.

My mother is a woman of substance.  She has always been there for me. She along with Dad had just one vision – To educate us her daughters. Make us independent.  Both of them have made a lot of sacrifices for us. To you my parents- “You are the best  God could bless us with.” This is for you too Dad, I know you can read my thoughts even sitting in heaven.

My mother- in- law is a simple soul. She is quiet and unassuming. She sees in me her fourth daughter. I have never seen her angry even in the most trying situation.  I always wonder whether God forgot to add the emotion called “anger’ while making her. If ever I were to be born and married again, I would like to have her as my mother-in-law. To you mom – “You are a fine lady.”

That 100W smile, pleasing to the eyes, balm to the wounded heart is my daughter dear. Of course she does erupt as a ‘volcano’ at times but then, that’s nothing compared to the happiness she spreads around. Her smile is infectious, her chatter music to the ears. She has a way with people. She is simply unforgettable. People remember us through her. To my darling –“You are our strength, the apple of our eyes.”

My one and only sister, always there to lend a hand should I fall, is again a pillar of strength. Caring and sharing are a way of life with her. To you my sis- “You are  the best sister in the world.”

My niece a beautiful lass is  shy yet intelligent. She is witty at times. Say something, pat you get a reply. Try to bowl her out, she will hit a sixer. To her- “You are simply adorable.”

Ah! How could I forget him, my son- in-law ?  A loving and caring person, I know he is the right one for the apple of my eyes. A hardworking person, filled with compassion his never say die attitude is what makes him special. To you my son-in-law- “You amaze me.”

Friends I have many who I know I can trust at all times. They are there not for a day or two but are there till the end. 26 long years I worked with hundreds of various hues yet, in all I found a friend and not a foe. We worked as a team. The finest on earth were chosen for me. To all my friends and ex- colleagues-“ You all inspire me.”

Many people I met on my journey called life. Teachers, relatives, students, neighbors, bloggers, acquaintances, and strangers they are. Each one of them has in some way or the other shaped my being, my destiny. To all of you - “ You have knowingly or unknowingly taught me a valuable lesson or two.”

Ahem! Now is there someone I have left off in this list? Do guess. You may have got it or you may have not. It’s none other than my life partner of 28 years. My backbone I call him. He steadies me should I  trip, motivates me should I hesitate, advises me should  I feel confused and above all is always there by my side holding my hand helping me in my trek on life’s treacherous paths. To him-“ You are a gem of a person”.

As I pour out my compliments from the kettle of my mind hot, steaming and refreshing, I feel light. The sky seems brighter and the trees around greener.  The song of the birds is more melodious and the sound of the auto passing by my window no longer hurts my ears. Life seems more beautiful.

We are celebrating  
National Compliment Day over at our Write Tribe blog 
with a link up.  Inviting you to join us with your posts and views. 

Inviting you to visit my blog  Fabric of Life too, to read the latest

Please leave your footprints in the form of comments and suggestions. Your words mean a lot to me.

Generous soul

 

Image courtesy of artemisphoto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Sitting on the tree I looked longingly at the ripe jackfruit. The smell was over powering, the sight tempting. Yet I feared to approach it. The crows would attack us. Jhilmil my companion was restless. She wanted to run and nibble at it but was forced to wait.  Time stood still. The crows were taking longer than usual. Jhilmil let out a yawn and went off to asleep.

“Shoo, Shoo”. That was the lady of the house a beautiful young lass of twenty plus. She was a dear, a kind -hearted soul.  I had often seen her feed the stray cats and dogs that ventured near the house. She stroked them, spoke to them and fed them. Only the other day I had seen her attend to a wounded dog. I often wished she would cuddle me. The very thought tickled me.

“Thud.”

That was Jhilmil.  She had fallen off from the branch. I saw the lady running towards us. Wide awake, Jhilmil ran up again.  I looked through the corner of my eyes and saw the lady let out a sigh of relief hand pressed over her bosom.

“Shoo, Shoo.” The crows had returned. The lady sent them away. She looked at me and smiled.  She had sent away the crows so that we could partake of the Jack fruit feast. We jumped at the opportunity.

“Ah! Tasty, isn’t it?” Jhilmil asked.

Nodding my head I looked at the lady. She was there looking at us lovingly, stick in hand waiting to ward off the crows that were looking at her with stealthy eyes.

The next morning on waking up Jhilmil asked, “What is today’s menu?”

Looking at the Jamun tree I said, “The lady has left a handful of Jamuns for us. Generous soul, may God bless her.”

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for 
Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda

This time the prompt was 

" Write a story/ incident (200-300 words) from an animal's perspective"

 

Inviting you to visit my blog  Fabric of Life too, to read the latest

Please leave your footprints in the form of comments and suggestions. Your words mean a lot to me.

Little did she know

Shock

“Thud”

The lamp flickered. Rekha looked out of the window. Etched against the darkness was a silhouette in white hiding in the bushes. She opened her mouth to cry only to find a strong hand covering it. Little did she know that someone had entered her house from the back taking advantage of the distraction.

Image courtesy of
chanpipat / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Surprise

The table was set. One by one they trooped in.  The experienced eyes felt something was wrong. What?

She went to the temple and prayed that all be well. Little did she know that at that point of time five heads were together, planning to spring a surprise on her. It was her 60^th birthday.

Image courtesy of Vlado / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Written for 55 Fiction at Write tribe on the prompt "Little did she know"

Inviting you to visit my blog Fabric of Life too to read the latest 

Please leave your footprints in the form of comments and suggestions. Your words mean a lot to me.

Aah! Those long, lovely tresses

1975 - IX std.

I looked into the mirror and what I saw there

Brought not a smile to my lips but a tear to my eyes

My hair black was limp and listless, drained of life

The ends malnourished were quickly dying.

1978- In college

I looked into the mirror and what I saw there

Brought a smile to my lips, a bounce to my steps

Hair thick and flowing, the connoisseur of all eyes

Ends curled up beautifully added to my beauty.

2002 – a career woman in her early 40s

I looked into the mirror and what I saw there

Brought not a smile to my lips but a crease to my forehead

Hair thick and flowing showed signs of deterioration

Ends cracking and breaking looked ugly, impaired.

2014- a woman in her early 50s

Today I looked into the mirror and what I saw there

Brought not a smile to my lips but tears to my eyes

Hair long yet thinning was dull and listless

Crying for mercy, begging for care.

Well in short this is the story of my hair. As a child I had long, jet black hair albeit thin yet curly and lovely. However by the time I reached the IX standard, I was diagnosed for a serious illness, an illness that drained my body of vital nutrients and also forced me to take strong drugs to keep my kidneys working. My hair took a beating. As days passed by the curls were gone, the tresses were malnourished and begged for food. But I was helpless. They protested, split and started falling off. The protest grew as the days went by till mother was forced to cut them short. That day I cried. I wondered what my friends at school would say. Would they who had always envied my long plaits, make fun of me or offer their sympathies? Either way it was more than I could bear. Luckily for me, no one made such a thing as even a fleeting comment.

Then in 1976 I joined college in Kerala. I was placed under the care of my grandmother (Dad’s mother). Roles reversed I started envying the long, luxurious tresses of my cousins, relatives and friends. I yearned for hair as beautiful and vibrant as theirs. Luckily for me my grandmother took my tresses in hand and decided to nourish them and make them strong, long and beautiful. Each day she would oil them before I took bath. The evenings would find her caressing my hair, removing all the knots patiently taking care not to damage them. The hair tied in a big knot on the top of the head would stay there the whole night only to be opened the next morning.

Sunday was set apart for some extra care. Each Saturday grandma made it a point to go to the fields, pick up some wild mussenda leaves and boil them. Sunday morning saw my head, my tresses dripping with oil for half an hour. Then the ritual of squeezing the juice from the leaves would start. Grandma insisted that the leaves be squeezed gently. No way to hurry the process. Her oft repeated quote was,”Vellila piriyanam engil oru archa pattini kidakennam” literally meaning to squeeze the juice from the mussenda leaves one must go without food for at least a week. In short, what she meant was that the leaves should be squeezed with really light fingers. The juice worked as a shampoo cum conditioner. At the same time it provided vital nutrients to the hair and scalp. My hair started growing long and thick. The tresses became healthy imparting a new look, new glow not only to my crown but to my face as well. Finally before the year was gone the thickness, length and quality of my tresses surpassed those of my cousins, relatives (except of course that of one of my aunts whose tresses flowed well below her knees) and friends. The envious became the envied. The tresses imparted an added confidence. I slowly came out of my shell. I often heard my classmates sing these lines of a song from the famous Malayalam film ‘Salini ente kootukari, ‘whenever I entered the class-

“Nin thumbu kettiyitta churul mudiyil

Thulasi thalirila choodee”

(Your curly hair with a knot tied at the end and tender basil leaves adorning them)

At first I was taken aback, wondering whether they were making fun of me but then realized it was pure admiration. The very knowledge was pleasing.

Even after passing out from college and starting a career I found many a head turn around admiring my tresses.  I remember my first day in my in- laws place. Ours was an arranged marriage and we met only once before marriage i.e. when he came to see me. An aunt of his told me that on his returning from meeting me the first time, everyone was eager to know how I looked. The only thing he remarked was, “She has really long and thick hair.” It seems he instantly fell for my tresses.

In the initial years of my career I took good care to maintain my hair. Yet as time passed by and I bore a child time seemed too short. Twenty four hours a day was insufficient for both office and home. The frequent shift of dwelling and consequent change of water from well to bore to tap and vice- versa on account of frequent transfers, took a toll on my hair. My hair started to fall as never before, ends split. They grew back fast but by the time I reached my mid- forties I realized that the growth rate was coming down. Even the frequent trimming could not arrest the split end phenomena.   I slowly started to realize that age was catching up on me and my pride possession, my tresses. Now that does have a sobering effect.

Today I am in my early fifties I still have long hair, longer than most of my cousins, relatives and friends in the same age group yet, I cannot help musing on the lost glory my long, luxurious, curly hair. I miss those envious looks, that added confidence those tresses imparted. Today even a short trip out in the sun, the wind has disastrous effects on my hair. They easily entangle and are difficult to dis-entangle meaning more loss of that one thing that is any woman dreams of – beautiful hair. Remember what Oliver Herford said, “A hair in the head is worth two in the brush.” I’d do anything to keep that one hair intact.

How I wish I could once again recharge my hair, impart to them that vibrant silky soft texture that had once been theirs. How I wish I could once again get back my crowning glory and with it my confidence, confidence that a lovely hair that stays as it is required to stay, imparts.  Aah! I long for those wonderful days when my hair would make heads turn.  That reminds me of an incident that took place when I was taking my daughter and little niece of four, shopping. It was in the early nineties.  Two little children sitting on the compound wall of a house happened to remark thus as we passed them, “Hai! Look what lovely hair.” I smiled but my niece did not like it. She felt they were looking with an evil eye at my tresses. She worried for the fate of my hair.

Martin Luther rightly said, “The hair is the richest ornament of women.” Compare a beautiful face with long tresses as the sole ornament and another with limp, thin, balding hair sporting diamonds and rubies. Who wins? The first I am sure. I'd like to once again be that first one.

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This post is written for Sunsilk recharge you hair, recharge your life contest on Indiblogger

I have a dream

Image courtesy of moggara12 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

climbing misty hills

cool clouds caressing warm cheeks

dreams of peace below

Inspired by the prompt a famous quote of Martin Luther King, "I have a dream"

at 

carpe diem haiku kai special. a weblog hosted by Chèvrefeuille a Dutch haiku - poet

Inviting you to visit my blog Fabric of Life too to read the latest 

Please leave your footprints in the form of comments and suggestions. Your words mean a lot to me.

New Year Resolutions

Ask me about New Year Resolutions and I’d say “No Way.” Not because I am allergic to them but it’s simply that I have somehow never felt the need to make resolutions.  I open each day with a blank page, set out my priorities and move on. However if you ask me what I would love to do this year I would say

• Live 2013 over again. 2013 is when I started becoming active as a freelancer and blogger. These two things have earned me a lot of friends and contacts. 2013 is also a year when I started having a social life in the true sense. Till 2011 I was so involved in my career that I did not have time even for the simple pleasures of life like reading a book uninterrupted, visiting an old friend or penning my thoughts. When I quit my job at the end of 2011 I decided I would spend the rest of my life catching up on all that I had missed during the past years, do all that I loved and yet had not been able to do for long and enjoy a stress free life in the company of my loved ones. I had left Mom at the age of 14 only to meet her once in a while on a short vacation. So, the new chapter meant more time with her and for her. Something I had yearned for long.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             2012 saw me move to my native place, meet people I had lost contact with, make new acquaintances but all these were not to the extent I wished. My only daughter’s engagement and marriage took up all my time and energy and then there was a short break after that, a time I spent recharging myself before I took the final plunge as a full time freelancer and blogger. I also started to slowly pick up on reading, a habit I lost somewhere in the mid 90’s. The start was slow yet I did not give up. I read some really wonderful titles. So finally coming to 2014 I have some wonderful titles on my table and in my book shelf some waiting for me to give them a little love since ages. I must finish them off before my eyes let me down.

• Visit my daughter and SIL as often as possible. Age is catching up fast on Mom. Till a few months back she was healthy in the true sense. BP, Diabetes and Cholesterol were miles away from her. But then a month or two back she was diagnosed for Hypertension and Cholesterol. She has her good days and bad days. So don’t know how often or till when I will be able to go over to my daughter’s place. But then even if I can’t make it I know she will come over to visit us as often a possible. The very thought is soothing and energizing.

• Be more active on the social circuit, make new friends, visit relatives especially the aged more often and try to do my bit to better another’s life.

• Last but not the least make that trip my husband has been waiting for since long. A trip to Orissa. It’s a wish he expressed in 2012 but one that is yet to be fulfilled. Must somehow make it happen this year. Mom too is excited about it.

In short 2014 at present seems to be packed to the brim.

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Linking this post to Write Tribe's First Wednesday Prompt for the New Year

Inviting you to visit my blog Fabric of Life too to read the latest 

Please leave your footprints in the form of comments and suggestions. Your words mean a lot to me.