In the blue hour

Summer 2005, one of first few days of NJ summer: It was a beautiful twilight when Esh and I walked along the Millstone river on a lightly paved road. A warm summer evening had a sweet smell of white blossoms from somewhere. We were talking about our past and a promising future that we were weaving towards - strand by strand. When dusk turned to a twilight we witnessed one of the most beautiful sights we ever saw, thousands of light bugs glittering around us in the velvety grass, It was as if the sky had showered all the stars around us. The weeping willow ahead of us got an angelic glow from twinkling fireflies and made it mysterious. We were in awe. It was a living dream.

Summer 2010, tonight: It was the similar bright twilight; Tanay and I took a short walk in the neighborhood; the purpose was recycling, unwinding and Esh getting his time. Tanay noticed a firefly and then another and then many - around the grass and daffodils, He had the same awe in his eyes. We talked about it and I told him; it is called 'jugnu' in Hindi. It seemed so magical and heavenly. Again.

It seems almost miraculous how those few moments which stay with us forever and comes back to us like a flashback. Just like that juncture in time that Esh and I spent watching fireflies by the weeping willow , the few moments that Tanay and I shared watching 'jugnus' will stay with me forever.

Little chef

Tanay: What do you want to eat Mommy?
Mommy: I would love some soup!
Tanay: Do you want broccoli, carrot, corn and onion in the soup?
Mommy: Sure - can you also add the tomato?
Tanay: okay
-----sometime here-----
Mommy: Yumm!
Tanay: Do you want some more?
Mommy: No my tummy is full! (showing a leveling hand on the chest)
Tanay: You should eat more, veggies are healthy!


Approximately 40 seconds of wait to cut all the play veggies
Around 10 seconds for Tanay to go the kitchen, and to open the drawer to fetch for real bowl.
2 seconds to pour all the cut veggies sans liquid..and Voila the soup is served!
My little's chef-play: timeless!

Wounds

DS Tanay fell down and got his knees scraped for the first time ever. The only way to calm him down was to tell the stories of mommy and papa when they were little. So I told him that they fell down too and sure it was ok. That wounds heal if we help them a little like putting Band-aid or putting neosporin. (Ofcourse when mommy and papa were as young as Tanay they never had Band-aid or neosporin but had Dettol/Burnol + cotton ball and sticky tape). Then I told him that little mommy and little papa were back running. And that's the way to grow up. That's the way to get stronger. He agreed and calmed down. He was excited and was showing his muscles as if the wounds on his knees made the muscles on his arms grow! :)
While I was telling the stories to him I re-learnt this: Wounds are inevitable but if we help them heal fast that's the way to live and grow stronger. My ds is my teacher now.