Rekha's Ramblings

  “In the event of a sudden drop in pressure, an oxygen mask will drop from above. Secure your own mask first before assisting others.” The first time I heard this, I was flying for the first time in my life on an international flight from Mumbai to Atlanta via London. I was so excited to go to America on my own that I did not really pay that much attention to this routine preflight announcement. Since I had flown to America, it also meant flying back, again, several times to go home. I heard the same announcement during all those trips but at that point, they were still some words, their true meaning still had not registered.  Then came another first time of my life, this time it was flying with my first born, for the first time. By this time, I was not as excited about flying, the novelty had completely worn off. Now I am only concerned about the safety of my baby, he is sitting in my lap, one year old. Then they make the above preflight announcement, in several diffe...

  I very recently started listening to podcasts. One of them is “wiser than me” hosted by Julia Dreyfus. One of the questions she routinely asks all her guests is, “do you have a self-care routine, do you mediate, yoga, what do you do?”  I don’t remember exactly who her guest was this time, but I was simply fascinated by their answer. It was unlike any one I had heard before, but I was very happy to hear it, it deeply resonated with my own answer, one very dear to my heart. This guest said they liked to read before bedtime, that is their self-care routine and not only that, their favorite genre is  reading "mystery” novels, that is their escape from reality.  OMG!! I was surprised to hear that answer. In today’s world, self-care is often associated with mediation, yoga, going to a spa, getting a massage, exercise and those are not necessarily bad things, they have their own benefits, and I am happy if they work for you. But they have never been my things. My self-car...