Rekha's Ramblings

  Ever cried over a fictional character? I did. Stayed up all night mourning someone who never existed. But maybe stories are meant to do that—shake us, stir us, and help us see the world through different eyes.   I was reading a fiction by one of my favorite authors, it started out on a good note, then some tragic events and then when things seemed to be getting better tragedy struck again. It left me feeling so sad, shaken, unsettled, I stayed up all night crying for that 19-year-old fictional character who had a very promising career and life ahead of him…. The mom inside of me just couldn’t rest. I know he wasn’t real. And yet, my heart ached as though I had lost someone I knew. Teenagers like him exist in the real world, and tragedies like this—accidental overdose, a life cut short—happen every day. He wasn’t even a drug user. It was just one bad moment, one terrible mistake, one bad decision….  I mostly read fiction—spy novels or murder mysteries are my usual ...

  This post below showed up in the memory today. “ Isn’t it funny how your heart aches and longs for things that are no longer there ? Just a planter, or is it? I bought it because I spotted the word  "Bombay"  on it. It took me back to the streets of Bombay. Bombay hasn’t been Bomba y for over 25 years now. But it was still Bombay when I moved to the U.S.—and my mind is still there, holding on to a version of the city that no longer exists. Even the streets have changed. There’s a metro now. Towering buildings have replaced familiar sights. And yet, some things remain. The local train system still carries millions—no exaggeration here.  But even that has changed: more coaches, escalators, elevators on every platform, even an app to buy your ticket. Everything changes. Don’t mind me. One word was all it took to trigger these ramblings—but it’s not  just  a word. It represents my youth. Bombay is now known as  Mumbai ; in case you didn’t know. I’ll ke...

It was Memorial Day weekend. We had no other plans so on the spur of the moment, we decided to go hiking locally to some trails nearby. We invited a friend and her daughter to go with us. They agreed to go However they were short on time. At first, we were thinking of hiking a 5-mile loop. But when the friends decided to join, we had only 2 hours and I said we needed to find a shorter hike. They," you can't do 5 miles in 2 hours ?" Me," No, I haven't been to the gym in a while. But that is not the point. There are daisies along the way and all kinds of wildflowers and the pretty blue sky (it was). What's the point of walking outside if I can't stop to take any pictures? " After going back and forth, all of us agreed on a smaller trail. And they agreed for me to stop to take "a picture or two "of the " daisies ". Right, like that was going to happen. A picture or two, of the “ daisies ” ... Needless to say, we walked onl...

Happiness is when your friend gives you a bunch of lilies and your children help you plant them. They also helped me replant, re soil all the indoor plants. I was not into planting anything when they were home. So they were surprised by my new hobby/ interest. When they were home, there was too much going on and I didn't want to add more to my plate. I suffer from chronic back pain and I am very hesitant to do anything that is going to hurt my back. So, I started slowly, with the help of friends who gave me clippings to some zero maintenance plants and here I am. Now I have my own patch of happiness. These plants are your "dog" mommy, one of the children said, as in my pet. Several years ago, one of our neighbors dog attacked me and I have been traumatized by any pets regardless of their size ever since. I told them I started chasing the flowers and the plants to fill the void, they are my "new babies". They said, anything that makes me happy. Ramblings for this...

  It's " move here kids back home week ", almost all over the US, from colleges, universities I mean. It doesn't matter how near or how far, whether they are moving next door, next building , across town or coming home.... multiple times. I have lost count of how many times, I / we have done this. Last year, I became a super mom and used the powers I I didn't know I had and moved all 3 of them by myself, first back home and then back to campus, 2 in State, one several states away. This week, brought the younger 2 home, next week, it will be first born 's graduation from college, the third time . This year, husband was here to help and will be there to move the first born home. He doesn't realize what a relief it is for me to have him there. May be he does. My back hurts but oh well, one got to do what one needs to do as a parent. I had gone a couple of weeks ago and had dropped off boxes, so I didn't have to pack anything this time. Now that I brought...

  Good morning! If you were walking outside and saw this, this bench surrounded by these beautiful flowers? would you pause? Would you take a moment to enjoy these beautiful azaleas ?? For years, I wanted to, but I was too busy being the default parent of 3 or at least that's what I told myself. Ironically, it took a pandemic when things changed and I started pausing and enjoying the little things. I took this picture in our neighborhood during the lockdown 5 years ago on this day. Each and every time I passed by, I stopped, I paused, I soaked the beauty in. They were blooming for a while. They are in full bloom right now. Sadly, the bench is gone.... Now I stop by every flower I see, not just the azaleas and everyone who knows me , knows that fact about me. Now, I am never in a hurry. I hope you have found something that makes you want to pause and soak it all in. This week is "National Park week" in the US. If there is one near you, hope you get to visit them. My rambli...

  An Abundance of Flowers It’s   one of the writing prompts for April. Spring arrives , bringing with it an abundance of flowers. It’s   finally here in the Northern Hemisphere, and that means a world bursting into bloom. I grew up in a tropical country where there was no distinct fall, and therefore, no spring.  Everything stayed green throughout the year.  But now, living far above the tropics, I experience the beauty of seasonal change.  With fall comes the shedding of leaves, and spring brings a wave of colors. The first to bloom around here are the daffodils .  I had planted a few bulbs a few years ago  and happy to say that they have multiplied .            Before moving to the U.S., I had never seen a daffodil. There’s something about them that I can’t quite put into words, but their sight always fills me with hope and happiness.  Some years, we’ve had snow on the ground, and yet, these bright y...