The lady
sat on the bench under the umbrella-shaped shed which was farthest from the sunshine. She was wrinkled, had no teeth but the most beautiful peaceful expression I have ever seen. She should be at least above 85. As I wrongly chose another bench to sit down while the kids played, she mildly gestured me to sit beside her. I realised why she chose that one quick enough as the sun poured all over the bench I had chosen, leaving hers in perfect shade and breeze.
After I was seated, there was hardly any space but as the sweating kids came running, she immediately showed them the little space between us for them to sit - all the time beautifully smiling and muttering in Chinese... It was the closest feeling I had of a grandma I never had and one whom the kids miss. I was embarassed to feel so close to that soul with whom I could not even communicate a word, least of all what I felt for her.
But why worry - every feeling need not be communicated. Communication of a feeling sometimes leaves expectations of a consequence; some feelings stay and pass without any such expectations, any such burden - free and perfect and pure.
Lego Workshop - really?
2 days, 3-4 hours each day, 1500+ bricks, 2 engrossed kids, some frustrated outbursts for help and that's the output. Summer vacation with kids is good and fulfilling. The only biggest pain is when at the end of using 300+ bricks of a 360 bricks set one realizes, one brick has been placed wrong at the 10th step - argh! But the end result is happiness :) Why do we need 600HKD/hour Lego workshops? Arunav did the green military vehicle set and Aarushi did the red marine force set. Happy Birthday S !
Will you see the same moon?
The HK skies have been a treat to watch. The big puffs of white cloud at night and the play of the moon !
Beneath the surface
So what's superficial?
The words hummed around me ....I don't have a choice - I can't change things, I want him here, with us, with the kids but he is not even there for 6 months and the other 6 months I can't even get him over phone in weekends..... I want to be a girl again, I want to dance, I want to get drunk, I want to feel happy.
The quick, instant happiness with the 6 Coach bags, 10 Calvin Kleins, Bvlgari, Hublot, the boredom with one size and demand of doubling the size of diamonds every year - reflected the soul searching for happiness, the soul wandering around and not able to get the answers. As for her, as for me, as for everyone - the happiness of bags, diamonds last for that long and touches not the soul.
Clear sky, full moon and a small tool
Ever since the typhoon cleared the HK skies, it has been a treat to watch the clouds, the sun shining through the white clouds and now the moon - it is bright, big, silvery and huge in tonight's sky and the photo does not do justice to the lustre it has.
Happiness is watching such a moon through a powerful telescope (as powerful as a poor household like us can afford to buy) with the kids squealing once a successful focussing is done and they can see the craters :)
Beautiful!
