Thinking back on 2008
What a year it was!
We celebrated our last new year eve in a rented home, my younger son, my elder son’s wife and one little german shepherd. The elder son was in Phillipines and could not be with us. Still we had a blast which ended for me by my insisting that I was still capable of going to my room unaided, it was immaterial whether I went on my feet or my knees.
January was a good month, with my younger son studying hard for his school leaving board – its later that I came to know that he was partying equally hard – which nearly made him get straight Fs. It was also one whole year since my elder son had got married, which we celebrated without him. His wife was very brave and did not cry or sulk. I admire her for it.
February is my birthday month and it is impossible for any one to upset me. I celebrate each and every day of February. It is pleasant weather, the cold is receding and I am happy. Of course I tend to overdo the “feel positive” factor by taking rash decisions like joining gyms that I never attend and starting ambitious saving plans that fold up in a couple of months – I barely have enough to make ends meet any way. I have never learnt my lessons easily and this February was no different. I joined a gym. Ah well!
March was when my younger son had his school leaving board papers – which he came home and confided in me that he had done horribly. I could have gone ballistic, I could have raved and ranted – but he looked so chastened that I assured him that I still loved him and he could repeat it the next year. He grew up a lot this March – got rid of his partying friends, got his act together and started helping us with the chores. March is also the month I started blogging. In fact a friend guided me to this …. and stopped blogging herself! I have got so much bloggie love in such a short time, its strange to think of a time I was not on the blogosphere. Thank you all.
April, the cruelest month was actually quite kind on me this year. I had no kid in school, so was not hit with huge fee bills and book expenses. Phew! My elder son came back from Philipines. It was bitter-sweet. He had matured so much, but he spent much more time with his bride than with his mother. It is quite natural and all that – but for a while it was painful. That is until I looked into my eyes in the bathroom mirror and kicked myself and said “Grow Up”. It is a tactic that worked earlier, it works just temporarily now. I have to keep rushing to the bathroom every now and then. Ah well! We got our second dog and my elder son turned 25.
May, my daughter in law’s birthday, done up with music, Indian food and her parents. Very traditional, sober and nice. A bit too sober for us flakes, so we lived it up the next day. May is also the month we packed and shifted into our own home. It was awesome, it was wonderful …. And it was very tiring. May went off in a whirl of activity. Packing, unpacking, moving, settling down etc etc. We loved our new home, far away from the city. It was wonderful and peaceful. We still love our home in the outskirts of civilization.
June – the month of truth. Since end of March my younger one had been bullied mercilessly by his elder sibling and his wife for screwing up his exams. He was quaking in his shoes when the result was declared. Guess what? He did quite well. The expression on his face was comical. He insisted on checking and rechecking his result with his roll number. We were in splits. If this was not joy itself, I got promoted, and the powers that be gave me a brand new car. Oh wow! We were quite spoilt in June.
July is junior’s birthday month. He completed 18 years of existence, and also got admitted into an Engineering College of his choice in a stream of his choice which is near home. Wonderful.
August : a gradual settling into routine with college, office and home taking all our attention. We settled down for a humdrum and non eventful time which led to endless bickering between junior and his sister in law. It all reached a peak one day with him declaring that she was not his sister in law but his sister. He also thanked heaven that he got a sister so late in his life. She hates not getting the last word in so she retorted that “So what if I came into your life late, I’ll be here to trouble you longer!” Amen. Oh yes and vive la female power!
September beginning of the wedding and festival season in India … also brought my elder son back from Phillipines. All my chicks at home, and me clucking like a mother hen – lovely.
October I got myself a brand new blog – my own domain, my own space so to say. Total indulgence …. I’m loving it. Its my space and I can express myself here. This was my Diwali gift to myself. Oh I also got my hysterectomy – not so nice, but what the hell, at my age uterus and ovaries are spare parts, and more importantly I gave menopause a miss.
November, I lazed around at home recovering from surgery. Kids had to go out of town for weddings which I could not attend. We got ourselves dog no. 3, a German Shephard who we call Baron. He is quite a terror. Now I have three kids at home and three dogs and 16 fishes. It’s a full house.
December, back at work. Exploring the realm of free-lance writing. I love to write and I love getting paid for what I enjoy. Great creative satisfaction. The money is not much – but it is early days right now. Let us see what develops.
I have had a wonderful 2008 – full of ups and downs. The most significant new development is the bloggers I have come to know through their blogs and through chat windows. Thank you all for enriching my life.
