“I am so happy you are home,” Mom smiled.
“Yeah, me too”
“No seriously, I haven’t felt so happy in a while,” Mom embraced me.
After this, I did a happy dance in my head. And dug a hole where I buried all my worries of work, my guilt of not doing anything at all for five days and danced again!
My work got the best out of me. On the desk I gave the best and as a person I grew on a different level, doing things I wished to do for years like weekly blogging, monthly trekking etc.
But having said and done the above, I didn’t relax at all. For the past eight months, I have been working, trekking or writing my blog. I had not given a day to just do nothing and be with Maa. But these five days at home I did that.
I watched TV with Maa, cooked with her, cleaned the house, talked, ate and slept. I did nothing else. By the end of these five days there was so much refreshed energy in me. And along the week there was a moment which made me realize a few things.
This moment occurred when we were watching FRIENDS on TV. I and Maa are enjoying it when I ask mom her favourite character on the show.
“I love Phoebe and Joey. Both are easy going, different and fun. They always seem to be living life at their own terms in a little world of their own.”
We talked about the show, the characters, and episode, ate lunch and decided to have a nap. My mind couldn’t be at rest, it was trying to make sense why Mom related to the characters she did. Only to realize that she never lived a life on her own terms and almost sixty years of her existence she had only lived for others.
She always wished to be home with me and my sister but she had to work. When finally she retired and wished to spend time with us, my sister had left for higher studies, and I had got a job to be busy with. I perhaps longed for this week at home with her only to relax but Maa wished to live this week, this way, forever.
This realization made think of ways, to make the most of the time with her. I talked to her about her childhood, made tea for her, watched all her stupid serials and tried to keep the house clean. I felt happy doing all this and felt silly to have not done so before.
Maa never asked me for this week because she knew the importance of my work. I didn’t think of spending a week this way because I suck at understanding people and situations. But I feel blessed that this happened and that I did have a week of nothingness but just me and Maa.
I think it is clear what I wish you do after reading this or if nothing else, please think. Think about the two people because of whom you exist. Remember as you grow, they age. They might expect, they won’t express, but you should gift them the most important thing, time.