Transience

Why are life’s moments so fleeting? They never come to me in slow motion, wearing a pretty dress and twirling around so I can admire it from all around. Its always like I am watch them whizz by sitting in a train. I barely get time to register that something wonderful has happened before I’ve moved on to the mundane. Sometimes I think we should forcefully pause life and celebrate the good things. Like the exit of things that have finally been kicked off the TODO pile, where they had taken roots and had grand kids. Like things falling into place so beautifully, better even than your imagination. Like even maybe birthdays. Or Thursdays. But then, shouldn't the event itself be enough? Does the after party give meaning to the victory?

Spectacular things have happened to me and around me this year,  and I sit here and wonder, how big does something have to be, before it registers in my life as something more than a happy blip.

Break ke Baad

Not that anything spectacular happened. Either to justify the break or the return. Right now though, i have viral fever. Its got to my nose, my throat, my head and, i am ashamed to admit, me. So i turn to this old friend for comfort, hoping we've known each other long enough to accommodate long silences.

Whats up? More passport woes, for one. Every year the dude's office takes them to some nearby country for an offsite*. Last year, we couldnt make it because of passport issues. Cells in one corner of his head knew the offsite dates and cells in a totally different corner knew when his passport expired. When the twain met.... well, it wasnt pretty. He ran around and got his passport done  but it was too late.

This year, i went and did that thing to our passports. So when the time for the offsite rolled around, neither of us had our passports ready. But, and this is the unfortunate part, we had hope. So we gave our names for the offsite and went chasing our passports. Its less than two weeks to the offsite and both our passports are stuck in police stations in our respective parts of the country.

When i was travelling from Bangalore to Pune (for this passport** nonsense) i reached the Bangalore Airport with time to spare and went to the Shopper's stop there. There was a sale, okay? And i saw a maroon top and it fit and it was awesome and i bought it and in my excitement i left my purse behind. Yes. I didnt realize it until i reached Pune and caught a rickshaw to get home and got home and looked for money to pay the driver. My mom paid him and i went in and tried to remember where i'd seen it last. I remembered and called them up and they said yes its here and we will courier it to your address. Yes. Then they later called up and said they've given it to the lost and found people. Which was fine. Only i had no money with me so that was weird. I wondered later what would have happened if my passport had been in the purse. There would have been one suicide followed by at least 2 attempted murders.

Now for something completely unrelated to that P word. My mom has gone back to work. I dont think i can tell you how monumental that is, but let me try. Even if i knew that that Mayan prediction was going to come true, 2012 would still be the year my mom went back to work.





*Dont be misled by how casually i said that, like its no big deal. When i first heard of it, i refused to believe it. Especially considering that in my old office, we used to pay our way to some nearby local park. Good times, all the same.

** That word again! I think i have lost the ability to converse without bringing it up.