For a friend's son's holy communion as return gifts we were all given small bottles with a wish inside it.
Mine read:
Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not;
remember that what you now have was once among the things you had hoped for.
Which is indeed true. I have stuck it on my fridge as a daily reminder to be thankful for the blessings.
My good memories of 2018
This house has been a dream come true. The close knit community, a great place for the kids to grow up, lots of friends for them and us, natural light that streams in to all of the rooms and the best - our terrace. Plants and an old fashioned verandah for us to laze around, do jigsaws, host parties, have our morning and evening chai, read a book... It has really been a dream come true.
Kerehaklu trip. It so happened that we didn't travel anywhere this year. No short trips, no long trips, no bike trips, no long drives. By November, I was saturated. We initially planned a weekend at Kerehaklu and then the BH proposed bunking school on Friday. Turned out to be one of the most relaxing vacations we have ever taken. The weather was good, food was perfect. We walked so much both of the days, read books, played board games. The kids were well behaved and we all relaxed. Made us realize how important these short trips are. And sometimes we need to be alone- just the four of us to recharge our batteries together and make some memories that are ours alone.
Time spent with S and M. I got to travel to US and stay at M's place and spend time with her kids. And then she came to India and we again had a week together. Friday dinners at S's place has also been quite a regular feature. And as a bonus, S came over and spent two days with us. We talked and walked and ate. By the end of two days, the BH was quite jealous and commented that he had never seen me so relaxed. Out of those two days was born the step count update. S started it off with walking 10K+ steps daily and sending us the screenshot. M and I both grumbled and started it half halfheartedly, but now we both religiously complete more than 11K steps daily. Am very lucky to have these two in my life.
Hosted a lot of parties this year - all filled with fun. P came over as a surprise for the BH's birthday. B and the kids spent a couple of days with us. The usual Bangalore gang met up almost every weekend or so. Had our community friends get together. Lots of food and drink.
The BH had a good year at work. Contract renewed, new geographies added, time extended. From starting out completely on his own three years back to getting to this stage, its commendable. And I'm proud that he did all this on his own. Its all been his hard work and persistence along with a very clear focus on what he wants.
One of the good things that came out of Mowgli's panic attacks is our night walks. After dinner is done, all four of us go down for a walk. The kids sometimes cycle, sometimes skate, sometimes go play with their friends if they are also down and sometimes they walk with us.It can be as long as an hour or as short as 10 minutes depending on my calls for the night. However it goes, this is something we all look forward to. To unwind from the day. Its become a daily ritual that the kids look forward to. Did it help Mowgli? I think it did and more than him, it helped us also.
My sister and brother-in law came down from Australia and we spent a lot of time together. My sister and I have a huge age gap and we were never the close sisters that you read about. She was more of the irritating younger sister who was forever tagging along. She has grown up, surprisingly! It was good to have her with us and just be. No agenda, no rush. Lot of good food. The kids were pampered thoroughly. These two have always made us realize the importance of playing board games with the kids. Even Bambi joined in for a change.
The gardening concept store. We have been thinking about it for ages and finally did a small sale at our apartment. A lot of things still need to be worked out before we can get it into full swing, but good to make a start.
Family time with the BH's parents, my grandparents, cousins. This year was good. Went for two year end vacations with the extended family and everybody enjoyed it. Plans are being made to make this into a regular annual feature. Everybody is getting older and it seems that time together is running out.
Started a vision board for both of us. Got my 2 wheeler learners license. Read a lot of books thanks to long flights. Maid worries almost over and things are settled on that front. Pruned my whatsapp groups. Let go of friends that have played their course. Supported and mentored people both personally and professionally. Watched a 4D movie for the first time. Rejoined Kathak and enjoying it. Gave more of me to my friends. Fought and made up with the BH at least once every day. Got the BH hooked to a cup of coffee in the morning to be had after the kids have left for school.
