Things I Learned In The Last Few Years

These are the things I learned since I moved to the US:

1. Doing my own laundry
2. Avoiding talking to people while doing laundry
3. Eating by myself- alone
4. Eating by myself even when people around me aren't eating
5. Not getting shocked at people who eat without offering
6. Drinking to get drunk
7. Getting groceries, cooking and doing dishes
8. Sucking it up!
9. Checking www.weather.com like a pansy everday
10. Sending cards to people who matter
11. Saying thank you (more than neccessary)
12. Breakfast can be had for dinner
13. Making a cheesecake and making crepes
14. There is no such thing as too much exercise
15. There is no such thing as too much food
16. There is no such thing as too much...
17. Ice-cream can be had with root beer though it makes both of them taste disgusting
18. A hike is a really tough walk
19. Sometimes shoes and bags can cost more than jewelry
20. Everything is recyclable and disposable

The Ball Inside The Nail Polish Bottle

As a child I always waited for my Ma's nail polish to run out so I could empty the bottle and find that little enigmatic ball that made an irresistible ticking noise when I shaken. Little did I know that nail polishes never run out. They either dry up or get old and boring.

I would wait for that half glass of Fanta or Coca Cola post-lunch on winter afternoons with unparalleled anticipation and excitement. They were special because we couldn't buy them at any store in India and my uncle would have to sneak it past customs when his ship docked in one of the ports. Now I worry about the high fructose corn syrup in my soda and can't remember the last time I had a soda.

As I crawled into bed in school I always snuck in my story book and read it with my torch light till I ran out of batteries (which was always too soon.) Then I waited for the matrons to go to bed and read under the night light. Now, taking up a book and reading it is an ordeal. Mostly because the last few books I read (Atlas Shrugged, A Fine Balance and From Beirut to Jerusalem) have transported me to another world, but not quite the world I lost.

When someone told me I had a bad sun burn I would check in the mirror to try and see what they saw. I never realized whether they were right or wrong. Today I apply sunscreen before leaving the house and carry a tube in my bag.

Mango shakes in the evenings have been replaced by adult shakes at Ted's Bulletin. Mommy's pizza has been replaced by Papa John's. Long drives have been replaced with long metro rides. So much of the child in me is gone that sometimes the memories feel like the little ball inside the nail polish bottle. They tick if you shake the bottle but thats the only remnant.

May 9th, 2011

“If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.”

Orson Welles