The Happy Marriage

She laughed and teased,

He beat her.

She cooked for him,

He beat her.

She washed and cleaned the house,

He beat her.

She was sweet to his parents,

He beat her,

While she waited and prayed for things to change.

She grew old and ugly,

He ignored her.

She grew tired and slatternly,

He ignored her.

She grew morose and dull,

He ignored her.

While she waited and prayed for an end to come.

No one cooked for him,

And he missed her.

No one hugged him in the night,

And he missed her.

No one heard his rants and raves,

And he missed her.

No one caressed his tired head,

And he missed her.

Their story was meant to be a happy one.

My Chennai flooded...

Yesterday,  I hired a cab and drove down to Chennai and got my husband back who has an exam on Sunday for which he has been preparing since the last year.

It was a reckless adventure of driving through roads adjoining flooding lakes.

I stopped at Krishnagiri and picked up 100 kgs of relief material at a wholesaler and gave it at an NGO in Chennai.

I picked up potatoes, curd, milk and onions for my in laws.

I online ordered milk, curd and some veggies for dad which will get delivered on Sunday by big basket.

But, I didn't visit my dad. I didn't tell him I came. I didn't bring him back to Bangalore. I can make all the excuses that I didn't have the time. That Adyar is safe and he has electricity as well unlike the rest of Chennai ! That I had to get out of Chennai before it got dark so that my cab wouldn't get stuck in roads. But the guilt is killing me.

The euphoria of the journey, the joy of compassion is killed. I'm now drowning in the guilt of me.  What kind of a monster am I?

Confrontation

Confrontation.A powerful, hostile and an honest word.

It seems as if in the last few years I have lost the ability to do so. I don't know if I always lacked it. When I look into the dusty mirrors of my past I seem to see the shadowy image of a person who would not hesitate to take things head on. I'm not sure if my memory serves me right.

I'm not that anymore, if I ever was. I shy from confrontation preferring to live and let be. Preferring the easier line of no resistance or minimum resistance. Is it the right thing to do or wrong?

My heart tells me that to avoid confrontation is to be a coward and to be dishonest. My heart also tells me that being confrontational is being hostile, juvenile and self obsessed. As do experiences.

I cannot judge between these two contradictory line of thoughts. I'm inclined to the first even if I am not so anymore. It seems so much more courageous. It seems like the choice of no regrets.The second seems to me the path of a coward. But then there is this little voice in my head that says no, not cowardly, but wise. Wisdom with regrets.

Nature is speaking: People need nature

I saw this extremely powerful video yesterday evening and just had to write about it.

Julia Roberts lends her voice to a beautiful beautiful monologue by Nature.

Powerful, Lashing, Terrifyng, Beautiful, Perfect.

Nature is Speaking: People need nature

Some call me ‘Nature’
Others call me ‘Mother Nature’
I’ve been here for over 4.5 Billion Years
22,500 times longer than you.
I don’t really need people.
But people need me.
Yes, your future depends on me.
When I thrive, you thrive.
When I falter, you falter. Or worse.
But I have been here for eons.
I have fed species greater than you.
I have starved species greater than you.
My oceans.
My soil.
My flowing streams. My forests.
They all can take you. Or leave you.
How you chose to live each day,
 whether you regard or disregard me,
doesn’t really matter to me.
One way. Or the Other.
Your actions will determine your fate.
Not mine.
I am nature.
I will go on.
I am prepared to evolve.
Are you?