Report of 13 Nov 2015
Good morning from Monsoon City!
The vista is grey and hazy, the Bay of Bengal is a faint deeper grey on the horizon and the rain is here. The road opposite our balcony leads to a school and a church, and it is inundated, with large puddles; folks with colorful umbrellas are braving the monsoon and walking about. No one could do this on Monday, when the winds were gusting.
We are well, and hope the same with you. The lady who cleans our house came yesterday; I messaged her today and told her not to come. She phoned a little later and I repeated the word; she said her house was leaking. Daily, our blessings are revealed to us, are they not. I am not in the slightest bit religious - faith having been shaken after my brother's demise - but know a blessing when I see it. When folks talk of how much I take care of others at the Banyan, I repeat with conviction that I do it for 1 reason - me: I come home, and look at our 4 walls and roof, a husband not beating the tar out of me, and sons who still talk to me and have not thrown me out of the house. Truly, the Banyan lends perspective.
Said lady, Ms. X, told me yesterday that she fell over the weekend, likely due to water, and clonged her head. The blood supply to the head is plentiful, and small injuries are likely to bleed heavily. She had smartly applied ice and taken acetaminophen/paracetamol, and was better. She is a widow, with brand new twin grandchildren. In Tamil Nadu, and indeed in many parts of India, the parents of the mother-to-be are responsible for birth expenses, subsequent ceremonies, jewellery purchases, blah, blah, blah. All part of a big conspiracy to continue to fleece the woman's family for years and years. The twins arrived prematurely, and are slowly gaining weight. Ms. X told me that ferrying the kids to and from the hospital was an all-day affair and there was no one to help. I remember single parents coming to Lamaze class with us; after our respective kids came along, I wondered how the single mothers managed - the exertion of looking after offspring needed 2 people to cope with it!
We saw my sister last week, after she delivered a lecture here. She is a pediatrician of international repute and is headed to Rio later this week for the world Pediatric Infectious Disease summit. She is on the scientific committee and, as always, spoke lightly of this giant honor. It was grand to see her; we giggled a bunch, exchanged little gifts, went shopping with her and then went separate ways. I had asked her to bring custard apples - a fruit with a sweet interior - as they are cheaper and better in Vellore; she brought some and we bought some, and our fridge is now full.
I have not been to work in 8 days due to the monsoon and am feeling it. If this is how retirement would be, I want to balance it with work. I swam this morning in spite of the rain and got a buzz, as always, from the exercise. As long as the body parts are working, I think I'd like to keep them tuned.
May you have some fine days!
Unw -
R
The vista is grey and hazy, the Bay of Bengal is a faint deeper grey on the horizon and the rain is here. The road opposite our balcony leads to a school and a church, and it is inundated, with large puddles; folks with colorful umbrellas are braving the monsoon and walking about. No one could do this on Monday, when the winds were gusting.
We are well, and hope the same with you. The lady who cleans our house came yesterday; I messaged her today and told her not to come. She phoned a little later and I repeated the word; she said her house was leaking. Daily, our blessings are revealed to us, are they not. I am not in the slightest bit religious - faith having been shaken after my brother's demise - but know a blessing when I see it. When folks talk of how much I take care of others at the Banyan, I repeat with conviction that I do it for 1 reason - me: I come home, and look at our 4 walls and roof, a husband not beating the tar out of me, and sons who still talk to me and have not thrown me out of the house. Truly, the Banyan lends perspective.
Said lady, Ms. X, told me yesterday that she fell over the weekend, likely due to water, and clonged her head. The blood supply to the head is plentiful, and small injuries are likely to bleed heavily. She had smartly applied ice and taken acetaminophen/paracetamol, and was better. She is a widow, with brand new twin grandchildren. In Tamil Nadu, and indeed in many parts of India, the parents of the mother-to-be are responsible for birth expenses, subsequent ceremonies, jewellery purchases, blah, blah, blah. All part of a big conspiracy to continue to fleece the woman's family for years and years. The twins arrived prematurely, and are slowly gaining weight. Ms. X told me that ferrying the kids to and from the hospital was an all-day affair and there was no one to help. I remember single parents coming to Lamaze class with us; after our respective kids came along, I wondered how the single mothers managed - the exertion of looking after offspring needed 2 people to cope with it!
We saw my sister last week, after she delivered a lecture here. She is a pediatrician of international repute and is headed to Rio later this week for the world Pediatric Infectious Disease summit. She is on the scientific committee and, as always, spoke lightly of this giant honor. It was grand to see her; we giggled a bunch, exchanged little gifts, went shopping with her and then went separate ways. I had asked her to bring custard apples - a fruit with a sweet interior - as they are cheaper and better in Vellore; she brought some and we bought some, and our fridge is now full.
I have not been to work in 8 days due to the monsoon and am feeling it. If this is how retirement would be, I want to balance it with work. I swam this morning in spite of the rain and got a buzz, as always, from the exercise. As long as the body parts are working, I think I'd like to keep them tuned.
May you have some fine days!
Unw -
R
posted by Renu Weiss at
9:40 PM
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