Random Thoughts

I was browsing the templates for the blog. I was bored of looking at the same dark background of my blog and wanted a little color added to it. A little activity in other wise routine life. It's pathetic that something as trivial as changing a blog template could be my idea of making life interesting and could be highlight of my weekend.

Past couple of months have been like this. Real drag. I have been busy all along with kids activities, work, teaching yoga and everything else but doing it over and over and over day after day…well, you get the idea.

I have noticed that every couple of years this cycle repeats and then I realize that I have to make a trip back home to recharge my batteries.

Then calling up a few travel agents and shopping around for tickets starts. As soon as tickets are purchased the mind gets busy planning finer details. How many days at in-laws place and how many days with parents. The same negotiations year after year. I will always feel that I did not get enough time with my family. There is not point in even trying to find any solution for this problem.

The way my vacation is spent is also very set in its ways.

Go meet all relatives and extended family and have small talk.

Try to get out of a few such if possible. Eat lunches and dinners with them. (These are the times I secretly feel happy to be living thousands of miles away. Not having to attend baby showers, naming ceremonies, threading ceremonies, wedding showers, weddings seems priceless)

Take the same old gifts for everyone.

Shop for sarees, fabric and get the salwar suits stitched and buy a couple of readymade clothes.

Visit the same old food joints and restaurants.

Visit book stores and stock up on books.

Catch a movie or two in the multiplexes.

Squeeze some time in to meet friends from school, college, my first job. There is a certain satisfaction (ok call me sadist now) when I come to know that even my close friends who live in the same town hardly meet each other. I feel better thinking I am not missing out on much.

So, this time around we decided to change things a little. We are going to visit Himachal Pradesh and enjoy some sight seeing. Hopefully we will do this on all our trips in future.

Before I know it, it is time to come back to my adopted homeland.

I never shed tears leaving India for some reason. I am always ready to come back. I feel great when I come back to my cocooned life "here" after the sensory overload "there".

The huge and clean bathrooms, electricity that hardly ever goes out, maids that do show up on scheduled time (even though it is not a daily luxury that I can afford), the artificially heated or cooled air, uninterrupted high speed internet connection; I drown in such little pleasures of American life for next couple of year until those very comforts start to make me feel miserable and my heart starts to ache for India trip.

Some things never change. I think I am absolutely ready for a change or am I?

Every India trip I see a lot of changes there. New big malls, subway, McDonalds, KFCs popping up everywhere. That bothers me a LOT. I am not ready for that kind of change. More about that may be when I come back from India.

In the mean while let me know if Gandhi said anything about the change the change that you do not want to see in the world!