Happy 18th to my younger one!

Finally, the exams ended on Friday, the 20th of May, and she kept me on my toes over the weekend. On the Friday,after the exam ,we went Prom dress fitting and then had dinner to celebrate her18th birthday which fell between the exams. The next day, we had to go shoe shopping. She managed to get pretty glass heels (which is her first, since she’s always in keds otherwise) to wear with the prom dress and in the evening her friends came home for a sleepover. While she was busy having fun,we decided to have some fun too. So, off, we went to dine with friends ( parents whose child also finished his grade 12 exam). And boy, how much we had to share- the stressful nights, the crazy days leading up to the exams and how grateful we were that it was all done.

When I told my mom-in-law that the first chapter in our lives was done, she, with her age-old wisdom told me the second chapter will make you more anxious- because that’s when the children are away from you.

I decided that, if it’s true, I should enjoy the interim journey- this space between the first door and the second door- I want to make memories and have fun before my younger one leaves. I even had a plan- a few days ago, there was this list of 100 things to do in Mumbai in the newspaper. It had been printed like a snakes and ladders board game for ‘The Bored’. So, I decided I would tick off as many things off the list as possible with my younger one. I hoped to begin ticking off soon after graduation day and prom. We had managed to do Prom shopping but had somehow left Graduation day shopping for the fag end- who would think that finding a white dress would be tough. We managed to get it online and after a few nips and tucks, it was ready to be worn.

The day was a success- the school (which, we parents, were entering after two years) did an amazing job with celebrating the youngsters who, thanks to the pandemic had 1 year 4 months of online classes, 5 months of offline classes and the final IB exams like the years prior to the pandemic. It was a beautiful function and most parents had tears in their eyes watching their wards walk up to the stage to get their diploma.

When graduation day finally ended, I was ready to have some fun, but, it seemed that God had been making plans too- I woke up in the morning feeling unwell. It’s funny how one fine day, your body begins to act up. Just like that. Anyway, after a week of feeling unwell, I visited the doctor, did a blood test which came out normal which I’m sure is a good thing but, it also meant that the doctor hadn’t found out what was going on with me. So, I got scheduled for another test on Saturday, June 4th, which was yesterday. I did the test but I could not meet the doctor as she was out of town. I’m scheduled to meet her on Tuesday and I hope and pray it’s nothing to worry about.

However, over the last few days I went through a transition from fear to gratitude – it was a wakeup call in so many ways- I felt blessed to have a friend who came with me to the hospital as soon as I told her (since my husband was traveling), I felt grateful for the love of family, for a home, for food and for the not-so-little things – a hot water shower, a clean bathroom, food in the refridgerator, a house help, a hospital close by that I can go to easily and peace in the city I live in. It’s strange how one shake from above, is all man needs to become better than he was before which is what happened to me. It shows there’s so much more that we can be and do to make the world a better place but, we do our little bit and think it’s enough.

P.S. Well, I’m going to try and tick off the ‘100 items list’ I was talking about earlier once I’m done with the doctor and I’ll share it here, under the series ‘Mumbai days’ as I go along. That way, you’ll get to travel with me too!

So, don’t forget to watch this space and follow me as I explore the streets of Mumbai. I hope you had a great weekend.

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