Often turn out Right

Yesterday, on a whim, I decided to surprise the Hubby by baking him a birthday cake. I gathered all the ingredients before realizing that the expiry date of the baking powder had passed two years back. Too late to do anything about it, I left it out altogether. The cake, naturally, didn’t rise, but it smelt good otherwise.

Today, in a fit of inspiration, I cut the cake in half, and sandwiched a layer of Nutella and banana slices in between. It was delicious.

Things don’t always turn out as we want them to, but they often turn out right.

Will he ever get it?

“But he is a Muslim”, my son insisted. “He must be a terrorist.”

Where he gets these ideas from, I do not know, but now was not the time to probe.  “Muslims are not terrorists”, I told him firmly.

“But all terrorists are Muslims”, he insisted.

“That doesn’t mean that all Muslims are terrorists. Most Muslims are against terrorism.”

“Okay, all terrorists are Muslims”, he insisted. “Same thing.”

“No, not the same thing. In any case, terrorists do not have a religion; no religion asks you to kill. Terrorists worship only Terror.”

Will he ever get it? Will the world?

Our Elephant-headed One

Created by his Mother! Given the head of an Elephant by his Father!

In a contest with his brother, he could not be bothered to race around the world three times- he strode leisurely around his parents- they make up the world for him.

The Remover of Obstacles! The Scribe of the Mahabharata!

While other Gods compete with each other on their majestic mounts, he is happy pottering around on his trusty mouse. He is content, but when required, his physical bravery and intellectual powers surpass those of the other Gods.

Ganesha!

How can anyone not love our Elephant-headed God? 

There are no answers

“Can I speak to Vishal*”, my son asked me. “He hasn’t been coming to school for two weeks, and I want to tell him what we are doing in class.”

His mother didn’t pick the phone up, so I texted asking when we could call.

“Vishal’s fasting”, his mother texted back, “he’s very weak, and can’t speak.”

The kid is going to have nothing but water for 40 days.

Can a nine year old take a decision of that magnitude? Do his parents have the right to force something so dangerous on such a young child? There are no answers.


____
* name changed

The choices that others make

Home. Kids. Family. Work. Friends. Few jugglers can keep as many balls in the air as we do; or for as long.

Throw into the mix the other things that refuse to go away. Social commitments you can’t get out of. Passions you don’t want to give up. Time you feel you owe to yourself.

The only reason we survive is because we learn to prioritize. There is no right way, or wrong way. Only the way we choose for ourselves.

We all do it. Why then are we so quick to pass judgement on the choices that others make?

Couldn't take a joke

He is a minor cartoonist. It was just a cartoon. Not even a particularly clever one- just a crudely drawn image where the tigers making-up the national emblem were replaced by blood-thirsty wolves.

The people in power took offence. They arrested him, accused him of sedition. His arrest became headline news. There was wide-spread public outcry.

He has now been released from custody. The entire nation has seen his cartoon. He has become a national hero. And all because the people in power couldn’t take a joke.

I wonder if they would have arrested him had they known the outcome? 

It shows!

“You’re looking hawt!!!!”, my friend exclaimed.

Can’t say I didn’t appreciate what was clearly a compliment, but I was also extremely amused. Me and hot- the words just don’t go together. I can be accused of lots of things but not of being “hot”!

Maybe she didn’t mean me. Maybe she meant my brand new running shoes. The Nike Frees that I had been lusting after for months. The pair that felt every bit as good as it looked. The shoes that epitomized “hawt”, now mine for keeps!

I guess when you are feeling really good about something, it shows.