Making Home – 2

Home is always in the making! We are plunging into the “home improvement” part of our living space with the time at home. Our evening promenades are getting a little lengthy, as we try and cover more ground – with our walking feet and chattering minds. I am enthused by adding new plants to my balcony garden and propagating some newer ones for my friends as gifts after the lockdown. More on that in a dedicated post 😉

And as I share all these slivers of my life with my friends (virtually, yes), I cannot help see that our homes are getting more connected. Through the tiny rectangle of the conference call video, so many layers of the persons like peel before you. And ultimately, it comes down to one thing: we’re all human, with a home in making 🙂

I have been talking to my colleagues virtually, sitting on zoom meetings, and dropping in for webinars for a month now. The painted faces and fine lines that hid behind makeup are now visible. Grumpy people with a three-piece-suit, now seem to have a humane side who really care and have a heart. Although you wear an ironed shirt, all know you are sitting in the meeting with your PJs as bottoms.

In a way, the pandemic has brought out the humane side of the professional world. Burping babies, screaming children, cats that decide to walk over the keyboard during the meeting, dogs that have an urgency to play “go fetch” right when you are about to present a concept to a screen full of people… all have strung us together with an indescribable bond. Apart, yet together 😉

In making the home, we are making a space for our distant contacts to peep into the world of living through a virtual medium. It is like many virtual spaces connected to the idea of home – together.

D.

Season of snow

Calgary was hit with an early snow. So much so, that we were chiding our way in saying “It’s Fall. Snowfall.”

And needless to say, Kuro is at his happiest. Trotting in fresh snow, ploughing his way into the backyard and back.

The early winter also brought with it some moments of coldness in my academic life. I changed my thesis supervisor, which was a decision I have been sitting on for a while. This cold shower froze my academic cycle for about a month, and I battled out the feeling of falling behind “in life”. However, I soon realised that these mental impositions we put on ourselves is probably the worst blow we subject ourselves to. There’s no race and no “falling behind” so to speak. As my wise professor of Buddhism once said, “nobody’s behind! It’s just that they start at different times! We all eventually get there…”

Harsh winters are a reminder of this very thing. We all are treading towards pleasant summer… Only at different pace and in different regions, with varied climatic ups and downs.

Sitting by the window, watching the fresh flakes fall in perfect rhythm, I am transported back to my conversations with Kanupriya. We were sitting by a glass wall, watching the raindrops patter and talking about this “pace”and the warm and cold emotional rollercoaster we’re constantly aboard.

We hardly let ourselves have a peaceful sojourn at a new place – and trap ourselves in clicking endless pictures to showcase the marvels of the trip, whilst forgetting to experience. Back home, we long to go on a trip again, to repeat the cycle with a shimmering of self-assurance that we are the worthy contenders in this rat race.

Come winter, all the mistakes come back to me, and stare at me blankly, often asking me why I let go of “living” for some moments, and succumbed to “surviving because others did it that way”.

This rambling is just a long winded way of saying, that the winter indeed usher in some coldness in my life, but it is for a warm sunrise on the horizon, awaiting me.

D.

Back, again!

A loooong break! Yes!

Thanks to my scattered brain and procrastination… And also forgetting my password (I am serious).

June to September flew by in a blink of an eye. As much as I wanted to firm my hold onto the passing time, the faster it slipped away.

Rohan’s parents visited us and it was a wonderful time of long walks in beautiful Berkeley, home made delicacies and afternoons of relaxation. My stories of Japan added to the bliss of summer, and I paid a Nelson’s eye to the blog. Bar, bad, hey!?

But I am back again, with my schedule in full swing. The mornings of caffeination, long day of work and reading, finally blending into the dark skies of the evening and a warm cup of herbal tea is what a day in my life looks like.

Sporadic visits to Calgary Zoo, walk by the Bow river, or cowering under a thin layer of chemise on a seemingly bright day which turns into a sudden cold spell is the sprinkling of spice in life.

Rohan visited Calgary over the weekend,and that was my solace from tedious routine. By Thanksgiving, I will be thankful of this; much like sugar mixing in water. And then a mid semester break will be the unwanted guest!

D.

P.S: Kuro is now a year old (ehm, young); but I am looking forward to celebrating his “gotcha” day! 😉

Groomed Kuro

I was quite reluctant to get a haircut for Kuro. I love his shaggy coat a great deal. But with escalating discomfort at getting him to sit patiently while I brisk his coat, keeping him off from mush while on walks; I decided to give in.

I wanted a pretty “before” and “after” photo series for his look. But I didn’t succeed in making him sit still for the photographs. A wiggly worm that he is, I managed to capture just a dark blurr…

Once back from the groomers, after the “kennel cut”, he looked like a different dog. My friends Caleb and Emily loved his “prettied” self, but I was weary that he looked malnourished. In the hot summer of Calgary I started putting him in a blue sweater while we took our walks – anxious that someone might complain about me “mistreating” the dog by underfeeding, etc. (However now they might dial 911 for putting him in a sweater at +20°C).

A few days in, I got accustomed to his tidy look. He was definitely thankful for the hair trim as he could see the world clearly once more, without the bangs flying into his eyes. And I was figuring out which dog he most resembles to. Is it a poodle, a Yorkie… Or a schnauzer!?

I can now see his long legs, smart snout and graceful gait punctuated by “bunny hop”. It almost feels as if a pretty dog was hidden under the winter furcoat all along. Good agility of hopping over the bushes and imaginary obstacles in the drawing room seem allthemore cute.

With the groom, the inner Kuro is unleashed… But I can’t wait for the furry baby to be back!

D.