The Rich Vegetarian

Simply Being | Simple Being

Tag: life (page 9 of 9)

August 1, 2014 / 0 Comments

That girl from Xavier’s

Girl-Woman

Girl-Woman

During 8th grade, I had the opportunity to represent my school at an inter-school science exhibit competition hosted at St. Xavier’s. It was two days of fun and freedom.  V and I went to St. Xavier’s, spoke knowledgeably to visitors about our school’s entry to the competition, wisecracked around, gawked at other boys/girls, and had a good time, generally speaking. Then I saw her.

Long wavy hair loosely bound, a nicely fitting school uniform, slim legs and slender waist… guys hanging around, smiling and laughing and talking. She was perfectly poised between girl and woman — graceful and beautiful and feminine. I couldn’t help feeling envious. Imagine a flat-chested girl, stick thin, shy (yet outwardly confident), gawky and awkward… Hmm, that was me.

How things have changed…

The other day, as I stood before the mirror washing my face before bed, I suddenly thought – Oh, I have turned into that girl.

Longish hair loosely tied, slim and slender, poised between girlhood and womanhood. Life does bring us what we wish for… if only twenty years too late! No, it cannot be too late — it is perfect timing.

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March 21, 2014 / 2 Comments

Food, Life, Family – what else?

Beach_SantaMonica

Beachy Feet, Santa Monica

Earlier, when I wrote on Live Journal, there would be long periods of silence and then I’d return with a post that always opened with “I know it’s been a while…” This time, I decided to forgo that standard opening line (did I?). Anyway, life has been chugging along, fairly predictable and regular and busy and leisurely and contented and itching-for-something, all at once. Is that how it is for everyone?

Food updates? Well, we eat at home most of the time and no, I am not cooking anything exciting. In fact, most of what I cook these days contains very little spice. Me and P, I have realized, are prone to Pitta aggravation, so salt-spice-sour is best avoided. That being said, every once in a while, we will sneak off for a healthy dose of Indian chaat or Kari Sayur Campur or South Indian tiffin. Sushi has been on my mind lately, so hopefully we will find a time to go eat some. I was wondering some weeks back why the baking itch was so dormant. Well, I baked a couple of items – baked oatmeal, cocoa-almond breakfast cookies, banana-oats-coconut cookies. The cocoa-almond cookies were spectacular. Friends loved it. I only tasted a couple before giving them away. Baked oatmeal? Strictly okay. Or not. Banana oat cookies? Absymal, depressing, soggy masquerading as soft. What a letdown of a recipe, what a waste of three organic bananas… sigh. This is the third time I am trying this recipe out. When I made these cookies earlier, they were sad specimens but I kept thinking that I was the one who had messed up somewhere. Hmm, I need to find a better recipe to use overripe bananas.

Life is lovely although there is a definite itch within that keeps me wondering what’s going on and where I am headed. You keep feeling like you are on the brink of something, a breakthrough, a gigantic A-Ha moment or experience. Actually, I feel like I want to go away someplace. Get rid of everything I own (okay, not everything), hunker down for some dedicated work, keep the world and its denizens OUT. I guess it is a theme that many of us entertain in our humdrum lives. Well… that’s all I am going to say for now.

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November 21, 2013 / 0 Comments

Dynamism

Endlessly Dynamic

Endlessly Dynamic

We really love the word ‘dynamism’ and use it with complete abandon. But what does it really mean? Someone who manages multiple responsibilities – who is endlessly creative? Someone who dons multiple roles? Someone who morphs into different people in varying situations?

Yes, yes, yes.

And a little more.

It occurs to me that the most dynamic people (and because I am an avowed feminist, I will pick female here) I know are the middle-class, working mothers in Mumbai. They manage their homes, cook on a regular basis, attend to their children, figure out efficient commute options, scout for good bargains, attend to the in-laws, manage work schedules, plan family vacations…. phew. With help from a few good men, of course.

Dynamism, I think, is about engaging with the moment – every moment, every breath. To be attentive, to change tricks if need be, to keep inventing, to be open to new interpretations (if a train commute is the only place you find time to chop vegetables, so be it), juggle roles, ask for help… keep moving.

Life has changed for me lately. A new job, added responsibilities, changed roles – I can truthfully say that I am a lot more dynamic today than I was in my less busy (relatively speaking, of course!) days.

(Why the obviously Instagrammed/Hipstamatic-ed picture of my foot, you ask? Well – these feet have danced for hours, climbed mountains, walked miles, and borne my weight with grace and forbearance. If that isn’t dynamism, what is? Plus I love how graceful the arch is.)

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