Pouring rain, accidents and evening traffic and a totally new road.. Nothing mattered that evening. It took me two hours to reach J’s home in Methuen and I was more than grateful to finally get there. A dear friend, who moved miles away from Franklin recently. Hot food, nice tea and a friendly hug welcomed me and all that agony of driving vanished just like that. Now all I remember is the comfort I felt. Nice south Indian food and I was ready to be “Anand’s mom”. Changed really quickly in a saree and I was ready for the evening.
As I drove to North Andover library, all of a sudden my mind was clogged with what ifs. There were parents coming to hear me, what if I wasn’t what they expected. It was not a great evening to be out and about. And on top of that it was Monday, a gloomy, dark and rainy Monday. I called Ashish as I usually do when I am all over the place. I didn’t say anything about my mental state, just talked about kids and dinner but that was just enough for me. Drive safe he said and I was so ready. I knew I was late, I was planning to be there earlier than 7 PM but I just couldn’t, by the time I parked and went in it was 7.05. The Indian lady was arriving at Indian standard time as we say in India. I was feeling bad for the host already. She had to hold the fort for me.
Once I walked in I knew why I was there, every worry took a back seat and I was there to share my knowledge, my mistakes and provide any suggestions I could. We introduced ourselves and the conversation started and soon I forgot I was worried about what to say. I could feel that the audience was engaged and connected. I got to know a lot more about parenting from them than I was able to share my knowledge. Parents, no matter where they live or what they do for a living, inside they are all the same and have just one wish – do the best for their kids. After 90 minutes of deep conversations, questions and answers and brain storming we all said our good byes. But we knew we could have continued that conversation for another couple of hours if the library wasn’t closing. I met some incredible parents and I was happy to assure them they were doing whatever they could, they are certainly not alone and yes there is light at the end of the tunnel. On my way back home I called my mom. The easy conversation with her relaxed my edgy mind and I was ready for another wonderful sunrise the next morning.
As I drove to North Andover library, all of a sudden my mind was clogged with what ifs. There were parents coming to hear me, what if I wasn’t what they expected. It was not a great evening to be out and about. And on top of that it was Monday, a gloomy, dark and rainy Monday. I called Ashish as I usually do when I am all over the place. I didn’t say anything about my mental state, just talked about kids and dinner but that was just enough for me. Drive safe he said and I was so ready. I knew I was late, I was planning to be there earlier than 7 PM but I just couldn’t, by the time I parked and went in it was 7.05. The Indian lady was arriving at Indian standard time as we say in India. I was feeling bad for the host already. She had to hold the fort for me.
Once I walked in I knew why I was there, every worry took a back seat and I was there to share my knowledge, my mistakes and provide any suggestions I could. We introduced ourselves and the conversation started and soon I forgot I was worried about what to say. I could feel that the audience was engaged and connected. I got to know a lot more about parenting from them than I was able to share my knowledge. Parents, no matter where they live or what they do for a living, inside they are all the same and have just one wish – do the best for their kids. After 90 minutes of deep conversations, questions and answers and brain storming we all said our good byes. But we knew we could have continued that conversation for another couple of hours if the library wasn’t closing. I met some incredible parents and I was happy to assure them they were doing whatever they could, they are certainly not alone and yes there is light at the end of the tunnel. On my way back home I called my mom. The easy conversation with her relaxed my edgy mind and I was ready for another wonderful sunrise the next morning.
And I was in my element. R, the host reached out to me few weeks ago, She was amazing in designing the poster. She worked hard and came up with this interview style format. Thank you Radhika, It was an amzing experience.
The poster..
J’s beautiful kitchen and array of dishes. She and her Mother in law cooked. Sometimes love looks like this
All ready to get the show on the road
And my lesson learned- You don’t know what is inside a person.. Anand’s pic from 2015, his shirt says – “You don’t know me” How appropriate.
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