Thanksgiving

There’s so much to be thankful for in life

Starting with life itself 

For the good times and the bad

The happiness and sad

The ups and downs

Like the spikes of a beating heart

Telling you that you are alive

Like pieces of a puzzle

Coming together to create a picture

For the family that we are born in

The one we don’t choose

And for the family we make

The ones who embrace us without prejudices 

For these families we are grateful 

For they go on to shape us

Helping us to become who we are

Whether they accept us for who we truly are

But we know deep down 

They have our best interest

If not theirs

For the friends we meet

The friends we make

The steadfast and the fair weather

The ones who stay with us forever 

The ones who disappear 

At the first signs of stormy weather

But for the ones who stand by us

Throw the thick and thin of life

We are eternally grateful 

Cause they are our support system

They become our confidante

Our advisor, a slice of our life

The one with us forever and all eternity 

For every person we meet

The ones we see

The ones we interact with

The ones we work with 

For the ones because of whom

We can enjoy our freedom

They in their own way inspire us

Show us the meaning of never giving up

Of keeping the faith

And sometime even what we should not do

What we should not become

Everyone that comes in our life

Has a part to play in shaping us

And the ones that are important to us

Never truly leave

Cause they leave an imprint on our heart

Staying with us forever 

We give thanks for the love we receive

And the one that we give as much as we get

A love that keeps us alive 

That makes us as much as it can break us

That lifts us up to higher places

But at same time can bring us

Crashing down to earth

But through the heartaches and heartburn

It’s keeps us coming back

Cause it’s what we seek out

No matter how much we may deny it

Or we try to suppress it

But for the love that’s pure and unconditional

We give thanks

We give thanks for the ground beneath our feet

The roof over our head

That keeps Us grounded 

That protect us, giving us a home

For the road that goes on and on

Taking us on a journey

Taking us on an adventure 

To places we have never seen

To places we have never been

Giving us place to run to our heart’s content 

We give thanks for us

For who we are

For what we are

For learning to love ourselves

Learning to accept ourselves 

For who we and what we become

But always learning, always growing

Never ever fearing change

Never shutting ourselves out

From the criticism and back biting

Never letting it bring us 

Never letting it hold us back

But using it as a man 

to propel us forward

We give thanks for our lives

The one we have been blessed with 

For everyone that comes in it

Helping us bring a change to self

For time that keeps chipping at us

Bit by bit, shaping us to a best version of ourselves 

Though we never truly see it

For the air that we breathe 

The food that nourishes us

The hands that feeds us

For the people that we love

The ones we hold dear forever in our heart

For every experience that we have

We give thanks for life and it’s beautiful splendour

A Song can Save Your Life

She worked at the Diner around the corner, waiting tables and selling her homemade pies. It didn’t pay much but at least she was allowed to sell her pies. She dreamt of having her own shop where she could sell her variety or pies, pies for every emotion. But all this changed when she had the greatest gift she had ever received, her daughter.

She had to marry him, she didn’t want a daughter being born without a father’s name, she didn’t want her daughter being born a bastard. The initial honeymoon period was good, he was good to them. But then the truth reared its ugly head, he had a drinking problem and was abusive to her when drunk. She wanted to get out of this situation but didn’t have the courage to do so. He put a roof over their head and took care then, gave them security. He was good them when he was sober, but another creature when drunk. It was like living with Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. No matter what, she couldn’t leave for her daughters sake.

He used to busk in the park, near the bus stop where she took her bus home. He was elderly, ravaged by weather and by life, and the toll that it had taken on him. He was homeless, without a soul to support him or be supported by him. He had no one to call his own. He played a fine tune and tried to earn a bit from the music he played. She often used to take her lunch in the park just to listen to him. It was one of the high points of her day when she could forget about her cares and get lost in.

He came to the diner every morning for his coffee, the only thing he could afford. Fumbling through the change which he had earners from his busking, much to the annoyance of the other waitresses who unfortunately waited on him (and also they knew they were not going to get any tips). So she took It upon herself, at times slipping him a slice of pie, which was on her. As much as she liked listening to his music, she loved listening to him, and his life’s story (which he had plenty). 

She learned that he had lost his family in an accident and that it slowly lead him to depression and  homelessness, and now he was trying to piece together his broken life. He had very often advised her to leave her husband and start life a new, but she argued that she wouldn’t be able to start a life a new, it was something she didn’t want her daughter to go through what she had gone through, she wanted her to have a good life.

One day, after his drinking binges, and his abuse that has left her battered and bruised with marks all over her body, she  sat there on the park bench weeping, wanting to end it all, cause she was not sure if she could take it any longer, she couldn’t take it any longer. She wasn’t thinking very clearly. He noticed her weeping and saw the marks on her body. He slowly played her a tune, one he had never played before that acted as a soothing balm, calming her down, clearing her clouded mind, reminding her the reason to live, her daughter, her dream. In a way saving her life. 

From that day on that song became hers. Whenever she was troubled, she thought about it and it calmed her down. Whenever she was troubled he played it for her. She slipped slices of pies and goodies she knew he couldn’t afford, she paid for out of her own pocket. They were two lost souls who found each other, who found a way to help each other.

Months went by and suddenly he stopped coming to the diner. She didn’t see him busking at his usual spot. She enquired around if anyone has seen him, no one had any information about him, no one really knew where he lived or where he was. It was strange, it felt like he disappeared from the face of the earth.

After weeks and weeks of searching, she finally gave up, resigning to the fact she would never see him again, he must have moved on to different city. Then one day when she came to the diner, she found an envelope with her name, waiting for her on the counter. As she read each line of that letter her heart sank and then rose. Tears streamed though her eyes. He had recently passed away, and in the envelope was a cheque. This was a money that he has saved for his daughter, the money that he had no use of. He saw his daughter in her, and hoped that with this small amount she could start her life all over again, she could escape and give her daughter the life she deserved. Holding that envelope close to her heart she cried, cause once more he saved her life and brought her hope.

.. Begin Again

She went straight from her father’s house to her husband’s house, never quite knowing the world in between. In him she found a life partner, someone who she would share the rest of her life with.

She was quite the seamstress, a skill which he noticed, which he encouraged, which he nourished. Together they started something small, something their own, a partnership of his business acumen and her sewing skills. Together they made a name for themselves, a partnership, an awesome twosome. 

They had two boys, who became a part of her world, occupying a major part of it. She nurtured her sons into fine young man, guiding them to become gentlemen capable of starting a family of their own. He ably supported her playing the good cop or the bad cop as the role demanded. A role model for their son, very often her knight in shining amour. This was her world, she didn’t know anything beyond this, Shaw didn’t feel the need to know anything beyond it. This was her world and she was content living it, a small world consisting of herself, her sons, her husband and their little business. 

But all this changed with that one single report. It was this report that changed the world as she knew it, bringing it crumbling down. She couldn’t imagine a world without him in it, she had built a world around him, he was her a world. But now there was possibility of him not existing in it. She felt shattered and broken, but she needed to be strong, not just for him, for her sons, but most importantly for herself.

She stood by him throughout the treatment, his pillar of strength. Their sons were her strength. She couldn’t bear to see him in pain, to wither way, but she vowed to be with him through thick and thin, in sickness and health, in good times and bad, all days of their life, and she intended to see this promise through.

When he finally succumbed to his illness, she shattered to a million pieces, all broken and bruised. But she knew she had to pick herself and piece herself together. She had to live not just for their legacy, but most importantly for herself. Their sons were old enough to look after themselves, so she had find a way to live for herself. She was unsure if she would be able to manage without him, but she knew she would learn cause she had a good teacher, she was a good student.

Days passed by and she went on with life, almost settling into a routine she had once known, when her younger son showed her a life that she had missed out on, a life she had all forgotten about, a life she hadn’t lived. People scoffed, and relative spoke behind her back, this wasn’t her age and place, it didn’t suit a person of her age. What would the world say, what would society say? But then her son stood by her.

She realised her life didn’t have to end with his passing. There was a world out there to be discovered, new experience to be had. She had to close one chapter so that she could start a new one, to begin her life all over again, to love every moment she had missed out on. And with help and support of her sons, she was going to find herself she thought she had lost. She loved him, she always had and always will, she took him wherever she would go, in a special place in her heart. But now it was time she lived for herself, to put the past behind her and begin again.

Running for the Women and Men in White

There’s always that marathon that’s close to your heart, that’s special to you, that no matter where it’s held or when it’s held you will always make it a point to run it. The WNC Navy Half Marathon is one such race. Let’s face it, for a seasoned runner (or any runner for that matter), BKC is the most boring place to run, it’s the most saturated place for race with so many races being held there, and to have more than 10k runners run on those narrow roads can be quite the task. That coupled with a route that has more twist and turns than a murder mystery, along with a Mumbai weather that can’t seem to make its mind, one time cool and then going a few notches up (and that’s nots because of the runners or the men in white, or maybe it could be).

Inspite of all this what keeps us coming back to do the Navy Half Marathon? Well for starters where else would you get the opportunity to run with and for the men in white? It’s your way of saying thank you for their service and sacrifice and how much you respect them and are grateful to them for keeping us safe. There’s a feeling of prestige, a sense of pride, an honour of running for the men and women in white, and that’s what keep us coming back for more, at least that’s applicable to me. Where else would you have the chance to enjoy the sweet tunes of the naval band. It is also a way of saying thank you to the navy for the gems you’ve gotten the opportunity to know and be inspired from, like the late Raviji, Bijay, Rajat, Nadar Sir and many more dear runner friends, not to forget your best friends of the merchant navy, Ryan, Croydon and Praveen.

Standing at the start line you get the chills when you seem the beams of the tricolour. All through the route you have cadets and officers part of managing the route and manning the water stations along with the volunteers. And then you receive your medals from the men and women in their uniform. You have people clamouring to have a picture taken with them, making them the most sort after people in the race. And that chills you get up your spine when the naval band plays the national anthem, it fills you with pride.

Because of these you are willing to look past the shortcomings of running quite a boring route that’s so twisty and turny, and in a way not too well managed, or the poor volunteers tried to their best ( but then who starts a 10k before the 21k when knowing the back end of the 10k is filled with non serious runners, if we can even call them that, and the front end of the 21 has to tackle them). 

So inspite of all this the navy is one of the run I have always done, though not always  enjoyed, but all the time filling me with a feeling of prestige and honour, brining me back for more.

A place without non name

It was a day just like any other working day, there was nothing special or different about it. It was just another mundane working day. He went through the motions and had made it safely to the other side. And now it was time to leave and go home. 

It was one those days when he rode to office instead of taking the usual public transportation, so he decided to cut through the forest to avoid the usual traffic. It was route which he was familiar with, a route which he had taken a number of times before (if not a thousand times), a route that held fond memories of a clandestine meeting, a route which he had just taken in the morning. 

As nothing can ever be kept a secret for long, so it was with the route. There were many of those who had discovered it and in doing so effectively jammed the narrow road. The evening was one of those days when vehicles, two wheelers and four wheelers alike, tried to find a way of overtaking, finding an un-obstructed path. So he was forced to take another shortcut, one that was frequented by the wild, one where he used to run. He reluctantly drove down an empty road, as it snaked through the dense foliage. He could feel the breeze on his face as he drove through, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. The air felt cool, the air fresh on his face, refreshing his senses.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, he saw a headlights of a car. Where did it come from, how did he miss it. It was coming directly towards him, at great speed. He tried to move to the left of the road to give it way, let it pass, but somehow it seemed to occupy the whole road. Was it a car or a truck? There was nothing he could do, there were nowhere he could go. This was it he thought, and braced himself for the impact. He thought he saw all his life flash  in front of his eyes.

As the lights approached him, he couldn’t take it, so he shut his eyes tightly, too scared to face what was upon him. To his surprise, he just passed through it, and just as it appeared, the lights disappeared. He was too shaken to understand what had just happened. He took a deep breath and muttered a thanks  for narrowly missing the opportunity to meet his maker. 

While he was relieved at cheating death, his bike began to sputter. This was the last place he wanted to be stranded, you couldn’t tell what was lurking in the dark, behind those trees. He tried everything, but the bike refused to come to life. Maybe it was exchange for his soul, he thought wearily. He finally gave up and began pushing it down the dark road.

As he pushed the bike he felt something strange about the place. Though he was familiar with the road, today it felt different. Did he take a wrong turn somewhere, he thought to himself. He was not in Kansas any longer (well Kansas was several million miles away from him). Not wanting to stop, he continued to push his bike, trusting his gut. Suddenly he became aware that he was walking in a mist, and in that a mist a woman appeared.

She was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. There was something magnetic about that he felt drawn to her, she was intoxicating just by being around her. Words couldn’t describe her, it failed to describe her. She approached him, and he could feel his heart flutter and beat rapidly. He felt like a young boy just discovering love, awakening his senses. He felt giddy, lightheaded. Was this the effect of this radiant creature who was making her way towards him.

He took a deep breath when she finally approached him and asked him what was the matter. He explained to her his predicament, in brief as he didn’t want to bore her. She smiled, a radiant and dazzling smile that made his heart flutter and skip a couple of beats, and told him that there was a village nearby where he could seek help and directions, and she could take him there.

So they walked through the mist together. He was grateful for her company though she kind of, in a strange way made him feel a bit uncomfortable. A while of walking, the finally reached the village she mentioned to him. The place felt strange, there was something about it that made it feel a bit out of place in today’s world. Even though it was quite late, there were children playing outside, laughing and screaming and having fun. They passed a group of women who were quite engrossed in their chatting but when they saw them, they immediately stopped and greeted them with a big smile, a very Stepford Wife kind of creepy smile. He passed a group men who were drinking and singing bawdy and then bursting into peels of laughter. When they saw them they raised their glasses and whistled at her, passing remarks. She on her path didn’t seem perturbed, in fact it felt like she quite welcomed the attention.

They finally reached the mechanic, who had a look at said that he would need to look at it first thing at sunrise. As it was quite late she insisted that she stay in town and go the next morning when his bike was fixed. Reluctantly he agreed to her suggestion and decided to stay for the night. He tried to call home but there was no network. She took him to an inn where he could spend the night, when he refused to stay with her not wanting to give her any further trouble. But the truth was he had this feeling that he couldn’t trust her, he couldn’t trust this place.

As they made their way to the inn, he asked her what was this place. She smiled and told him this place could be anything that he wanted it to be, a place without no name. This kind of frightened him a bit more. When he asked the clerk at the reception about the check out time, he just smiled and informed that he could checkout any time he liked but he could never leave, and then laughed when he saw the frown on his face.

He thanked her for all her help and made his way to his room. He didn’t notice her following him. He entered room and immediately went to the washroom to relieve himself and freshen up. He heard a knock on the door. When he opened it he found her standing on the other side. 

Before he could say anything she threw herself at him. He couldn’t utter a single word because her lips were on his. Anyone would have kissed back this beautiful creature but he was too in state of shock at her ambushing him, besides he had someone special back home. Inspite his non-reciprocativeness she continued to kiss him. She pushed him on to the bed, straddling him she ripped open his shirt, exposing his bare chest, kissing him all over, bitting him and nibbling him. He tried push her off him but in a strange way he found himself aroused, and she could feel it too. She unzipped his pant and and tried to reach for his manhood.

He finally managed to push her off him. Quickly zipping up himself he told her that though she was an attractive woman but he was not into her, he already had someone back home. But she was having none of it, and barely listening to what he said. She continued to claw at him, kiss him, almost maul him, even though he didn’t reciprocate to her advances.

Once again he pushed her off him, and he ran out of the room, bleeding from the scratches she had given him. He had to get out this place, it creeped him out, it freaked him, she scared him. She followed him as he left the room, almost chasing him. He tried to his best to get away from her. He didn’t notice the steps and tripped and fell down. He was bleeding from where his head banged the stairs and began to feel dizzy. The last thing he knew  we she was standing on top of him, before he lost consciousness.

When he finally opened his eyes he found himself lying on the side of the road, with his bike lying right next to him, the same place where he had passed through the light. It felt like the same time, like time hadn’t pass by and all this didn’t happen. Was all this a dream, a nightmare? Did it really happen to him? He felt a strange burning on his chest, and when he unbuttoned his shirt he noticed the scratches that she had given him.

He quickly dusted himself off and tried to restart his bike. To his relief it came to life. He quickly got on it and ride from the place as fast possible, not wanting to spend another moment there. He never ever wanted to return to the place with no name.

Running with Wonder Woman

Well how many people can say that they got a chance to run with a superhero? Well not really a superhero (as you would assume) but your friend dressed as a superhero does come close enough. Lets face it, we all want to be a superhero, and to quote aunt May, there’s a little superhero in all of us (if I got the quote right).

She didn’t want to look like a fool as the only person running on the road in a Wonder Woman costume, and I was too tired to up my pace. She was taking baby  steps from returning to running (albeit cautiously) from an accident, and I was a victim to a finicky weather that was being quite the bitch on the day (if I may be permitted to use the term), not quite making up its mind whether it wanted to blow hot or cold, and so ensuing confusion turning the morning weather quite humid and dreary. 

So there we went, two running so(u)les, Running, jogging, crawling, walking, all the while chit-chatting about every possible thing under sun (literally as the morning wore on), greeting fellow runners as we passed them, as we hadn’t seen them in ages, involving them in our conversation, or just conversing about them. Taking walk breaks where needed, crawling too, but all the time trying to get some mileage under feet. We talked about our training runs and friends who joined us, the books she read, and the ones I was trying to read, about writings and topics to write up on, about friends and family.

Wherever we went, we were met strange quizzing glances wondering who were these morons running in costume (well, not me, you know who got those glances). We were so busy ignoring them and carrying on with our chit-chat run (if I could dare to borrow the term from my friend Manasi), we didn’t see the devil lurking around the corner, well not around the corner but behind the car, jumping right at us, scaring the bejesus out of us (ok I was the one that got startled the most). The devil being our friend, volunteering at Wilson, where the volunteers were dressed as witches. So that made them the three witches (dang I should have asked them what they saw in my future, like Macbeth did), laughing at the whole situation, and then posing for the camera (who I guess must have been in on the scheme distracting us, while the witches scared the living daylight out of us).

So from there we continued on our way to the NCPA, trotting along, chatting along, encouraging one another, trying our best to overcome the November heat, knowing very well that we were brining up the rear, clicking pics with vintage cars along the way. So when we finally reached, the cool down session was done, but there were bunch of runners hanging around, some in costume (thus not making her out of place), chatting excitedly, socialising, smiling. So we greeted them, clicked pics and socialised, as we Runners do.

So finally we made it, slowly and steadily, but we surely made it to the end. The weather didn’t matter, timing didn’t either. So now I can proudly say that I had the opportunity to run with a superhero, aka Wonder Woman.

Remembrance

As I walk through the place 

Where they rest in peace 

Amongst graves decked in 

Orange, reds and white

With tombstones etched in silver and gold

Bearing names of those long since gone

Of loved ones and dear ones

Family and friends

Father, mother, husband, wife

Daughter, son, everyone in our life

People who we have laid to rest

The ones who we will never see again

A thought that feels like 

A dagger to the heart

That brings you sorrow and pain

How you wish you could tell them

How much you miss them

How much they mean to you

Things you failed to tell them

When they were with you 

But now it’s too late

Cause you’ll never get the chance

To tell them how you felt

So as you lay that marigold

Decorating their resting place

You try in vain to fight that lump

That rises in your throat

Refusing to go down

Cause big boys do cry

You have not prepared 

Any grand ofrendas 

But hope they follow you home

On the petals of the marigolds

On the day where they can

Roam among the living

But you don’t to mourn their passing

They wouldn’t have wanted it that way

You wouldn’t want to

remember them that way

Cause their life needs to be celebrated 

Their memories need to be honoured 

Cause they’ll always remain with you 

Etched on the walls of your mind

A memory to last forever 

To a melody played on the strings of our souls

And a rhythm that rattled us down to the bone

Our love for each other will live on forever

In every beat of my proud corazón