Caprice

I don’t have kids of the age of 13-15. I don’t have kids actually, for now. But I’m already scared of my kids growing into that age at some point.

As much as I don’t like to call myself a writer for some odd reason, I must accept that observing little details and putting them on paper is really my thing. Maybe sharing my thoughts with people who might be able to relate is my thing. So I was doing my usual Saturday morning routine, sitting in the café downstairs of my apartment building and sipping on a latte, reading the newspaper.

I heard the lady at the register. She asked “What I can get for you today?”

“One non-fat vanilla latte and one strawberry and cream shake please” said Alya.

"Name for the order please?"

"Alya"

Alya's kid wandered around in the café looking for something that he could potentially throw on the ground or break. He had the revolt in his behavior. He jumped around disrupting people’s silence including mine. When the disturbance continued for a while I decided to take off my glasses, put the paper down and watch him.

“I don’t want strawberry and cream anymore. I want cookies and cream” the kid said.

“You can’t have cookies and cream anymore sweety. We have already placed the order. I asked you 3 times before ordering it and you said you wanted strawberry and cream” Alya reminded Ivan, her 13 year old son. Not looking at her son, thinking that her ignorance would stop him from making a scene in the café she herself looked a little troubled by her son’s forceful demand.

“But now I want cookies and cream. Ask her to change it. I want the freedom to change my drink whenever I want to.”

“You can have cookies and cream in the evening. Strawberries make a good breakfast in the morning.” Alya said.

“You’re not a good mom at all.You don’t respect my choice. Why do I have to listen to you all the time? I know what’s good for me and what’s bad. ” Ivan screamed and walked out of the café in tears.

The entire café watched while Alya only had a pretentious smile on her face waiting to get the heck out of the café. She took the latte and the strawberry and cream and walked out embarassed.

Who can you really blame when your kids come up with such statements which you know aren’t true nevertheless there isn’t a way to make your child feel secured and comforted? Is it the age or the peers or the environment? Or is it the way you bring up or train your children? But realizing it after such events when the damage is already done, is there a way out of it or is it too late? Should you start doubting yourself as a parent and your inability in bringing up your kid or should you put it on that day and age where your child is in the revolt phase of life? But is it easy to convince yourself that it’s only time that could fix your relation with your kid and you can’t do much about it at the time?

I’m not a parent and I used to think being a parent probably needs lesser work than the pleasure that it gives you in return. I’m not sure of that anymore. I’m not sure if I have the strength in me to face that part of my life where there possibly will come a day when I blame myself for not having the right mother-child relationship with my child. I’m not sure if I want to be the mother my kid doesn’t want to go to. And in the fright to not let that happen I’m not sure if I would land up overdoing my part as a parent and turn out being over protective of my kids.

Anyway, miles to go I thought and snapped out of it. My coffee cup was empty. I walked towards the café register.

The lady at the register asked “What can I get for you today?”

“Strawberry and Cream shake maybe.” It’s better than cookies and cream I thought to myself.

I felt the cold today ..

By the streets of Seattle, walking on the stony walkways paved between stretches of grassy lands, the cold wind that kissed my cheeks and moved my hair, swirled my ears and sucked my bones, reminded me of the time five years back, back in Chicago land when I was completely new to the city and there wasn’t a moment where I didn’t curse the harsh wind and the ruthless itch it brought with it and I felt it in every nerve of my body. I had not imagined life so hard but I lived it. I cursed it all the way and every moment for all the distress it brought along with its adamant vigor to cause immense suffering.

Every day was a new confrontation with self, a new challenge to leave home, to gather the courage to feel the beast trying to get inside of me from any angle it possibly could while I walked my way to reach class. Resisting all that atrocity and ugliness it got with it and still keeping that energy alive, bled away all the will and strength to survive the day.

It’s been three years I moved away from the place, from the cold and its bitterness.

I felt the same cold today three years later. And I didn’t even really feel it. I enjoyed it and savored it. I slowed down to feel it deeper and smiled. I loved the touch of the wind on my face and it no more felt harsh. It felt known and my own, surreal and beautiful.

A shift in perspective, life, growth and self, changed everything including what the city and its elements resemble to me today. Only today I realize that cold resembles struggle and survival to me. It resembles suffering in the most brutal conditions but holding the faith that it will end someday. The cold that I detested once, taught me to look at life in a different way. It taught me the lesson of bearing pain and how to survive in the toughest times. It taught me perseverance and conviction. It taught me to be fearless.

I live my life fearlessly today and I believe I can survive any phase of life and handle whatever comes my way with the right attitude. It taught me the lesson I needed to learn the most. The lesson of being lionhearted !

That faithful beast stayed with me to teach me my lessons till I learnt them. It stayed by my side on my journey regardless of when and where it would end. It left me when I learnt what I needed to and was ready to take up whatever came my way. Today when I am no more surrounded by it, it got back to me with a hug and a hello and to remind me that though as ruthless and as brutal the entire journey of life gets, it teaches you something that you need, to live the rest of your life.

I love Chicago. I love Cold. I love Life.

Look what the world has come to !

The first thing i read this morning:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/social.media/02/21/facebook.relationship.status/index.html?hpt=T2

"You like someone. They're in a relationship. Be the first one to know when they're out of it" promises the app's website.

I wonder what will the world look like 2 years from now with social websites coming up with so much drama - melodrama.

Success at the age of 4 - not peeing in your pants, at the age of 18 - a driver's license, at the age of 30 - money, friends and sex, at the age of 50 - sex and at the age of 80 - not peeing in your pants.

2 years from now...

Success at the age of 4 - Updating status on facebook about when you were successful not peeing in your pants and expecting more than 5 likes and 10 comments, at the age of 18 - Create a poll on face book on "how ugly your girlfriend/boy friend was" and make sure facebook banned his/her profile and you tweeted about it, at the age of 30 - Get your wife pregnant by sending her a facebook request, at the age of 50 - You've got success coz you're not a loser ! Atleast you have the facebook wall to talk to ! at the age of 80 - Have the courage to delete your own profile on facebook, else hell yea ! you're a pedophille !

How strange that the world has forgotten the simple pleasures of meeting one on one to play scrabble or have coffee or worse yet have a conversation before breaking up than breaking up over a facebook message. The pleasure of taking pictures to savour them in future than to tag them ! The excitement of making friends in person by meeting them more often than adding them as friends and never ever meeting them again ! The nuances of apologizing to loved ones than hoping you still remain friends with them on facebook.

Life has become a joke in a certain sense of the word and friendships and relationships - elements of the joke !

Save yourself ! Get a life - a real one !