Sitara enjoying jumping on the neighbor’s trampoline! Cautious at first but then she took flight.
Author: The Galavanting Gastronome
Love writing about food and travel (www.thegalavantinggastronome.com) and my conversations with God (https://gitanjali.yoga).
Born and raised in India. Sailor's daughter. Travel is in my DNA. Married to a scientist, who is a chemist professionally and in every other culinary way. Food, coffee, cocktails, BBQ, smoked meats, rubs, sauces...he experiments with it all - with way more wins than misses.
We love the outdoors. Hiking, kayaking and camping make us happy.
We are equal opportunity foodies. We love hole-in-the-wall little mom and pop places, and multi-coursed Michelin star meals as well. And, we love talking about what we love about the food, drink, coffee and anything else we get to try.
Going Home
I’m going home to India in a month’s time. It’s hard for me to believe this. I haven’t been home since 2004 when we got married in Agra– the city of the Taj Mahal. It was a whirlwind trip- I didn’t get to soak in my Bombay, or I should say the Bombay I know and remember. We literally transitted through Bombay in a day! I’m going to visit my 94 year old grandfather. He had a close health call recently and the reality of not having seen much of him in nearly a decade hit me hard. I feel like my eyes were opened to the fact that I was taking his mortality for granted.
My husband gave me the ultimate gift and offered to take care of our little one for the 12 days that I’ll be gone, which means I don’t have to worry or gut myself into splitting my time watching over them (he always falls sick when we travel via air) and spending unadulterated time with daddy…which is what I call my grandfather.
So I started this writing by saying I’m going home, but home is where my heart is, which is here in this home with my husband and daughter who I miss already and I haven’t even left yet, and won’t for another month. I guess what I mean is, I’m going to India, and I’ll be home soon!
I’m so proud of you
5 little words — so powerful, such impact. My husband said this to me night before last. I’m proud of you and what you’ve done with Arbonne so far. It brought a Ray of sunshine into my slightly dark day and completely changed my mood for the better. I’d been laying in bed with my back to him and I instantly turned toward him and snuggled into him. I slept well that night.
It’s a powerful phrase. Go ahead say it to someone – and mean it! You’ll see what I mean.
Dolphins
What magnificent creatures– saw 2 dancing on the waves as I drove home along the coast! They bring a smile to my lips and lift my soul. These days I’m flying pretty high as it is, so am particularly blessed right now. Just felt the urge to share.
Money has no memory – Experience has.
You will never know what the total cost of your education was, but for a lifetime you will recall and relive the memories of schools and colleges. Few years from now, you will forget the amount you paid to settle the hospitalization bill, but will ever cherish having saved your mother’s life or the life you get to live with the just born. You won’t remember the cost of your honeymoon, but to the last breath remember the experiences of the bliss of togetherness. Money has no memory. Experience has.
Good times and bad times, times of prosperity and times of poverty, times when the future looked so secure and times when you didn’t know from where the tomorrow will come… life has been in one way or the other a roller-coaster ride for everyone. Beyond all that abundance and beyond all that deprivation, what remains is the memory of experiences. Sometimes the wallet was full… sometimes even the pocket was empty. There was enough and you still had reasons to frown. There wasn’t enough and you still had reasons to smile. Today, you can look back with tears of gratitude for all the times you had laughed together, and also look back with a smile at all the times you cried alone. All in all, life filled you with experiences to create a history of your own self, and you alone can remember them all.
The first time you balanced yourself on your cycle without support… The first time she said ‘yes’ and it was two years since you proposed… The first cry… the first steps… the first word… the first kiss… all of your child… The first gift you bought for your parents and the first gift your daughter gave you… The first award… the first public appreciation… the first stage performance… And the list is endless… Experiences, with timeless memory… No denying that anything that’s material cost money, but the fact remains the cost of the experience will be forgotten, but the experience never.
So, what if it’s economic recession? Let it be, but let there not be a recession to the quality of your life. You can still take your parents, if not on a pilgrimage, at least to the local temple. You can still play with your children, if not on an international holiday, at least in the local park. It doesn’t cost money to lie down or to take a loved one onto your lap. Nice time to train the employees, create leadership availability and be ready for the wonderful times when they arrive. Hey! Aspects like your health, knowledge development and spiritual growth are not economy dependent.
Time will pass… economy will revive… currency will soon be in current… and in all this; I don’t want you to look back and realize you did nothing but stayed in gloom. Recession can make you lose out on money. Let it not make you lose out on experiences… If you are not happy with what you have, no matter how much more you have, you will still not be happy.
I don’t the author of this – but it’s powerful and I wanted to share!
She made me cry!
I received this email from a friend I’ve known since 8th grade today. Our birthdays are 3 days apart and we’ve been best friends for as long as I can remember.
“I was recently at a funeral and the priest said – Life is short. He then talked about how this guy had influenced the lives of people in that room – friends, family, strangers. He said ” I’d like for everyone in this room to tell as many people as they can how someone has positively affected their lives. In our crazy, busy and stressful world nobody appreciates humanity any more and I’d like for you to make a list of people and go through that list. If it takes you months or years, then so be it.”
Good exercise.
You may not believe in all this but I felt strongly about it (you know, having almost lost life myself, I do see the value in appreciating life and people you care for)
So anyway… you are one of the people on my list…
You are dynamic, powerful yet sensitive and gentle, warm, loyal and strong. You have been there for me at probably my lowest point/s. I have learnt so much from you. I remember the crazy, fun times we had in our college days – from the canteen to the dosawala, to RG’s and Cellar and the maker towers terrace to the fashion show practices with the chunni’s, eating at Khyber, driving around in your little red Maruti, all the crazy stuff we did and I smile. You found me after a long disconnect after my accident. I thank you for that. You will never know how much that meant to me.
I’m sorry we lost so much time – I guess we were meant to to grow and mature into the people we are today.
You touch my life in so many ways – I thank you and cherish this friendship. You teach me so much, you inspire me, you listen, you care, you share, YOU ROCK!”
Thank you my friend- right back at you! YOU ROCK too!!
Remember – Aqua Rules!
Little win
Yesterday I was trying to convince Sitara that she needed to eat some more chicken! She wouldn’t open her mouth for anything. So I begged, pouted, coaxed, threatened not to give her ‘sparkly juice’ (1/2 OJ 1/2 soda water) but nothing worked! Her mouth was sealed shut – so instead I said, ‘please – for mommy’ and gave her the biggest smile! and instantly her mouth opened! WOW!
My inspiration today
Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Mommy n me weekend
We had the best weekend this past weekend…with papa gone on a fishing trip with the boys – it was just the two of us gals! We ran a 5K in the morning – with Sitara finishing 1 second ahead of me sitting in the baby jogger! My time was logged as 30:09 – not too shabby for being the first race we’ve run since June last year. We’re doing the Channel Islands 5K on July 4th – should be lovely along the harbor.
Anyway after the 5K we hung about for a while, enjoying the morning – we got interviewed by the videographer for the greek festival too! That should be interesting. He said I could get a copy of the video. Later that afternoon we made our way back to the festival and met with a friend and her daughter for a few hours of fun! Sitara was mesmerized by the greek dancers and sat and watched them for nearly an hour! And mind you – she’s 2 so that’s quite a feat! She asked for (and got) a sugarladen butter cookie followed by hummus and pita and oh of course her favorite – kalamata olives.
After a loooong nap we went to sushi with another friend – and she got to stay up an hour past her bedtime of 8pm!
The next day – that’s yesterday, we went to Costco – her (and my) favorite store, sampled juice, sausage, chocolate and smoothie, and then got home. Later in the evening we spent over an hour running in the park and playing on the slides! All in all, a fabulous fun filled weekend!
We missed papa – umm, just a little! We were having too much fun!
Impatience and Guilt
Today probably for the very first time since her birth I was really impatient with Sitara. No, I didn’t explode or anything, but I felt frustrated and didn’t try to calm her as she had tantrum over tantrum over tantrum about everything in general and nothing in particular. Am I a bad mom? No– but I sure felt it tonight. My little girl — but she doesn’t seem like that tonight. Who is this little stubborn baby girl?
The Breathing Space 