I love taking pictures and capturing the moments behind the lens .Candid pictures do justice in capturing the real expressions and emotions.Remembering conversations comes naturally to me and I can almost narrate them without missing the essence.

Today when I sit in the coziest corner of my house and glance through the albums, the pictures play their stories back and forth in my mind.Going through photo albums can be a rewarding experience, as it allows you to reminisce about your favorite memories.In the midst of the pandemic where we haven’t met our dear ones for almost two years it feels like every picture is talking to you and taking you back to relive the moment.

The albums embark you on a virtual tour and you see yourself landed where the picture was shot and relive the memory.Some we lost before covid and some to this ruthless covid. And so, alongside the grief and anxiety we are feeling the loss of what we had in the past and the fear of what is in store for the future there is another big emotion that’s spreading around:helplessness.

Pictures remind you the happy moments you shared with them.

They actually do the same job books do in fact better because you are the character in the pictures.They take you to beautiful destinations ,they take you home when you really can’t be now.

Bubble wraps bring back childhood memories. May sound silly but when a piece of bubble wrap came home wrapped over a fragile item I would wait to attack it. Whoever held a bubble wrap sheet unknowingly and involuntarily pops it even before they knew. Its quite addictive.

It gave immense pleasure and was a good de stress without making a hole in the pocket.

Now I will tell you why I brought up money while sharing this childhood memory.

Few days back my little one told me that the children in her class are talking about a new toy that has come in the toy store – “Pop it”.She was very excited talking about it and I told her we will look for it when we go to the store.

Today we went to the mall and I saw the toy for the first time and you have no idea how much I tried hard to match up with my daughter’s excitement. It was in different colours and shapes and my little one was all confused which one to pick and she politely asked me, “Mamma can you please help me choose?” and my instant reaction “you really want this!!” – to that her face fell low and I realized probably I was too rude. Well I was made to understand that it is a stress relieving toy and can be very beneficial for kids.

I could have made her understand as she is not the types who would fuss and cry but didn’t want to break her heart for this silly thing.

My little one was sold to it even before we had reached the store so I just followed the parenting rule and picked it.

Lesson for next time google in advance 😬.

I got hugs,kisses and love you’s in return which are priceless.”Pop it “had popped my pocket.

Readers please do not get popped like me 😉.

Picture below will explain the connection between the bubble wrap and pop it and you will realize how the new generation is getting fooled for simple pleasures of life.

Have you ever been put on the spot by an enthusiastic small child who has made a drawing and wants you to guess what he\she has made.

According to me that’s the worst situation to be in.That little one is a bundle of ideas and is all excited to tell you what is there in the drawing but your intelligent brain is unable to crack it.

Till a certain age every art looks like a modern art and surely there is an artist in every child.Their innocence,simplicity and purity is what makes them stand out.

Have you seen children clinging on to their old and broken toys – it doesn’t matter to them how cheap it might be monetarily as it is more precious than all riches of the world put together.

I wish I could be a child again and unfurl my imaginations,believe in fairies and pretend to be a princess.Wear capes and fight the evil,jump in the puddles and make a mess around.Why do I crave for perfection in everything today when it does not give me the happiness the mess once gave.

Laughing without reasons, paying no heed to others words was so easy then.Why did I grow up and lose those traits.

I wish to be a child again
If not in reality …..
Maybe sometimes in my dreams.

Childhood is a phase that should be celebrated.

I miss the morning rush

From waking the kids

To shuttling between the kitchen and the bedrooms

From making their breakfast and packing their tiffins

To brushing their hair

Morning prayers, the discipline was there

Little hands no more wave out from the school bus

Everything now has changed hence

It’s been a long pause…

When the virus was new, I was shy to wear a mask

As time passed by it was no more a task

We got caged in our own homes

For months together we did not hear a door bell

Doors opened only for grocery

Roads became empty and the parks looked bleak

It’s been a long pause…

It feels like we are on a different planet

Always frightened and confused

Minds are always occupied

Remembering to wash hands, not to touch our faces

And sanitize everything that comes in

We no more touch door knobs and door bells

Our elbow has taken over

It’s been a long pause…

We missed face to face conversations

 Zoom calls and Face time showed us the personal touch

Birthdays, Anniversaries and Festivals were all celebrated together

We learnt to take time out once again

The venue remained same but we learnt to value

It’s been a long pause…

Months have passed by and normalcy has become a myth

Vaccinations have come in but lockdowns don’t seem to end

Living through the pandemic our flow of life has forever changed

Today it’s a privilege if you have a roof over your head

And it’s a luxury if you have a steady job in your hand

Waiting to fly home and have a meal prepared by mom

Waiting to sit up late and gossip with my siblings

There is a fear inside me to face the reality

That the world there is less than how I left it last

It’s been a long pause…

It took a virus to teach us come together again

There are no boundaries, no religion

We are together in this

We may recite different prayers but it is one

We all for once have the same wish

We wish to breathe again in the open

After the long pause!

Salute to these little heroes (our children) who have braved themselves

Throughout this pandemic.

If Airlines start alloting maximum weight for a passenger and the baggage he or she could carry,gyms will flourish.This means less fuel which would help the airline save money and cut on carbon emissions.