Monday, January 21, 2008

A routine, a change and some fun!

S looked at his mother and sighed. Home because his kindergarten was off, he had waved goodbye to his brother and father. They certainly seemed to be having more fun than he was!…

He looked at his mom, sitting before her computer pounding away at the keyboard…and he sighed…He went back to his coloring, wondering when he should start pestering her for tv viewing time. Maybe she will be so busy she may actually say yes…

Suddenly his mother got up, went out of the room and came back with a basket. “Get ready”…she said “Let’s go”

“Where?” he asked

“Anywhere, let’s explore”

COOL! Exploring! He changed quickly and got his little Spiderman along , just in case!


So they walked, saw a chameleon and a snail on the way. They reached a lake, where his mother went “Ooh and Ahh” over some green grass and trees…while his heart did flips when he saw the awesome adventure playground.



“Whee…this was fun!” he thought. There were obstacle courses and Spiderman webs to be climbed! They played together for what seemed like hours and even polished off the goodies mummy had packed. It sure felt good to be here, just mom and him.

On the way back, they got into a double decker bus. S sat right at the top and felt like the king. Things sure looked different from this level. Where are we going? He asked MOM…

‘Hmmm…. I don’t know” She said “I think we are lost”…

She didn’t seem too worried and S was thrilled that they were lost. Another adventure!

After a little roaming around where he and Spiderman saved a few accidents, they got down and S saw another favorite place, the library! He got a huge bundle of books and his mother read book after book, till the end of it all, her voice went a bit funny. S loved the tales of a tinysauraus and the adventures of the little alphabets that flew everywhere on a pencil…

After a lunch of mushroom soup and pizza, they reached home, without any more mishaps.

When his father came home, he was greeted with “Papa, I had such a fun day today…we got lost and then ….”

The ramblings went on, and this mother looked on amused and happy. Another beautiful memory to be tucked into my little treasure chest! The delight on his face was worth the extra hours which would be spent at night, trying to tackle that workload!

It had started like any other day. A Monday and the familiar routine...the packing of kid and husband to school, the same mails to be tackled, pages to be edited and the articles to be finalized for the magazine. I had looked at my little boy sitting near the window, surrounded by his books, crayons and coloring pages waiting patiently for that time when his mother would be free. I had looked at him and looked back at my computer, and that was when i thought, let's have a different monday. (one of the few advantages of working at home)


The writer's island prompted a take on 'fork in the road'. Today was no crossroad of my life, but it definitely was a change in the path and it turned out to be different and interesting. I liked the choice i made today. The fork of change that I plunged in certainly brought out rich pleasures.

There are times when the mundane rules our lives, when life gets very mechanical … why not rock it up with a little change?

Spontaneity can be fun!!! Go on, try it...don’t take my word for it !!

32 comments:

Preethi said...

hey this was so beautiful... I used to take Nantu out in the summer for a routine trip to the library once every week on the bus... and then some days to Burger king or to a local store which has cars he can drive in the front of the cart .. Some days we would do an impromptu trip to a park with water features.. Nantu misses all that now.. its winter and thats an end to all our adventures!! This summer he has big plans.. bicycle, roller skating, basket ball his list is endless...
See you triggered my trip down memory lane :)

Prats said...

The pictures convey so much of joy in S' face, and i'm sure he must said "you're the best"
In between mundane days, yours sounds like a one wonderful party....
I did somethng similar this sunday and can still see the glee in the lil one's eyes, while he explains the beautiful shapes of the dried up leaves...and how high he could climb the tree

Rambler said...

Hey TA, I liked your idea of the fork, I mean your idea of making the fork in our road, making the change..very nice...

Guruprasad said...

wow! that sounded like something hubby and son would feel mighty envious about :)

i'd taken off a day once and we played and watched a movie together and i agree its a lot of fun.

recently took my younger one, daughter, s, for a trip to the railway station. watched trains, and took a double decker bus ride back home!

even if you can't take the day off... just coming home early enough to play a quick game of cricket can be so much fun. the best part is the difference it seems to make to them.

well, i don't think anyone in the world looks up to me as much as my kids do ;)

that is a good reason for people to get married. and for married people to have kids (one at least!) :)

Robin said...

What a magical day. I'm going to remember this and take inspiration the next time my own child is pestering for more tv time.

Keith's Ramblings said...

What a lovely day! And what a lucky child. Lovely piece

paisley said...

well i think this is the perfect example of taking a turn at the crossroads... you could have stayed in front of the computer,, and he in front of the tv.....

Anonymous said...

I like this. I do not encourage my nephews and nieces to watch TV.

rayshma said...

that was SO beautiful! i am trying to live spontaneously... more than i did before... and yeah, u're right... it sure is a lot of fun :)

Sumana said...

This is wonderful TA. Well for the aspiring hope joy and enthu that you see in their eyes, one can turn the whole world upside down.

Jaya said...

A perfect day !

Preethi said...

Btw, come read my take on the topic!! :)

Anonymous said...

Inspiring post, one sure needs to let go and savor the simple things in life. Thank you.

Tumblewords: said...

A wonderful idea and one that will last forever. It is awfully hard to get out of the routine, sometimes self-imposed. Bet you both came back with a new take on life. Love this post! Playful and charming.

paris parfait said...

What a wonderful story! A burst of spontaneity is fantastic, especially for children. He is one lucky little boy!

aMus said...

@ preethi...

days like these are best preserved for te warmth they bring when remembered! We do impromptu tripe, but thi stime teh workload i stremendous and i really couldn't afford to get out! then i thought what teh heck! let's enjoy!

@ prats...

Hee..hee..he did say 'it was such a fun day' so i take it that i AM teh best :)

and arjun is one lucky guy to have such a great mom in you...

@ rambler...
i knew you would see te idea...yeah sometimes we need to put a fork in to the road...that's what makes it fun!

aMus said...

@ guru...

there's a father speaking :)

there are times when my husband stays at home and teh kids are like "u have no office 2day? 'and they clamour for cricket!

i'd like to think that when the kids grow up and look back at their childhood, these will be teh memories they come up with...

@ robin..
it was a magical day indeed! more so for teh glee on his face! tv viewing is quite restricted in our house...i too avoid it...:)

@ keith...
thank you ...and i think i was very lucky this time to have enjoyed myself...

aMus said...

@ paisley..
you are so right...it could have gone on as usual...and i'm glad i made that fork today..

@ gautami...
thank you...

@ jen...
thank you...in fact i had wanted to write another piece on crossroads,...then this mgical day happened and i just wanted to write it down ...i may not get another MONDAY like this...:)

aMus said...

@ rayshma...
see? it IS fun...isn't it?..

how r u now?

@ sumana...
that's what i keep telling myself...that the kids should have a childhood they remember with joy...

@ joy...
You summed it up perfectly!!! :)

@ preethi..
definitely will be there soon! :)

@ Ul...
hey thanks...

@ sue...
it was dfficult to get out of the real world...there was SO much to finish...but the fun was worth it...

@ paris parfait...
thank you...i think we both got something out of this excursion...

Beau Brackish said...

Very inspirational post. I promise to put the laptop down and play Mr. Potato Head with my daughter as soon I finish this comment!

Rob Kistner said...

Truly enjoyed reading this. Every child, as often as possible, should have a daily routine modified in a beneficial manner. It makes them a richer person of broader perspective.

Forgetfulone said...

I love your story and your take on the prompt!

Preeti Shenoy said...

:-) Nice post!
For me the problem is too much spontaniety! I have to get into some routine.(I abhor them)

aMus said...

@ herb...
you do that and i'm sure she would be delighted to see Mr.potato head right now :)

2 rob...
routine is necssary and getting fun out of it is the challenge...:)

@ forgetfulone...
thank you :)

@ ps...
he..he...too much spontaneity is fun...and some routines you can't avoid...

the highlight was time spent with one kid...and of course ignoring the huge deadline towering over me...

Madhumita said...

Loved this post. Wonderful Monday -and all little boys seem so familiar to me :)

Unknown said...

Felt like i'm walking with my kid in contry side !!!

Crafty Green Poet said...

lovely story - I'm all for spontaneity!

Cherie said...

Beautiful, being spontaneous often brings such fun and satisfaction - great post!

Compassion Unlimitted said...

Meeting deadlines ! wonder if they ever bring joy..Dropping everything on hand and wandering aimlessly,once in a while,does enrich..envy you...you did it and that joy is there for everybody to see...hmmm
tc
cu

Mahogany said...

Loved it!

Mahogany said...

Loved it!

Deepali said...

:)

There are times when the mundane rules our lives, when life gets very mechanical … why not rock it up with a little change?

Good point.