Magic and Mystery
It was March, 2020. Early vacations had started for Pihu (7yo) because of the Corona outbreak.
There was a palpable fear in the air - things were happening which had never happened before: nation-wide lockdown, indefinite termination of train and air services, and worst of all, the inevitable parting with the maids. For millions of Indian women like me, maids are like our oxygen support - you plug them out and we start to gasp for breath. But, squeezed for options, we lived with it.
Inside my home, I was preparing myself to brace the challenges that lay ahead. Staying inside, we will stay safe, alright, but what about staying sane? I turned to GOD, asking him, in my meditation, to give me the strength and the wisdom to sail through such unique times. And, in return, I felt bestowed with the feelings of reassurance and peace and calm! It is moments like these, no matter how fleeting and elusive they are, that make me love my sittings and make me return to it everyday. Besides, the calmness that gets showered, sometimes stays for a long time and occasionally gives way to spontaneous ideas which catch me by surprise! The ideas, whose ingredients might be sizzling in my mind, conciously or subconciously, for a long time, but what is magical is that how those varied ingredients get all mixed up and cooked and how the right dish comes forth and gets served at the right time and makes life worth loving.
The other day, one such magic happened. Early in the morning, as I was making a mental list of what veggies need to be bought and as I was getting ready to leave for the shop, an idea flashed. "Let me make a quick game , a mystery game for Pihu. I will leave out without telling both of them and will leave a mystery and some clues, written in Hindi, for Pihu to read and solve. Hindi reading practice in the most fun way ever! Win- win situation!", I thought. I felt a surge of energy inside me, similar to what you feel when you are on an adventure, and I was sure she would feel the same when solving the mystery. Philosophically speaking, these little silly games, created in the spur of the moment, add beautiful colours to the otherwise dull and worrisome job of parenting.
I quickly grabbed some papers and markers and made this mystery with clues.
As soon as I finished, I heard the sound of someone getting up. I peeked from behind the curtains, feeling like a child, who is playing hide & seek and is highly excited on the prospect of making herself invisible. “Ah, she has woken up! I need to do things fast and leave without getting into her line of sight.” I waited for her to go to the bathroom so that I could finish my plan successfully. As soon as she was gone, I quickly placed the mystery and the clues on strategic locations across the room, grabbed my bag and keys, and left. It was fun!!
After around half an hour, I got her call while buying veggies. She had solved the mystery, with the inevitable side effect of becoming a little more familiar and friendly with Hindi.