A Letter to Letter

Dear Letter,
I miss you. I really miss you. I know we are to be blamed for your disappearance. But I miss you.
I used to wait in my hostel to get the blue inland letter from someone, from anyone. You had come once or twice sneakily inside text books from the boys school too. Yes, I am smiling as I am "typing" the words. I got my share of pink and blue flowery versions of you in my teen years like everyone else too!

Then came the electronic mail version of you. No more checking the letter box. I started checking the "mail box". For that I had to go to an Internet Café. I found it so difficult initially. Also if the other person did not have an email id, your this new version, was of no use at all. Then how and when I don't remember, I got hooked onto an instant version of you. Yes, not exactly email or letter version. But this was called "Chat". I think staying away from my people and my comfort zone, I was looking for some kind of solace in the virtual world. I could "handle" 10-12 chat windows at a time without missing or mixing the topics of the conversation. Was that something to be proud of? Nah I don't think so. In fact I never took that instant version of you very seriously.


Then one day I met P. Long sessions of your instant version and your proper email version followed till we got hitched. Then that got lost too. Now I get that electronic version of you about a 100 a day (sometimes more) but with an added adjective " official".


But I must say, you have an admirer of your's in P. He sent me few hand written, the actual versions of you, dear letter, during his trips; once from Rajasthan and from Nainital. Boy wasn't I glad.


Just a request : don't disappear completely letter. Hang on. There are old fools like me, so in love with you. I mean your older hand written version.


Much Love


M.

Image source

The post is part of the prompt from the #BlogChatter community. What started as a weekly chat on Twitter, has become a booming, blooming community of bloggers, who blog together to blog better. Come, be a part of it!

Home - A feeling , few lines.

"How long will be able to keep them protected? Let them spread their wings and fly away. That's the truth of life. Only you and I, oldies will be together." That's what dad used to tell our over protective mom. Our mother was that quintessential hyper Indian mom who would be constantly worried for her children.


I still remember the day I packed my bag and left "home" in the sleepy little town of Dibrugarh to the bigger Guwahati city. That was right after my 10th and I knew that was it - my time to spread my wings and find my horizon. That was the day I was going Away from home.


What did I miss the most during these years? In hostels I missed my whole family and of course "mom cooked" food. I believe "mom cooked" food is something all of us and will continue to miss come what may. Yeah, but eventually in each hostel I stayed, I made a family too. Those girls also away from home, became closer to each other and would find solace in this adopted family of fellow hostel mates. And each of the girls' actual families became each of the other girls' families too. Each visitor had to keep in mind that he was in fact "visiting" at least 5-6 other girls too and must carry chocolates / sweets / snacks accordingly. Girl those were some days!


Then I moved from city to city - hostels, rented places, shared accommodations and back home to mom for a short period before leaving home again - this time to make a home of my own with P. The way mom had left her "home" and made a "home" with dad for us.


I am home now.

Written for the #blogchatter prompt 'Away from home'

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#Blogchatter 23rd Dec to 30th Dec

I Cannot do without - This!

I don't know how or when exactly I fell for it, but the truth is I just cannot do without this anymore. Whenever it is not with me, I feel restless as if something important is missing in my life. Even P at times shouts " what's important I or this?" Imagine P has a competitor and that too this. By "this" I mean a lip balm. Yes that very same nondescript not so important lip balm.


This is a long story.


As far as I can remember, this happened in a winter while I was still in school. I got a small jar of Vaseline Petroleum Jelly and I was hooked to it. I would apply that on my dry hands and legs and even on small scratches and cuts while playing. I had this problem of cracked lips during winters. In Assam for such things the easy handy remedy is "Boroline". In every household in late eighties and early nineties you would find a Boroline or an Aspoline. Ours was no different. Boroline was the indispensable item in our first aid box at home. Since I could not take that tube to school, hence came the Vaseline Jelly to rescue. I applied that on my lips once and voila "Love happened". That saga of love continues. I have not been too faithful to Vaseline, I have to admit! I have changed brands but my obsession with lip balm continues.


We girls/women have more than one bag. I am also no different. I keep one in every bag so that I don't have to search for one if I change my bag for that day. I learnt that the hard way. Whenever I forgot my lip balm, I had to buy a new one. Thus I ended up with one in each bag. Simple and no tension.


During school, in college, in Gwalior Institute and later in my work places - everyone close to me was / is aware that I have this obsession. It helped them too. A small scratch or cut; there was one lip balm available which could be used as the instant remedy.

Now after years of my lip balm experience let me share one tip for all of you out there : During winters apply Boroline on your face before going to sleep at night. Yeah on your lips too. It works wonders. Ignore if you have very oily skin. And by winter I mean REAL winter where you wear layers of warm clothes, sit next to the fire, sip a cup of hot coffee and discuss a dime a dozen with your loved ones. Not the kind of winter get in Mumbai.








This post was written in response to a #WritePrompt #CannotDoWithout from @Blogchatter - a wonderful platform for bloggers from every genre, that encourages, motivates and educates on everything blogging!