Monday, December 11, 2006

A holistic treat for the body, mind and soul

These days, my life is very eventful. I wake up everyday with a feeling of uncertainty on the new possibilities and risks that I may face during the morning. If I succeed in overcoming these challenges, I get to go to work, where I settle down to relatively unremarkable pursuits. Parenting is always a recurring favorite in my posts and this time, I wanted to rant about how parenting makes you acquire multi-dimensional skills by putting you through this training in alertness and quick-reflexes, that would put even the U.S Marines to shame.

Scene 1: I am trying to make myself a cup of tea, after putting my daughter amidst her favorite toys. Although I watch the boiling water and add the ingredients in the right measure, I can still see my daughter through my mind's eye. Now, this is an extra eye at the back of the head that God gives parents of toddlers to save them from annihilatuing themselves in frustration. Dear Daughter (to be addressed henceforth as DD) looks bored with all her toys and lets out a big yawn. She then gets up and saunters lazily into the kitchen. My mind's eye sends a red alert to my still-sleepy brain, and my brain kicks into action. DD 's saunter turns into a trot as she rushes to the oil-jar cabinet and starts pulling something out. My brain sends a complex signal to hands, ordering me to switch off the stove and make a leap to catch the flip-open oil container that is just being thrown to the ground. I dive towards the container and manage to catch it by the handle. And now I realize that DD is standing in my diving trajectory. Yet another signal from my brain to quickly change my trajectory to avoid crushing DD - my body reacts to it by swinging right just in time and I manage to crash onto the refrigerator instead. The entire event took less than 2 seconds. DD,who was watching me thus far with mild interest on her face, turns around to pull out the next container from the cabinet. She believes in systematic onslaught.

Scene 2: This is Sunday morning and I am ready to feed DD her breakfast - nice soft idlis and piping-hot sambar. I take idlis in a plate and look towards the dining table, at the centre of which there is a casserole filled by the sambar. My mistake - I had left the sambar open when I went to get a ladle. My body froze for a second at the sight - DD standing on her toes and stretching to pull the casserole by its ear towards herself. My brain quickly analyzed the situation and after a quick analysis of all factors including the distance between me and DD, chose to react by screaming. The scream was very effective - DD stopped dead in her tracks, rested her feet fully on the ground and turned to me to see what made me scream. And I made an athletic dash towards her that would have put Flo-Jo to shame.

Scene 3: I am giving DD her bath. I have massaged lavish amounts of oil on her skin and hair and decide to let it sink in for sometime. I fill her tub with warm water, making sure that the temparature is just right for her. After I fill the water, DD normally plays around with it using a mug, a small cup and spoon, all of which are my "distraction tools" to prevent her from fussing/howling and climbing onto me with all her oil. But this day is different - after a while of playing, DD decides that she is bored. She points to the wall-mixer faucet set and says "TAAAP" - I nod in agreement and smile at her. She then quickly opens the knob of the cold-water tap, allowing water to fall inside the tub, and revels in splashing cold water all around. In desperation, I turn off the controlling knob of the water supply to the bathroom. She gasps in surpise for a moment, then realizes that I have done something to stop her from having fun. She lets out a blood-curdling scream followed with a long banshee-like wail. I don't relent - so she progresses to stamping her feet on the ground and shedding tears accompanied by unstoppable sobs. Both of us stick to our guns and by the end of this session, I am a heap of nerves and ready to break down if anyone dares to speak to me. And her? - the moment she is out of the room she totters towards the living room with a look of serenity and then goes into the kitchen to give our cook a most angelic smile. Talk of resilience..

Exercise keeps the physical being alert and fit. Crosswords, puzzles and su-do-ku help keep the brain alert and young. And motivational literature and talks help us keep our spirits buoyant.Having a toddler, as you would have realized, takes care of all the above. Situations might just go a little overboard at times and take you to the frontiers of these skills, but that's part of the game. So parents of the world - rejoice!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

YOu are scaring me!

minerva said...

C'mon Ash, be brave :)

Anonymous said...

adipoLi, this is inspiring :)