Life's Little Luxuries...

Race-to-the-door mornings and tin-can-tight evenings leave little room for savoring life's beautiful moments back in my nest. But, this little break from our routine, this long-pending visit to India, this sumptuously rich opportunity is a precious gift I shall treasure always.

Breaking from my customarily sedate slacks-and-shirt or jeans-and-tee or skirt-and-blouse clad self who is too lazy to wear any jewelry except the wedding band and the same old earrings, I find that I am rather getting used to the bright shalwar-kameez, bangles, bindi and dangling earrings here - all of these accessories adding a bit of unexplainable cheer that I easily gave up a couple of decades ago, and don't seem to miss back in Portland somehow...

Slipping into local lingo, sipping tea from a roadside tea stall, I feel like a different person here. These distinct yet unified persona that I seem to be able to don and shed at will seems to strengthen my sense of self, especially when I need it most.

Somehow, I don't seem anxious to wipe down everything and the kids with oodles of anti-bacterial lotion, I don't seem to think twice about walking into a decent neighborhood restaurant and feeding idli and dosai to the kids, and I don't fret much over where the hard-working hands have been before they brought the said idli and dosai to my kids; I don't seem to mind stopping and buying a pair of pink bangles for Ana for Rs.5/- when the roadside vendor offers it enthusiastically, I don't have any problem dressing my kids in local simple cotton outfits bought after I landed, and I don't cringe as much when people I meet on the road try to pinch my kids' cheeks in an attempt to show their liking...

Maruthani (Mehendi) is a weakness, I freely admit.

And, being a bit old-fashioned, I prefer the thoppi (cap) for the fingers and little circles in my palm. None of the modern henna art designs for me. Oh, not that I don't like them, in fact henna art is itself a favorite subject of mine, but, when it comes to feeling at home, I find that getting back to the basics is all I need.

Applying it on at night after I put the kids in bed, then spreading old blankets on the floor and sleeping as carefully as possible so the effort doesn't go waste, and eagerly washing off the brown dried paste in the morning to reveal the gorgeous red dye is an experience impossible to describe.

Thanks to my Athai, who patiently picked the leaves from her garden and ground them herself, as well as sat late night after I put the kids in bed and applied it on my hands and feet, I can't get over the childish elation at seeing my hands and feet so adorned.

Thanks to maruthani and my mom, I was able to sleep through one night, one beautiful night, away from tumbling Oggie guilting me into making that 2am bottle and struggling to get back to sleep, serenely dreaming about the summers eons ago when this very same ritual was nothing much to write about.

Kasthuri Manjal. Yogurt and Aromatic Turmeric. What a lovely combination. While it is possible to apply this favorite face mask back in my nest, Time seems to prevent indulging in this simple act.

I find it very relaxing to apply this here and go about my business, even if it does get a bit annoying when Ana keeps asking, every 2 minutes, what's on my face and why I have it on...

And, it is not one bit embarrassing to me or the guest when they arrive in the middle of this herbal treatment and I answer the door looking unpolished :)


The heady scent of jasmine flowers bound together in a string adds quite a sparkle to freshly shikakai-ed hair.

As I take my time on Tuesdays and Fridays for head-to-toe oiling and a detailed warm wash of the self, then lightly braiding the still-damp hair and ornamenting it with flowers, I find that the routinely quick shampooing in the shower every other day, while great for my fast-paced life there, is not as satisfying to the soul. This little act feels like I have spent a day (and 200$) at the spa.

While occasional rose, dahlia and even the orange kanakambaram did catch my fancy, Gundu malli and Mullai (varieties of jasmine) were my two favorites when I was young. I couldn't bring myself to wear it to school - oh no, not with my white shirt, brown pinafore and black shoes. From middle school onwards, I gave up wearing bindi and flowers on a daily basis... Which made decking up for festivals and special occasions all the more wonderful for me.

Giving the kids an oil bath has been tough for me so far in my own world... Weekends being the only option, this little luxury of pampering the kids takes a back seat when it competes with the usual laundry, dishes, grocery-shopping chores in addition to cooking, vacuuming and getting ready for the week ahead.

So, now that I can afford it time-wise, I have been anointing the kids with gingelly oil and giving them a warm bath. Since their baby body-wash is quite mild, the sheen left on their skin after oil bath makes the effort more than worthwhile for me.

Sitting in their own little tubs, they seem to enjoy splashing about; and thanks to the scorching heat, after oil bath, they have lunch and take a nice long afternoon siesta, freeing me up for an hour or two to upload photos and blog a bit :)

Digging around in my mom's craft supplies and trying to do some of the little projects she has done...

Savoring the delicious local fruits...

These are some of the blessings I will be thanking God for when I get back.