We often find ourselves among the modern requirements of a Corporate world of competition and struggle for promotions and moving up the ladder. Sucked into the realm of such influential surroundings, we neglect the pleasure derived from little things that have the power to bring you real happiness. Stuck in a routine for 5 days a week with deadlines to meet every now and then, with a supervisor breathing down my neck and expecting orders to be followed at his convenience, I, like most others in the same situation, have no choice but to oblige to the circumstances.
Looking back on it yesterday, while accompanied by my extended family, I realized what I had been missing all along. Fatigued with hunger and sleep and craving for a bed as soon as I get back to my apartment, I usually do not have the energy left to carry on with any other tasks. As much as I want to, I could not give enough attention to my mother, who had been longing for a long conversation with me. After another round of complaints from her side, this time I decided to share thoughts with her.
While I was talking about the routine work I do and other regular happenings at my office, I noticed something in her face that made me gulp hard. She had begun to develop wrinkles on her cheeks. The front portion of her hair that was earlier colored grey by her regular use of Henna, had started turning white. I was shocked to see this, not because old age had finally started creeping in and she needed a break from her household chores, but how I had never bothered to see it before.
Nothing bothers you more than watching your parents grow old. As much as you try to overcome it by giving your best shot to brush your negative thoughts away, you end up feeling helpless. The heart jumps into my throat whenever she complains of a headache or back pain.
There's so much I wish to do for her, make her rest, take her on a vacation, or buying things for her; but I know somewhere deep inside, that my dependency on her is taking a backseat. Slowly but surely, its beginning to go the other way round.
