Eternal moments…

Reward yourself as a parent. Happiness begins with you.

It was an unusually busy day. Working on a gruelling assignment, I was engrossed in the editing process of the photographs. It had to be furnished to the client the following day. A rather pesky nudge distracted me. I turned around to notice my 7-year-old (but threatening to pose as a grown-up) daughter standing right next to me. She was beaming as she broke out the headlines of her day, “I have something for you.” Seconds seemed an eternity to the little one as she struggled with time to divulge the surprise she had in store for me. Hurriedly, she took out a notebook from her school bag. Deftly flipping through a few pages, she halted only when she arrived at the one, the one that was meant for me.

It was not a school exercise or some graded sheet. It did not boast of her exceptional performance or clamoured for my attention and appreciation. It was just a few words, randomly chosen by her to express an emotion that she nurtured within her. Spontaneously crafted during recess and possessively held on to till that very moment, it was something she wanted to gift me. Overlooking the veneer of presentation, as I soaked up the content and its essence, I started feeling a little heady. I was touched to the extent of being overwhelmed.

Overwhelming it was. I had always judged, and, more often than not, mercilessly critiqued myself as a mother, the only one socially identified as the persistent yet flawless provider. In fact, I don’t do things that a mother is expected to do. To me, it is not a 24*7 obsessive engagement tending towards the sacrificial. But a slice, certainly a substantial one, of the pie chart of my life.

I live my life, first from within and then from without. Foremost as ME and then as the roles that I myself or circumstances and society have assigned to me. I have my own times - my breathers with my buddies, my slots for pursuing quirky hobbies and my days of binge-watch. I work too, walking the tightrope to achieve passion-profession balance. But in the midst of it all, I make sure that I spend some good time with my daughter every day. As a dual team, we play, draw, read storybooks and even do mindless things together.

Today I realise that such bonding over half or one hour a day has the potential to do wonders. I agree that being a parent is daunting. It is an endless to-do list. But even then one cannot relegate the individual into oblivion. After all, only when you are happy, you can pass the sunshine to your child. In fact, to everyone and wait for the magical moments to unfold before your eyes.

Life is measured not by the grays but by the rays that every happy moment emits as we strive to make it an eternal one. Relive your eternal moment by sharing it with me. Let me too bask in your eternal glow!

By: Quotidian Tales

Disclaimer:
This article and the opinions expressed in it are personal opinions. It is not meant for imposing specific views or endorsing a particular way of life. Also please do ignore any errors or omissions that you might come across. We pledge to learn from them. Happy viewing.