Hello Again !

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Hi there ! Remember me ? At this point, I am frantically hoping that you still haven’t forgotten me, thanks to my unplanned, unexplained hibernation phase I have been going through up until now, and if you have indeed forgotten me then I wish this post of mine penetrates deep into your mind, to dust-off & bring back all those wonderful thoughts that conspired in your mind every time you visited this space.

Now that’s what I call wishful thinking ! :D

Back to reality then. As you can see, there’s been a pretty wide gap between now and my last post. Between now & then, while the world had its share of New Year celebrations, V-day mushiness & a billion other global events keeping it busy, I had a sudden ‘Shockation’ (it’s a new word in my dictionary & I’ll be talking more about it soon in this post), I discovered a different meaning to my traditional New Year Eve celebration, some new experiences, some old heartbreaks and countless memories to last a lifetime. So join me & read on to find out more.

I have always looked at successful people & strongly believed that their everyday lives are results of meticulous planning. So as to survive better, we plan our activities for each passing day - carefully save & pick out destinations for our yearly vacations, diligently revamp our goals for every new decade of the millennium and consistently watch out for any unexpected curveballs that may deviate our journey in this life. Because that’s what people should do for a smooth & pleasant life and few others who prefer a balanced life with goals and milestones. Right? 

But what happens 

if we don’t overlook the curveballs 

& go about planning our lives as usual ? 

How do we wake up one fine day 

& re-adjust ourselves to face life 

with a new plan ?

Exactly 2 months ago, while one half of the world was busy enjoying the New Year bash and the other half was gearing up for the New Year to start, I was caught in between staring into oblivion. Conscious of my being but unaware of how life could change course within mere seconds to make new plans almost instantly. 

Originally having planned our family vacation for March 2016, we looked forward to 

• spending quality time with loved ones, 
• attending family events scheduled in that time frame, 
• completing few over-delayed responsibilities 
• and generally have fun in the Indian summer heat (ok, the last one wasn't true). :D

The morning of 31st Dec 2015 definitely ensured we throw out the afore-mentioned plan. Enter our ‘Shockation’. 

We were still vacationing at our friends’ place at Ohio (which is 12+ driving hours away from our home sweet home in New Jersey) when a shocking update from the hubby’s office came about saying that an unfortunate paperwork goof-up will require us to immediately pack our bags & leave for India to help sort it out. And this was just the beginning. So left with no other viable option than to travel, we drove back from our friend’s place overnight to save on precious time lugged by bag, baggage & toddler to at least get things rolling. 

Traditionally New Year Eve, for me, means to spend time with friends or family, watching movies, playing crazy games, feasting on delicious food & counting down to the New Year. But the New Year Eve of 2015 surely took the cake. We spent the initial moments of the New Year, at a gas station. Feasting on homemade quick bites. Remembered the mind blowing fun our friends were having at the same time. Sigh ! 

Aah ! Let’s do away with tradition I say ! :D

I still have no idea how the next 2 days flew by mainly because we had to pack 5 big suitcases (and hand baggage extra), coordinate with the office to book our tickets, shop for last minute gifts for family whilst remembering to jot down our pending tasks on paper so we wouldn’t forget the zillion things once back in India & also catch up on beauty sleep for the long journey ahead.

Before we knew it, we were on a plane to India, still reeling over how life could take sudden swift turns on a smooth road & throw you off-track. We definitely weren’t in the vacation mindset and I surely got a taste of that, thanks to my ‘Shockation’.

Since our trip was unplanned, we didn’t inform anyone in the family about our visit except my Baby Bro. It was a rather fun experience to casually walk into the household in front of my parents who opened the door with gaped mouths and were pretty freaked out seeing us there. They gave us an earful for hiding the surprise but the look on their faces is something I will treasure for the rest of my life. :)

The month whizzed by in a blink of an eye and we also made sure to return to the US with an ‘almost’ completed to-do list.

Once the ‘Shockation’ came to an end, it’s side-effects began to roll. You know the drill - fever, cold, cough, bad throat - the usual drama. At one point I was freaking out the people around me by all means thanks to my rustic, croaky voice. :D

We returned home early February & since then I have been reveling in the happy moments of the trip & feeling grateful because - 

• Sudden vacations are always good - Life has a funny way of telling you to stop working hard or even partying hard. Then it just forces you to enjoy & live for the moment. Truly said - “Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.”

• A dose of family & friends can fix everything - January saw us reconnecting with family, friends & everyone from our social circle living in different cities. It made me forget my worries & feel blissful in their company. After many years, Hubby dear got to spend his birthday in his home town amidst his family. Baby Girl, on the other hand, got to meet everyone in our families who were equally thrilled to see her & watch her antics. So never distance yourself from people who shower their unconditional love on you.

• The Universe is constantly conspiring to help us - If I learnt anything from my experiences in the past couple of months, it is that - ‘Everything is life has its own time.’ Sometimes the Universe plans for you & helps you achieve/complete it. When things don't happen our way, we begin to fret over the small stuff. On the contrary, something better is definitely on its way. So I have learnt to stop overthinking, worrying, trying so hard and let it naturally flow.

• Writing again - The past 3 months have been low on my writing part. At one point, I wanted to just keep away. Either because I had a feeling I had nothing to write about or at other times, I was bursting with so many ideas to share about. When I would finally sit at the laptop to write, I just couldn’t. Made me wonder - have others felt the same too. If yes, please do share. Reading Parul’s gratitude post on her blog - Happiness & Food, gave me that extra nudge & a little much-needed inspiration so as soon as I was done reading, I made myself a hot cup of coffee, sat down on the couch and promised myself not to budge until this post was ready.
• Now is the time - I am grateful for ‘this’ moment. I realized that with the vacation out-of-the-way, I can now focus on the other important stuff lined up for this year & I am all excited about it.

• A surprise V-Day celebration - We have actually never celebrated V-day in the true sense. However, this year was a first of firsts. Earlier this month, on probably the chilliest day of this month, hubby dear surprised me to a lovely brunch on a cruise along the New York waterfront. We were also one of the very few couples onboard who had a toddler in tow. ;)

A V-Day surprise !

• Last but not the least, your blog posts - Even though I have been away, on vacation or at home, I remembered to read my favorite bloggers before heading for bed every night. I realize I haven't been regular on the comments but I still do read all of you. :)

Do share ! What’s on your gratitude list ?

Linking with Vidya’s Gratitude Circle Blog hop for February 2016. 

Yours' truly,