One hour per hour

Today happens to be the last day of the week (Saturday), the month (December) and the year 2022. So what ? Nothing, SimBly.

We get a feeling, time is moving extraordinarily faster today than in the past. Hangover of last year’s celebration is not over, Lo here is another new year. The truth is speed of time is still one hour per hour.

We are able to accomplish more in an hour what we could in the past, thanks to technology. Earlier we would spend half a day to buy a ticket to travel. With the advent of internet, it can be done in a jiffy. Those saved times are filled with new activities and we feel we are busy and no time. When some one says I did not have time to meet you, it means you were a bit down in their priority list, of course you move up when they need some thing from you.

Lost a few dear ones, friends and relatives, this year, it was depressing, however at my age I have a silent send off message for them “see you soon “, that way I get over it.
Every night I feel grateful for one more day I had, whether there is a tomorrow or not. Like my friend said, if you are there that means your purpose is not over, once it is over, you will go.

Certain thoughts that’s always in the mind, “take care of your health, that can be a good service to others”. I try very hard to remember that, though inconsistent in implementation.

Leave others alone, let them figure out their own life especially your children, they will do better.
This is working and also I have stopped telling them they have missed living my marble playing childhood with all the new age comforts.

One of the best thing I appreciate is the digital payment facility. It looked impossible in our country, a ridiculous idea. Where there is a will there is a way. A thrilling moment with digital payment happened like this, one afternoon I was walking on the street near my house, when I felt like eating Pan (Beatle leaf, with lime, arracknuts and a few masslas- I think its called beatle quid), it costs 10 rupees and I did not have that denomination, reluctantly told him I want to have pan, no small money, will he have change. He pointed to a QR code stuck on the table. “oh, good”, I whispered, trying to hide my excitement. It worked, clearly the small amount transaction and balance stress (people ending up fighting over changes) has become a thing of the past and I realized at this business level if you are digitized, our country will go places. The sight of QR code stickers became a weakness for me and I enjoyed spending. Well, finally it is under check and I have saved myself going bankrupt.

Recalling a few sheepish moments of year 2022.

In my train journey, met a family, where the differently abled daughter could not speak and I blurted out that in spite of their brilliance most of the kids have little opportunities when the mother took over “she is involved in lot of activities, she is doing her masters in communication (I think it’s advanced course in sign language), she is a software developer, builds apps, works for NGOs, busy with social services, earning well…”.
The dumb me, you have to make your life and not crib with what you don’t have.
https://rajmenonweb.com/2022/04/30/mr-dumb

I made a trip to Lonavala to meet my batch mates in a resort. There, while talking to the lady about her husband, she points to another lady and says that’s the wife of your friend, not me. Besides that it was an enjoyable trip, a memorable one.

We were about to sleep, when my wife suggested to use the blanket which was there at my feet on the bed. My EGO said, it is not cold, I don’t need it. She turned the other away and went to sleep. In the middle of the night I woke up feeling cold. I tried to pull the blanket up in the dark, with my feet. You lift your leg along with blanket and drop it on you. Take the two ends and pull it up over your body. Now there is a dispute between the length side of the blanket and the breadth side. Then you realize it has landed diagonally, now which is the length side. Just switch on the light and set things right. No says the EGO, the spouse will wake up and make a scene. Any way my legs went up and rotated the blanket, no still some part is exposed. My legs were doing a rubic cube operation with the blanket. “What are you doing in the dark”, there she goes. “Why don’t you switch on the light”. Its Ok, I said, I am exercising my feet, slight muscle pull. Two more iterations and the blanket fell in place, a la Mr. Beans.

There was a happy trip to Dubai in August. My younger daughter Kavitha and Govind had their first baby, a cute girl, putting end to the social pressure of “what, 7 years and no kid, why, when etc”. That was a highlight moment.

The biggest surprise of the year threw some of the family member’s preplanned trips into the air. I was supposed to go to Hyderabad to meet Mr. Kalyanaswamy and stay with Mr Mahapatra, a one day trip, with all tickets booked, my daughter in Mandi was travelling to Kochi, Rajeesh to Mumbai, when Kavitha with her 4 month baby, all on her own, made a surprise , unannounced visit to Bangalore for a week, completely knocking out her mother and grandmother (age 98). A complete out of syllabus act.

A happy new year 2023, please make it a great year, it is in your hands