Have you ever wondered how it’s the little things that stick to us. The memories of enjoying a lollypop or playing with our favourite toy as a child, watching a movie or just enjoying samosas with friends as we were growing up bring smiles to our lips. Of course there are happy recollections of vacations and trips afar as well but it’s these pretty little memories that visit us more frequently.
When I recall my childhood I am flooded with images of our big courtyard where we would run around, going to school in the rain, having lunch with friends under a tree during the break or playing hide seek, the starry nights, the flame of the candle flickering when power failed. I fondly remember the rainy afternoons, the misty winter mornings or the autumn days heavy with smell of shiuli flower and sound of dhak.
Food that I crave for are homemade moya, nariyal laddu or barfi, kichudi and begun bhaja. The taste of orange candies or lollypops that then cost a few pennies still lingers in my mouth. Maggi is something I have grown up with and still indulge in once in a while. My ultimate comfort food is aloo sheddho bhaat topped with dal sheddho – a mish mash of rice, boiled potato, boiled dal and ghee.
Things that are mundane, things that we took for granted once. We never thought we would miss these things while we were planning for our grand future. We imagined success – a big house and shiny cars, we craved glitz and glamour, we longed for romance, we wanted to conquer the world. We have achieved some, certain things have eluded us. We have traveled far and wide, we have been on a cruise seeking to touch the horizon or on a safari chasing the wild. We have scattered our humdrum life with as much excitement as we could afford. But no matter how exciting life maybe we still crave for those mundane little things.
After a long voyage or a night of wild partying we still long to come back home and sleep in the comfort of our own bed. A warm cup of tea in the morning watching the fog engulf us in winter or the sun smiling in the spring, little flowers blooming in the balcony garden makes our daybreak beautiful. All we crave for after a busy day is an evening spent in peaceful bliss with ones we love or just in the warmth of our own company. Mundane things, yet so precious.
In the first post of 2023, I am thankful for these mundane little things dotted all over that make every day so beautiful!