To me the term 'women of substance' is actually a no brainer, in a sense......Most women always have substance ... They are just made of that material.....God made them like that.....Ofcourse how they use that substance within is a different aspect altogether.... Some may make it an essence and others a menace :)
Anyway as this post unfolds i guess it will become more clear as to what i really mean.... Its all very nice and great when women become achievers in todays' world.. like being highly educated, having great jobs, holdin great positions,managing home, husband, kids , inlaws etc .... Women can be efficient multi taskers ...........I always have tremendous regard for women as they juggle between so many roles and responsibities......
One set of women who are totally undervalued and also guilty of not valuing themselves enough are the 'housewives', who for some reason i prefer to call 'homemakers'..... The latter term is more apt as i feel it conveys the true essence of what they do along with conveying a sense of dignity and appreciation as well....... For all practical and other purposes they truly "MAKE" a house a home......A house is just a concrete structure and becomes a home just because the woman tends to it with so much TLC! One day if women dont do the things that they do on a daily basis, the whole structure will crumble....you can see the mess and how everything goes haywire.......A man reports sick for a day or takes the day off his office will still run smoothly .. but one day if a woman decides to take an off or report sick a house can never run, forget smoothly.........
It makes me feel deeply sad when i often or rather very often hear women say " im ONLY a housewife"......... Its sounds so absurd .... U do everything in the house and u call urself 'only' a housewife ......If u ask someone who is employed and working somewhere, have u ever heard anyone say ...."im only an architect/accountant/teacher etc etc", when in the literal sense the word 'only' would be much more apt there as they do 'only ' that job.....Housewife or homemaker is not classified as a profession or a meaningful vocation and thats where we all falter...... If it were given the necessary value , respect and importance it would surely rank as one of the highest paid and most esteemed position/rank there ever was.........And if this is tough to believe, a good way to assess this would be, the next time u meet any homemaker ask her about her regular day, what its like, when it starts , all that she packs in a day and what all she achieves and what all is expected of her, U will clearly know what im talking about apart from the fact that it will be very insightful and informative at the same time......
I feel that women who are homemakers need to value and respect themselves much more .... And so do everyone around them..... Managing the A-Z of the workings of a home, apart from inlaws and kids ... phew .... its just tiring to even think about it,let alone live it day in and day out, without really burning out or breaking down ..... .... Agreed that in this day and age some things are simpler with the technology around and labour that we have but despite all that ... to even oversee it or be part of it in any capacity is huge..... Being a hands on wife, daughter in law and a mother at the same time is a tall order and doing it every single day without a break is superhuman .... In any office there is atleast one if not 2 days off that u get in a week ... How many times have we heard women say 'im takin a day off from my role as a home maker'...... Or " i have a 5/6 day week" And they so deserve that and i feel they earn it bigtime for themselves, given all that they do.....
Most or rather many of us belong to a generation where our moms have been homemakers .. Today when i look back i realise what a great and noble job they have done and how most often it was always taken for granted ... We never thought of the hard work, the sense of duty, the love and dedication that went behind every meal that was always cooked and served on the table before we even got hungry or ready to eat......... and how often did we really end up appreciating that ...... or showing gratitude for it ..... On the contrary we possibly made a fuss and threw tantrums about what was not there or how we did not like what was cooked ...... Sometimes when i say something to my mother, in sheer ignorance or silliness .... all she says in return is "U will know when u get married, have home of ur own and have kids of ur own as well" and that hits the nail on the head...... I have friends who can swear by this statement and totally vouch for it, as they have been there, done that ........... I guess we will realise and empathise when we are in the same situation....
There is just one desire ....that women who are homemakers take themselves more seriously and have more self admiration along with self respect for being who they are..... Being a homemaker is one of the most thankless jobs, only second to that of being a mother, if at all we were to classify and categorise, and i use the word job here , for the sheer want of a better word..... Imagine doing so much , not getting paid or even expecting a remuneration for it, and not even being appreciated ... how sad is that really .......
It amuses me to think that if, one fine day 'homemakers' are so empowered and realise their own worth what will we all get to witness......and the first thought that comes is that we all might just get into a lot of trouble...... Imagine if someone were to come up with a brainwave or an idea of forming a union of homemakers, and being a part of that means being able to have rules and regulations, do's and don'ts, have a new set of demands from time to time, go on strike , demanding wages/ salaries( cant put 'higher wages' here though that wudve been ideal), perks and benefits, gratuity, retirement , pension etc...
And if an idea truly has the power to change your life , then believe me this "idea" would certainly change not only an individual life but a lot of lives on a colective and much larger scale :)
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Beautiful Wednesdays!
Wednesdays are wonderful for me ...... I look forward to this day as its a lot of 'me time' that I get and try my best to make the most of it! Its been years that I go to Mount Mary church at bandra ...... I cant recall why I zeroed in on a wednesday but all I do know is that once I started there was no looking back! Maybe it has something to do with my convent education .... As a child I do remember going to the chapel in my school whenever I wanted to pray and that was the quietest moment which I shared with God....... The peace that I found in that is hard to describe in words...... And the peace that I find going to Mount Mary every wednesday is just and extension of that.... There is definitely something about the vibe of the place as well and the location just adds to it..... I go to the church, put a few candles , sit there for as much as I feel like and then visit the grotto opposite the curch, light candles there ..... This whole process may sound like a ritual but for me its far more than that.... Its a very uplifting and wholesome experience ... Its like tuning into a part of myself which in turn tunes into a higher reality and together they find peace and reach a level of oneness!
And quite recently I have tried to follow another ritual ... that of visiting the parlour every wednesday or atleast every alternate wednesday ...... The parlour therapy just adds to the whole 'me time' experience.....Also most of the times the lady who attends to me there is this wonderful person who cant speak or hear but her spirit is unmatched by even the ones with all their faculties in perfect order and without this so called handicap..... They call her 'didi'....The zest and dedication with which she does her work is something else and the warmth that she exudes touch me at a very deep level..... Her smiling face is something that often comes back to me and I look forward to meeting her and seeing her happy cheerful face whenever I go there...... She is a great example of how beautifully one can live life despite the impediments that nature chose to endow upon someone......
The parlour itself is run by a lovely woman called Jane who is extremely good at her work and makes sure her clients get the best ... She is very compassionate and at the same time a task master to her employees ....... However crowded the parlour is I have yet to see her squirm or turn away someone........ She too is always smiling , cracking jokes with the girls there or the clients and she has a very affectionate and welcoming demeanour........ At the same time she takes enormous effort in training people under her so that her clients get treated in a way that makes them want to always come back.......
After going to the parlour in the afternoon , I visit this bakery called American Express Bakery ..... I have very fond memories of this place as they had a branch close to our house and I remember going there almost everyday to get our daily supply of bread ..... Unfortunately they leased out this place near my house which now boasts of a boring Barista.... So now, their one and only branch is in Bandra.... Since I am in the area almost every wednesday, I make sure to go there to pick up their lovely bread ...... At times I have my evening cuppa tea there with a sandwich and chat away with the owner of the place .. a lovely old lady called Mrs Caravalho who loves narrating stories and talking about anything and everything ...She again is someone who makes sure that people visit them for the quality they offer, which I can personally vouch for since I have eaten their stuff since childhood... The taste still remains the same which is coupled with the fact that they never compromise on quality .........They have lovely cakes, bread , and some good health snacks.. My personal favourites there are the sundried tomato and basil bread, the normal white slice bread and the veg puff , in that order ........ I always tell the aunty there that I really wish that they take back their property in Santa Cruz and open their own branch again .... and she always smiles and tells me that they would surely do that and its only a matter of time.. They are just waiting for their son to return from abroad as they need trustworthy people to manage the family business and she and her husband already being aged, find it difficult to maintain and oversee every minute detail....... Just recently she told me how they were written about in the paper and with pride she mentioned that the next time I visit, she would give me a copy of the article...... While writing this I wonder where the name came from .... maybe I should ask aunty the story behind that the next time Im around ........ To say the least it will be very inetersting!
God bless Jane's parlour and The American Express Bakery and may they always have grace and abundance, and continue to have the dignity and humility with which they "serve" ........
So that is my 'trio' for a typically free wednesday ...... The parlour , the bakery and the church ..... And last but not the least is my walk from the church ...... Where I am immersed in myself, totally satisfied after feeding my vanity, my body and my soul!
And come to think of it , the common factor/thread here is a catholic connection which runs through all these three.....Its an observation ...... It might just be a coincidence or a thoughtfully orchestrated plan for me by someone up there :)
But im not complaining :)
So for very obvious reasons, I look forward to and cherish my wednesdays :)
And quite recently I have tried to follow another ritual ... that of visiting the parlour every wednesday or atleast every alternate wednesday ...... The parlour therapy just adds to the whole 'me time' experience.....Also most of the times the lady who attends to me there is this wonderful person who cant speak or hear but her spirit is unmatched by even the ones with all their faculties in perfect order and without this so called handicap..... They call her 'didi'....The zest and dedication with which she does her work is something else and the warmth that she exudes touch me at a very deep level..... Her smiling face is something that often comes back to me and I look forward to meeting her and seeing her happy cheerful face whenever I go there...... She is a great example of how beautifully one can live life despite the impediments that nature chose to endow upon someone......
The parlour itself is run by a lovely woman called Jane who is extremely good at her work and makes sure her clients get the best ... She is very compassionate and at the same time a task master to her employees ....... However crowded the parlour is I have yet to see her squirm or turn away someone........ She too is always smiling , cracking jokes with the girls there or the clients and she has a very affectionate and welcoming demeanour........ At the same time she takes enormous effort in training people under her so that her clients get treated in a way that makes them want to always come back.......
After going to the parlour in the afternoon , I visit this bakery called American Express Bakery ..... I have very fond memories of this place as they had a branch close to our house and I remember going there almost everyday to get our daily supply of bread ..... Unfortunately they leased out this place near my house which now boasts of a boring Barista.... So now, their one and only branch is in Bandra.... Since I am in the area almost every wednesday, I make sure to go there to pick up their lovely bread ...... At times I have my evening cuppa tea there with a sandwich and chat away with the owner of the place .. a lovely old lady called Mrs Caravalho who loves narrating stories and talking about anything and everything ...She again is someone who makes sure that people visit them for the quality they offer, which I can personally vouch for since I have eaten their stuff since childhood... The taste still remains the same which is coupled with the fact that they never compromise on quality .........They have lovely cakes, bread , and some good health snacks.. My personal favourites there are the sundried tomato and basil bread, the normal white slice bread and the veg puff , in that order ........ I always tell the aunty there that I really wish that they take back their property in Santa Cruz and open their own branch again .... and she always smiles and tells me that they would surely do that and its only a matter of time.. They are just waiting for their son to return from abroad as they need trustworthy people to manage the family business and she and her husband already being aged, find it difficult to maintain and oversee every minute detail....... Just recently she told me how they were written about in the paper and with pride she mentioned that the next time I visit, she would give me a copy of the article...... While writing this I wonder where the name came from .... maybe I should ask aunty the story behind that the next time Im around ........ To say the least it will be very inetersting!
God bless Jane's parlour and The American Express Bakery and may they always have grace and abundance, and continue to have the dignity and humility with which they "serve" ........
So that is my 'trio' for a typically free wednesday ...... The parlour , the bakery and the church ..... And last but not the least is my walk from the church ...... Where I am immersed in myself, totally satisfied after feeding my vanity, my body and my soul!
And come to think of it , the common factor/thread here is a catholic connection which runs through all these three.....Its an observation ...... It might just be a coincidence or a thoughtfully orchestrated plan for me by someone up there :)
But im not complaining :)
So for very obvious reasons, I look forward to and cherish my wednesdays :)
Friday, June 3, 2011
Blessings from above!!
The title might sound a bit misleading to begin with but for me its bang on! And Im talking about the RAINS :) I totally love the rains and the fact that the monsoon arrives after 3-4 months of gruelling heat just adds to the whole flavour of the season......
To me its the most beautiful of all seasons ...... Somehow I cant see anything negative about the rains though there are many factors that realistically make it tough .... but I still feel its the best season we have and its a miracle of nature ...... Im sure there there is a very scientific and rather boring way to explain the occurence of rains ..... but Id rather go by the way I perceive it or for that matter anyone who thinks from their heart and not their head........
There is something about the sun/the heat that just brings out irrtability in me and then I cant really see anything as wonderful and beautiful around me .... I am at my cribby and whiney best ....... And the absolute opposite happens during the monsoon..... My mood changes ...JUST LIKE THAT! I am happy without reason.....The rains just do it.. They just bring out a very happy side in me without any effort on my part..........
The best is the first shower ..... Its just magical and there are not enough words in any language to do justice to the feeling it evokes ....... Sheer bliss......
Showers from up above, the smell of the wet earth, a hot cuppa tea/coffee, a cosy and comfy feeling are just some of the lovely happenings associated with rains ..... Everything looks and feels better than it actually is ........Its really strange ... the happy emotions a heavy downpour can bring out ... I find myself dancing around the house .....humming happy songs in my head .... showering more TLC on my family .... And its funny cos in my house no one else feels as much for and about the rains than I do ..... So they are just left wondering what the hell happened ..... :)
The fact that I am a water baby may have something to do with it as well ..... The fact that someone up there made sure I arrive on this planet in this season was very thoughtful on their part .....Im very grateful for that and it most certainly was very kind of whoever runs the show up there..... Given a choice I wudnt have arrived at any other time, :)
Thunder and lightning to me always are indicators of a heavenly presence along with the rains ....... The most beautiful natural phenomena that your eyes can actually witness.....
Getting wet in the rains ...... just WOW .... Its an experience like no other ....... Since we live in a civilised or rather an uncivilised society , its tough to act on impulse visavis getting wet, as it calls for unnecessary attention and much more ... But if i could have my way , Id love to go and get wet in the rain and not have a care in the world ......
If you are a tea lover like I am .. then the joy of having a hot hot cuppa masala / ginger chai in the rains is something else altogether........Also the joy of watching a mushy film all cuddled up or reading some nice romantic novel, listening to some melodious, soul stirring music ... all of it such a pleasure at this time of the year!
And last but not the least is the fact that if you have a special someone in this season .... Romance is a different high altogether...... I miss that ..... Not having that special someone does get to you at times for various reasons but not having a partner in this season , with whom you can enjoy the rains gets to you at a different level ........ Whenever that happens I know the joy of it will be unparalleled.... Till then atleast the rains are here and that I can certainly enjoy with or without anyone :)
So cheers to my favourite season ...... :)
May more and more blessings come our way from the heavens above ..........
To me its the most beautiful of all seasons ...... Somehow I cant see anything negative about the rains though there are many factors that realistically make it tough .... but I still feel its the best season we have and its a miracle of nature ...... Im sure there there is a very scientific and rather boring way to explain the occurence of rains ..... but Id rather go by the way I perceive it or for that matter anyone who thinks from their heart and not their head........
There is something about the sun/the heat that just brings out irrtability in me and then I cant really see anything as wonderful and beautiful around me .... I am at my cribby and whiney best ....... And the absolute opposite happens during the monsoon..... My mood changes ...JUST LIKE THAT! I am happy without reason.....The rains just do it.. They just bring out a very happy side in me without any effort on my part..........
The best is the first shower ..... Its just magical and there are not enough words in any language to do justice to the feeling it evokes ....... Sheer bliss......
Showers from up above, the smell of the wet earth, a hot cuppa tea/coffee, a cosy and comfy feeling are just some of the lovely happenings associated with rains ..... Everything looks and feels better than it actually is ........Its really strange ... the happy emotions a heavy downpour can bring out ... I find myself dancing around the house .....humming happy songs in my head .... showering more TLC on my family .... And its funny cos in my house no one else feels as much for and about the rains than I do ..... So they are just left wondering what the hell happened ..... :)
The fact that I am a water baby may have something to do with it as well ..... The fact that someone up there made sure I arrive on this planet in this season was very thoughtful on their part .....Im very grateful for that and it most certainly was very kind of whoever runs the show up there..... Given a choice I wudnt have arrived at any other time, :)
Thunder and lightning to me always are indicators of a heavenly presence along with the rains ....... The most beautiful natural phenomena that your eyes can actually witness.....
Getting wet in the rains ...... just WOW .... Its an experience like no other ....... Since we live in a civilised or rather an uncivilised society , its tough to act on impulse visavis getting wet, as it calls for unnecessary attention and much more ... But if i could have my way , Id love to go and get wet in the rain and not have a care in the world ......
If you are a tea lover like I am .. then the joy of having a hot hot cuppa masala / ginger chai in the rains is something else altogether........Also the joy of watching a mushy film all cuddled up or reading some nice romantic novel, listening to some melodious, soul stirring music ... all of it such a pleasure at this time of the year!
And last but not the least is the fact that if you have a special someone in this season .... Romance is a different high altogether...... I miss that ..... Not having that special someone does get to you at times for various reasons but not having a partner in this season , with whom you can enjoy the rains gets to you at a different level ........ Whenever that happens I know the joy of it will be unparalleled.... Till then atleast the rains are here and that I can certainly enjoy with or without anyone :)
So cheers to my favourite season ...... :)
May more and more blessings come our way from the heavens above ..........
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