A PERFECT MORNING

It was 22nd of January 2010.
In my forty seven years of existence on this planet Earth, it was the first time, that I woke up with a feeling of being immensely blessed.
It was a perfect morning…………..
Mr. Boots woke me up as early as 4.30 am which was a little unusual in itself considering the fact that nowadays he’s also given to enjoying his wintry morns and late rise from bed. We went out for a “dawny walk” down the foggy lanes. Generally these walks end up with our little “teattering”(that’s twittering over tea for the dull-witted ones) upstairs at Didi’s where I am greeted with a glass full of black tea(nothing less than Earl Grey) with honey, which of course is my brother-in-law’s moral duty to pamper his iklauti saali with, and Mr. Boots with hot, freshly roasted rotis straight from the scalding tawa.
However, this morn, it was too early to barge in on the sleepy-heads. So, we came back and took refuge under layers of downy quilts and blankets to reemerge at 05.30 am. Bleary eyed prodded to the kitchen with strains of Vaishnava Janato (amazing jugalbandi by the two maestros, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Ustad Bismillah Khan) wafting from the hall. Made two cups of tea (regular ones) for meself and maa and settled down on the sofa to enjoy the music……………….
The feeling of being blessed had surged up while I was still in bed oscillating between the two extremes of dreamy wakefulness and not-so-deep-(shallow?)slumber. It was, as though, I was sitting on the edge of a dancing wave, rising and falling, in regular intervals with rhythmic grace……………
It was there in the half lit, slightly chilly hall that I silently rationalized my maiden feeling of gratitude and thankfulness and enlisted the factors which had led to this sudden realization which was at the same time uplifting and humbling……………
Blessed to have a loving, understanding, encouraging family………………..Maa, the strict disciplinarian in my life, of whom, as a child, I was in awe, which feeling has lately translated into loving familiarity (read fond contempt)
Blessed to be pampered by all and sundry………….cousins, aunts, uncles, et al (may be a spoonful of pity is also diffused in the swirling beverage of kinship and empathy, but this morning my heart chose to ignore that)
Blessed to have a sister in whom I can confide the most (well, almost) in spite of our massive sibling rivalry and outrageous personality clashes.
Blessed to have a brother-in-law who stimulates most of my mornings with steaming glasses of tea, sometime (well, most of the times) with a yucky overdose of Mathilda’s secret.
Blessed to have two nephews who carelessly take me for granted and try dominate me as much I try my freaky ways on them
Blessed to have like minded people around me on whom I can barge in any part of the day with my stupid brainwaves
Blessed to have the right amount of moolah in my pocket to squander on my “favourite things”
Blessed to have Mr. Boots around who I can irritate with my over indulgences…………. (gives me very dirty looks at times)
Blessed to have extremely sympathetic colleagues who take care of me whenever I am hungry
Blessed to have a boss who treats me with poorly disguised contempt for not having the “pro” label on my bulky self (a constant reminder of my imperfections)
Blessed to have the kitchen fire burning
Blessed to have hot water in the bathroom
Blessed to have a window to the outside world which I cannot reach out otherwise
Blessed to have somebody around to have a good laugh with at the expense of others (bitching is the right word)
Blessed to have my sensory faculties intact
Blessed to have a “groping” grasp (appreciation?) of the subtleties of the finest specimens of human creativity (even sublime!)
Blessed to enjoy the changing hues of day and night
Blessed to swim and soak in the extravagances of life
Blessed, blessed, blessed all throughout
In tears and chuckles
In sobs and giggles
In wonder, in daze
In awareness, in haze
In remembrances, in reminiscences,
In music and melody
In laughter and tragedy
Blessed to have experienced infinite possibilities
Amidst the maze of Draconian drudgeries
Yeah, this morning couldn’t have been better!

Kii paaini taar hishaab melaate mano mor nahey raaji
I shan’t dwell on what I have been deprived of
These may fall short of what I have got
(Why do my translations always result in disaster????????????)