Days 11 - Zen

Since the last few weeks, ever since Neetima's left, the home looks extra cluttered! I am amazed at the extent of my needs (Micky is a saint!).

I am a hoarder... of memories and teaching materials in particular! Teachers are renowned for hoarding worksheets, ideas, readings, books etc and I am no different. Shelves and shelves are full of books that might come in handy some day when one of my students asks me a question about..... kinda stuff!

Memories.... Neetima's stuff in particular is hoarded in every nook and cranny of our house. Her portfolios are housed in our drawing room, her special cooking stuff in the kitchen, her clothes and make-up in all three bedrooms, her books all around the house (including those in Japanese, Italian, Spanish and German that she has hoarded as she loves languages!).......... As I write this, I realise that this is a happy similarity to my dad.

Neetima was born on January 11th, exactly 17 years after dad died. My family has an unspoken element of belief that this was my dad reincarnate, as he loved me too much to let go. My aunt, bless her soul, was the only outspoken one who mentioned her belief to me every once in a while. Neetima does have many similarities..........her love for food, language, medicine and her gentle calmness, uncomplex view of life and humility are a genetic handover from dad.

As parents we indulged Neetima to the maximum possible without pushing her into the boundaries of 'head in the air and feet ungrounded' zone. I, on the other hand, re-lived my childhood, with and through her...............which means that our house now has plenty of stuff that has been minimally used, in spite of my love for the environment and being a self-proclaimed mini Eco-warrior!
So a few weeks ago, when re- calibrating life after Neetima left for university, I decided to go the zen way. I promised to throw away/ use fully/give away at least one thing each day till I reach the bare minimum required for survival plus some indulgence when I feel like it.
At the moment it seems simple enough!
As I was going through the shelves I found Neetima's school portfolios. And one of my happy moments for the day..................