Life’s Lessons from the Household Help

Dated – November, 2013

She disappeared for two months. And, came back unannounced. Thus, the hindsight.

• Denial does not last long. You will eventually do your dirty laundry. And wash the dirty dishes. You will move on. And the house would be clean again.
• Does not mean you won’t miss the life that was. The life of coming home to cleanliness. To cooked food. To things in their own place. Time makes memories hazy, but they always lurk around. Always reachable, in that moment of despair when your weekend dates are the broom and dish washer.

• Flaws seem bigger when you spend too much time with someone. The windows were never dusted. The plates were never clean enough. The food, too oily. The bigger picture always becomes visible in their absence.
• The house seems much bigger when you are the one sporting the broom. Every thing has at least two different perspectives, one yours and one of the person in the other pair of shoes. And a change in perspective is always a good thing.
• The joy of seeing someone you least expected can be colossal.
• Good times and bad times don’t last. Like S says, live in the moment.
• Like I’ve said before, karma can come back with a vengeance. The excuses you made once upon a time to skip work will come back to you ten times outrageously modified.
• People lead really different lives. Each one with their own struggles. Things you won’t understand or believe. Try not to judge.
• Education can change your life radically, in a good way. Be glad about the hours spent under the parents’ and the teachers’ scanner. It has helped you make better choices in life. If you still didn’t, its all on you then.
• When I was young, I had a huge fight with the maid’s daughter. About something really inconsequential. I remember ma’s words then – that the way you treat the lesser privileged people in your life is the true judge of your character.

Just another day. She is late again. But she’s promised bhindi and daal for dinner. And we have kept out the dirty laundry for washing. Our evenings are again spent reading books and watching movies. To good times and hoping they last a while. 🙂