Sands of Time

It had been a long week. Saturday office sucks the life of a software professional. The longing for an off day was looming large but the pile of dirty laundry also needed attention. But thank God for washing machine man's life had become easier.

I took the torn jeans from the laundry and emptied the pockets. I must thank Mom here for making me follow this ritual since childhood. I realized grains of sand had slipped from the pockets. The sands from the beach I had been for a vacation. Almost immediately I went back in time.

It was one of those long weekends where most of the time is spent pondering what to do. But it wasn't. What initially began as a drive for coffee turned into an adventure trip. Fortunately for me I didn't know driving a four wheeler then. The duty hence was shared by two self-proclaimed-racing-drivers. The flip side of being in such company is one faces extremes of craziness.
They made me the navigator.

We reached the spot. Vast expanse of blue greeted us peppered with white stretches in between. Some of us soaked in the occasion while others attended nature's call. After a bit of surfing we settled down to gulp water of the darker kind. It is often said that a way to a man's heart is through the stomach. I am of the opinion that the closest rival to stomach would be liver.

The entire day was spent amidst laughter and banter.As night began to creep in sense prevailed. We slowly made foray back to our dwelling. The journey was hectic but the events were memorable.

Back in the present I lifted the grains of sand that had slipped. There was a momentary pause as I held them in my hand. I lifted the opening of the hourglass and poured the sand in. The timing was perfect as the hourglass had been giving me less time.

Fragile - Handle with care

She looked into the mirror and immediately changed her expression. One can lie to the lens but not the mirror. It simply reflects what is put in-front of it. She was this strong willed and determined lady past her teens. She was an achiever of sorts. A brilliant student, a dutiful daughter, a caring friend and now a responsible employee. But to her, this didn’t fit her description.

She often felt caught like a deer in the headlights. Her every move, every decision in fact her whole life had been scrutinized and dissected. She wanted to spend time on herself and with others of her choice without any social pang or guilt. Whenever she spoke her mind, her close ones just acted indifferently. Her feelings were the same of an athlete who had lost legs in an accident.

With time she devised a plan. She donned the garb of a cheerful and happy person. She learnt to smile artificially. She became a master at it. So much that it was difficult for ever her to differentiate between the fake and real smile. The underlying vent in her erupted sometimes unprecedented. Some couldn’t take it and those who did stood close to her. Nobody knew what she felt like or what her thought was. Then one fine day it surfaced. She had been carrying it with her for ages until someone noticed it. It read “Fragile – Handle with care”.