thecoolreena

When I got married, my mom in law gifted me a lot of steel containers. I was really feeling weird about why steel? Anyways, things went on and then she would cook something nice and send it to us. Everything that was given to us was in a steel container. She had the biggest to the smallest boxes of steel. The biggest to the smallest steel pans with steel lids on it. I still remember I used to just use dishes or plates to cover my pans and my mom in law painstakingly got the e xact covers to each of the pans which didn't have a cover. And I was always left to wonder what is it with steel when everything is so easily available in plastic. Many times, I thought it was just about the generation gap and laughed away to it. I appreciated the efforts that she put in the kitchen and the containers. She never told me to stop storing food in plastic containers. She always modeled it for me. Whenever I would ask my father in law to get something from the market, he would very syste...

We want results...and guarantees and warranties... The other day, I was talking to my friend and she told me about this lady who was buying a plant Lady:-Bhaiya phool aayega na? Bhaiya :-Ha madam!!! Lady:- Bhaiya, sacchi batao, phool aayega na...????? Bhaiya:- ha madam..... Rachel (thinking)- by now the flower is also stressed out and feels the pressure to perform... And today, I was buying watermelon Reena :- Bhaiya, meetha hoga na? Bhaiya:- Ha madam!! Reena:- Bhaiya pakka????...aapko kaise pata chalta hai ke meetha hai ke nahi? Bhaiya:- Mera experience hai... (My watermelon is stressed and feels the stress of performing) Reena’s wisdom speaks inside her head- Let the plant just be ... Let the watermelon just be... Let our kids just be... Let the life just be... Enjoy it the way it is ... Thand rakh yaar... Just be ... Just live... Just have fun...

So my son put his foot into the lift through the collapsible doors (while it was in motion)- just managed to jut his big toe nail out and get 3 stitches a few months ago. Now the nail is beginning to grow and is a little crooked. It was chipping so I told him that I will cut it. There was a big drama that had already happened in the hospital during stitches and also post that while we had to remove them. And then today Neel- Mummy, I am scared, it will pain... Me- it’s ok, don’t worry... trust me it will be fine ... Neel- but Mummmmmmmmmmmyyyyyyyy (and whining and oouching and ooeeeing and all of that...) Me- (getting restless) I am telling you that it is ok, just trust me ... Neel- Mummy , Mummy , Mummy and (the tone changes to crying now ) Mummy, mummmmmmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyy.....(nail cutter is just close to the nail- not even touched it) Me- Neel, Can’t you just trust me ? I love you so much, I will take care....don’t worry!!! Neel- Mummy, muuuuuuuuummmmmmmmyyy...

Dearest daddy, Wishing you many happy returns of the day... Again another birthday when you are physically not present with us. Every year, I tell myself that you are happy wherever you are.  I also tell myself that you are watching us and blessing us and happy for us.  All of this seems good to listen to and that is all. Maybe I am trying to fool myself by saying all of this. All this logic is not accepted by my heart... It is shunned away... The truth is- there is an abyss.... the special place in my heart is empty... Daddy, you are missed when we are happy... Daddy, you are missed when we are sad... Daddy, you are missed when I achieve something... Daddy, you are missed when I make your name proud... Daddy, you are missed when I see a dad interacting with her daughter... Daddy, you are missed every single day... Daddy, you are missed every single moment when I feel grateful... Daddy, you are missed every single moment when I feel blessed... Daddy, you are missed by every c...

I wait for this signal to turn green on my scooter. It's nice and scorching. I am thinking whether it was a good idea to get my scooter and then I am interrupted by two men who navigate their way across us-the autos, cars, scooters, and bikes.They seem to be in a hurry to cross the road. And in that hurry, the shoulder of the man hits against my mirror. I was concerned about him and his shoulder and also for my mirror. Before I could allow my next thought to pop up, this man  turns behind and tries to stare at me through my sunglasses and the scarf that covered my face. He was soooooooooo angry. Anyways, he walked away and I started popping thoughts in my mind again about what exactly did that stare mean. He was the one who was in a hurry and before I could think he stared again in anger and frowned as much as he could. His stare conveyed to me that I was responsible for the pain that he was feeling on his shoulder. And then, I was waiting there getting into a justificatio...

As, I see my son diving into the swimming pool, I hear a sound next to me. I was shaken up. It was the sound of the four year old child slapped on her face by her dad. This child was sitting in between her parents. I really wanted to ignore what I heard but by reflex my head turned towards the sound. My eyes meet the mothers eyes who I thought would feel apologetic about what just happened. But she smiled at me and I tried stopping myself from giving her the most cruellest o f my looks. (I told myself to stop being judgemental) While this little girl started crying, her mom started laughing and told her daughter- How was the beating? Was it tasty? Told you to listen to daddy else Daddy gets angry!!! Don’t you understand.... Start behaving like a girl and listen ( I was zapped ....) I wanted to get up and slap this six feet heavily built dad who thought it was wise to hit this little delicate doll but I stopped myself !!! Was the dad trying to teach that being a gir...

You know what since childhood, I was taught praise in front of everyone and give feedback only in person secretly. And I follow on to this very strictly. There was another thing that was taught and that was to respect the elders and the relatives. But before that respect yourself first. Do not let anyone disrespect you. And again I follow that in my life. Sometimes, when elders give you feedback in front of people when you are not at fault, it hurts. But then what to do in such a situation? Some elders do it because when they talk, they are not mindful of the power of their words which are like sharp arrows and they pierce straight into the heart. And ouch...it hurts... In such a situation, do you stand up and protect your self-respect or allow them to disrespect you in front of many others. One such situation happened and I was in a conflict whether to stand up for myself or to respect the other person. If I stand up for myself, then I am disrespecting the other person....

I was at the Nehru planetarium with my son (trying to be a good mom in my own eyes). And then one mom with her two teenage daughters sits next to me. She is in her fifties, a little heavy for her height and seems like she has pain in both her knees. She is all sweaty and because the parapet on which we are sitting was too low, she could not balance and sat with a big thud. I saw her and smiled.(non-verbally we communicated that its ok and it is fine....) Then came her first  daughter who loved her to the core and started shouting. “Is this the way you sit? What if you had fallen down? Don’t you know how to take care and sit slowly?” And then before the mom could answer, the second daughter came in and scolded her even more loudly – Is this how you sit? She loves her mom immensely but does not know how to express the love and this time it is mixed with worry. Believe me, the combination of love and worry is too dangerous. She goes on and on and on. And their mom goes deeper...

I had my first grey hair when I was just 23. And then just as a reflex, I plucked it away. I obviously didn’t want the grays to come to me. Obviously not... And then I didn't see them for a while till the time when I became around 30 when the greys started coming over and decided to stay on my scalp. (ooooooh.....it is very early....not soooooooooooooooo soon..........................) I didn't want these visitors, come on yaar... no one likes change... or was it about the hi dden meaning beneath the greys???? What is it that was making me uncomfortable? And then, once while I was finishing my therapy session with a child, I overheard a parent talking to another... “You know what I am completely grey, I just color them...IIt'snot something to be proud of........” she told to the other parent. First message for me that greys are terrible!!! The media and the advertisements played a major role in those days and added to the belief that you cannot afford to show y...