15 Marbles

This is a very late post,but how can I not blog about this very big milestone.

I turned 40 this year, in February. My big FOUR-OH! Normally, I am very excited about my birthday, but this year, I was surprised by own lukewarm response to the day. Could it be that the buildup to a milestone birthday, just fizzled out all the excitement of the day?

It could be due to the fact that I had just returned from a 6 week long trip to India and was still missing family, feeling homesick. Maybe because I didn’t have a plan .Or perhaps it was just that I was anxious about turning 40. My mom was 40 when she died and I had all sorts of worries about turning 40.

19th February,2020 arrived and it felt like a normal day. SP and I had taken a day off. We dropped the kids at school and went out for coffee and breakfast followed by a long drive to Williamstown. It was one of those rare kid free dates. Next stop was a trip to the hairdressers, followed by lunchtime cocktails and grazing platter , before picking up the kids. We finished the day with a nice dinner at a Mexican restaurant, complete with the most delicious margaritas and mini cupcakes.

Do I feel any different after turning 40? No, not really.. everything is still the same.. I still get the giggles over the silliest things, I still get excited over the same things and the things that annoyed me earlier,still annoy me. So, really 40 is just a number, isn’t it?

My anxiety or worries about turning 40 have disappeared or perhaps have been replaced by COVID worries. I keep joking with SP and the kids, that I didn’t get a chance to use 2020, so I am going to turn 40 next year ..it’s only fair, isn’t it?

I leave you with my favourite photo from a lunch with my girlfriends – they surprised me with a cake.. I was truly surprised and felt so spoiled at that moment and one of my friends captured it beautifully.

How did you celebrate your milestone birthday? Were you excited or feeling ‘meh’ like me ? Leave me a comment to share 🙂

Take care

Trish xx

A couple of weeks back, on a dull , gloomy, rainy day, I decided to organise a high tea for 4. I mean, why not? Just because we are not allowed to have guests over, doesn’t mean that we can’t have a party for ourselves.

I ordered some Samosas and sweets from a local sweet shop, as they have adapted their business to still operate in COVID times. There is nothing that makes me happier than being able to support local businesses..ok may be I lie- Samosa & chai makes me happier 😊

And as if the universe conspired to make my tea party even grander, SP’s office sent a surprise package – a box of mini- cupcakes. Sometimes all it takes to uplift your mood is a little tea party! Grab a cuppa and join in for a virtual tea party.

Do stop and say hi if you reading 😊

Take care,

Trish xx

September is self care awareness month and I am making a conscious effort to look after myself . Here are some of the things that I have done to look after ‘Me’

One of the things I miss most when staying at home is picking out accessories each day. Last Friday, I made a conscious effort to put on one of my favourite necklaces and some earrings, dab a little kaajal & lipstick – ta da.. instant mood lift!

Finally after nearly 6 months of setting up office at the Dining table, I set up a little office nook for myself. It’s funny how we always put ourselves last .. atleast I do. When we moved to remote learning and working from home, SP already had his home office set up . I moved the hallway table to set up the kids desk & took the last available table – the dining table. That obviously took a toll on my back , neck everything. So, here’s my big step towards looking after ‘me’

And lastly, this is not a big deal or may be it is .. I ordered lunch from UberEats yesterday ! As I said it’s not a big deal , but at the same time it is. You see, I time my lunch break with MsAn’s . So most of my lunch time is spent on whipping up something quickly for us – maybe nuggets/ an omelette / sandwiches/ dosa – anything.. but that means I have just enough time to stuff my face before I get back to my desk. Or sometimes I bring my plate back to my desk. So, I gave myself a break & had a relaxed lunch .. just like I used to at work . It’s the little things that make a difference, isn’t it?

And lastly, one of the things I miss most is talking.. spitting out all my thoughts.. I miss that now, so I am trying to write more, here and offline just random scribbles.. jotting my thoughts down .. so as to clear some space in my mind , because frankly there is too much noise in there right now. 😊

If you are still here and reading my ramblings, thank you .. do leave me a comment or an emoji, to tell me what you are doing to look after yourself!

Take care, stay safe

Much love, Trish xx