Save Nature & Nature Saves You

Mother nature, the one who nurtures us all,

In her lap we have grown big and tall

Threatened, abused, she lays bleeding

Press ctrl + save she is pleading

The path is tough, but lets not lose hope

Young and old let's join hands for there is scope

We can still save her & fight hazards away

For where there is a will, there is a way.

I was fortunate to have spent a childhood very close to mother nature, for my mother was a nature lover herself. Early mornings I would see her spending an hour in the garden, watering the plants, trimming worn out leaves and examining each plant. Being a child, I often got jealous and told her, "You love your plants more than me, seems you talk to them everyday like they are your children." She would laugh and tell me, "These plants are a part of our family. When you climb the Guava tree, don't you feel he is your buddy, playing with you? Just like we care for our family members, these plants too need our love and care."

Most importantly, she used to say something which has stayed with me,

"Save nature and nature saves you"

And so, right from recycling waste to planting tree on every birthday, my parents taught me to care for environment like one would care for their parents. 

Now that I am a mom myself, its time to pass the baton of wisdom to the next generation.

But, things aren't the same as they used to be when I was a child. Rising pollution levels in the metros force small children to wear masks to school. The depleting water resources sit like a time bomb. News reports of rising chemicals in foodstuffs scare me as a parent and I often fear if the food I am giving my child is laced with chemicals.

It is high time, we all take accountability of saving mother nature. By teaching our children these simple ways of protecting nature, we can surely make them better citizens of tomorrow.

Waste less and reuse more

Using products that can be recycled (glass instead of plastic bottles, cloth bags instead of plastic bags,  rechargeable batteries), we can minimise non biodegradable waste, saving our land from abuse. Simple habits like switching off the fans, lights and appliances when not in use can help minimise Carbon footprint. But, as adults we need to lead by example.

A plant a birthday

I loved this custom mom followed. In today's era of reducing spaces, this may be tough, but the world is our home and the parks always welcome more trees with open arms. The next time you take your kid for walk, the breeze in the garden and the fresh air will be nature's return gifts.

Reduce paper wastage

I still remember a classmate of mine, who used to fill her notebooks to the fullest. Often when others joked why she was being such a miser, she told them she was saving trees. By teaching our children to use papers left in old notebooks, print on both sides of paper and use recycled paper, we can partner in saving trees.

Value of fresh water

By making small changes in our daily routine, we can teach kids to conserve fresh water resources, which are depleting at an alarming pace. Recycling water in garden, using bucket instead of showers and keeping tap closed while brushing teeth are small drops in the ocean.

Inspiration & visits

Visits to places like Rock Garden and nature parks can be great source of inspiration for children, becoming the perfect "fun and learn" moments. Children are great observers and pick up good habits easily for life.

All this would make no sense until we don't practice what we preach, for a wise man once said, "Children learn from who you are, than what you teach."

I’m blogging about how I’ll remind kids to press Ctrl+S for nature for the Shortcut Safaari weekend activity at BlogAdda

H: Happy Birthday : A to Z Challenge

I was in deep sleep when the ring of my cellphone woke me up with a start. It was midnight and for a second I was shocked to see my niece calling me at that hour. "Happy Birthday to you" she sang, reminding me that my special day had arrived. 

As a kid, I was so obsessed with being wished that the moment the clock struck 12, I would start singing "Happy Birthday" for myself. On my birthday mornings, I would wait like a puppy till each family member wished me Happy Birthday atlas 2-3 times! Back then I loved the excitement and the special treatment for a day.

But with years, the excitement to hear the golden words, "Happy Birthday" vanished in time!

Happy Birthday calls at 12 now surprise me and somewhat irritate too if they don't finish within 1-2 minutes. 

Did I ever imagine that adulthood would change my preferences to a "quite little birthday!"

Childhood - you are history.

This post is written for A to Z Challenge

G : Games : A to Z Challenge

I loved playing games as a kid, hide n seek being my favourite. The moment clock struck 4, my friends used to get together to play. Mom would often be engrossed in her afternoon siesta by then and never needed an alarm to wake up. For the shrill voices of my friends calling me to play were good enough to wake her up. 

Summer vacations were bonus time as we got time to play a variety of games, often indoors due to the sultry heat. Come vacations and our scrabble and monopoly boxes would see the light. 

I was addicted to Badminton and often even missed my meals for a good match. I remember several times during vacations, mom used to call me home and finally come sometimes at 11 in the night to scold me and take me back home! 

Games taught us early a lot about team spirit and sportsmanship. Each one of us wanted to lead the group, so there were frequent fights, red faces, boycotts and then after few days, things would be back to normal.

Much better than the games elders play...

Which were your favourite games as a child?

This post is written for A to Z Challenge

F : Fears : A to Z Challenge

We all hide them, deny them and secretly make every effort to wipe them out of their lives. But they do exist. Within each one of us.

Fears...

It is often said that fears are best dealt by facing them eye to eye. But it is easier said than done.

As a child I used to love dogs. Until one unfortunate day, I became the victim of a dog bite while returning from school. Call it the over excitement of a seven year old, or simple bad luck. I spotted three lovely white puppies in a drain near my house and immediately dashed to hold them. As I approached them for some playtime, something black pounced on me. Within a fraction of a second, I turned and ran for my life, freeing my leg of something which held it for a moment. I was safe, I thought when the watchman asked me if it was paining a lot. "Why would it pain?" I was wondering when I saw blood oozing out of my leg. The protective mom of the pups had successfully taken her revenge by digging her paw and 2 teeth in my calf muscles!

It was then that I felt the power of fear...

My ears suddenly felt hot; the vision was blurred by tears and all I wanted was the security of my mom's hug. But fears are communicable. Mom's condition was wore than me upon seeing me in that condition. As a mother now I can understand her fears and trauma.

Of course, time and anti rabies shots healed the wounds. But one thing they couldn't heal was my fear of stray dogs. I felt scared to go anywhere alone fearing a dog would come from somewhere and attack me. I wanted to be accompanied everywhere.

It took a lot of time and hard work for my family to get me over this fear. The arrival of my pet dog eventually helped me overcome my fear. But, till now whenever I see a stray dog chasing me, for a moment I go into flashback.

Its human to have fears. Accept them and face them eye to eye.

This post is written as a part of A to Z Challenge.

E : Expectations : A to Z Challenge

If there were no expectations, perhaps world would be a much happier place. Doing what we do and moving on would let us be at much more peace. Easier it is to fall for the forbidden fruit of eagerness and expectations than detaching oneself from the outcomes. But, if expectations were to die, so would motivations. It is a tightrope walk then, expecting just enough to keep us motivated but not be blinded by the attachment to results. 

This verse says it all...

This post is written as a part of A to Z Challenge #AtoZChallenge

D : Doctors : A to Z Challenge

In the past 1.5 years, I have interacted with doctors more than ever before in my life. Nine months of pregnancy saw me visiting my Gynaec's clinic like one would visit a close friend. In fact, knowing my history of feelings for doctors, Mr. Hubby began to make fun of me that the baby has transformed me into a Braveheart. As you would have guessed, I HATE doctor visits since I was a kid. As if, the smell of disinfectant and the sad faces of patients waiting were not enough, the expressions on the doctor's face made up for the rest. Often, my visits used to feel like a court hearing. I would blabber out every detail and the doctor would  keep jotting down something. Then, came the worst part, waiting for the judgement and praying to lord to save me from the torture of an injection or a bitter syrup. The doc would keep me waiting and jot down something endlessly in a handwriting I dunno how even the Chemist understood. No matter how much I tried to stay calm, the BP shot up in the waiting queue itself. In fact, once I jokingly invited the doc for tea to witness how good my BP was at home! 

As the D day (delivery) drew near, my doc transformed into God or so I was made to believe by my family. Throughout my pregnancy, I used to pester my doc with a long list of questions after her bit was done, adamant on having a normal delivery. But, towards the end of pregnancy, I felt like a helpless soul having to believe whatever the doctor said. 

"It is a matter of just few days",  I thought. But the only thing changed post delivery was the change of queue. I was now much more regular at the paediatrician's clinic bang opposite to my gynaec's, for being a new mom, I would not want to take chance for the slightest of issues.

And that's when I began to wonder, "does one trust the doctor blindly?"

Of course, in case we aren't qualified medical practitioners, we have no option but to nod our head in affirmation to all the tests, shots, diagnosis that we are advised. However, the bug of commercialisation hasn't spared this noble profession. Try visiting a doctor for the smallest of ailments and the first thing s/he will ask you is to undergo a battery of tests, often at a centre of their recommendation. "Its just a test" one wonders, there is no harm in diagnosis and often go for tests that were not even warranted in the first place. The deal becomes more lucrative for them if a baby is involved, for no parent would like to take chance. And if you question, the winning argument is "Lets rule out everything". Yes, we should rule out all doubts, by taking second opinions.

This post is written as a part of April A to Z Challenge #AtoZChallenge. 

C:Comic- A to Z Challenge

The reason why I got a lot of scolding from mom during exams was surprisingly not studies. It was comics. Yes, I was addicted to comics like a dopier is to dope. My addiction would be at its best during exams, for the colorful pages and happy faces transported me to a different world, free of exam stress, fears and failures. Every comic tells a happy story. However, being a concerned parent, mom used to be worried for my career, so she often made me swear not to touch comics till the exams were over! I used to be tempted to hide the comic in my textbooks and finish the story, but the guilt of breaking a swear and the fear of ranking low in class successfully kept me away from comics.

However, as soon as the last exam would be over, comics and I would embrace each other like long lost lovers and we would spend nights happily in each other's company.

Comics also taught me the art of networking & negotiating very early in life!

A boy in our neighborhood had a enviable collection of comics and used to organize a paid library during summer holidays. Paying for so many comics was totally our of question. But, then I found a weak link. This guy liked my hulla hoop and his mom never got him one, considering it to be a very girlie thing. So I negotiated the perfect barter. I would let him play with my hulla hoop and he let me read comics for free.

And that was not all...

There was a magazine stand next to the flour mill in the local market. Once, while waiting with my brother for the flour to be done, I picked up a comic, thinking I will pretend to check it out and the shopkeeper would think I will buy, but I will quickly switch to another one. However, once I opened the comic, I got so immersed in it that I lost track of time. Thankfully, the shopkeeper was a nice guy and a comic lover himself. "Why don't you grab a chair and read?"he said and offered me a chair. 

I was all smiles, thinking "Goodness still prevails"

Here are some of my favorite comics.

What are your comic memories & which are your favorite comics?

This post is written for #atozchallenge.