IS IT TOO LATE TO LEARN?! SIX DECADES & STILL STUDYING!😷

IS IT TOO LATE TO LEARN?!

SIX DECADES & STILL STUDYING!😷

When you are in the 6th decade, you cannot but wonder, what if I had done this or not done that, would things have been different. This sort of musing is well established among humanity. 

In fact, many a time, there would be other folks around you opining that you could have done this better which might well add fuel to fire and increase the tension.

This blog is written with this philosophy in mind hoping it may help a younger person to lead an easier life before reaching the sixties.

FAMILY:

You need to have family ties period. It may not be important in the first 3 decades, as your parents are around. Before you realize it, you are the head of the family.

Do not burn down bridges, even if times are difficult. Talking out a problem over a meal is a good way of agreeing to disagree.

Blood is thicker, remember?

WORK:

If you love your work, you can put all your passion in it. But in many situations especially in the corporate or government job, one has to work for a living. Always do your best at work. Be fair to juniors and they will be fair to you in later life.

The work will go on with or without you, whatever the boss says. Do your best , but it is best to remember that family will stand with you in times of distress!

FINANCES:

'Money is not everything,' has always been my motto.

But it is good to salt away some savings by the 5th decade.After that efficiency to earn comes down in most folks. In the next 2 decades, you are prone for major health hazards . Your own children would have their own families and expenses. Bear this in mind to build a financial reserve.

A government job gives you a pension, a private job does not.

HEALTH:

As a person who has stayed well clear of booze, smoking or drugs, I do not wish to preach. But when you are young, do not fritter your life away. Time lost never comes back ( includes the time watching TV or over sleeping too). TVs and newspapers tend to give you an overdose of paid for advertisements, politics and movies. All of which affects our lives, at least mine far less.

Keep your body fit and reasonably free of diseases.Diabetes, high BP and stress cause early heart attacks.

In Corona time, it includes wearing masks, facial visors, social distancing and avoiding crowds.

TENSION:

I am type A personality worrier. Fortunately. my sons Pravin and Mervyn tell me always never to worry after something which could have been improved upon.

Life is short. Too short to worry about the time lost.

If you have severed a friendship due to your faulty, make a call and move on.

If it is by the other person, just move on! There are better people in life waiting to make your acquaintance!

FRIENDS:

Friends like books should be good and few, was my dad's favorite quote. Far from true in the days of google.

Maintain good friends over the years from school, college, work, social societies based not just friendship.Not with any purpose in mind, but just to keep them appraised of your life and to be aware of theirs.

FAITH:

As times roll, you will realize that you have to philosophically  leave the good and bad to a higher power or God or Karma or a force, truly and well beyond you. Whatever your higher faith is, help those who need you, the poor, the orphans, the destitute and others without expecting anything in return!

HOBBY:

Have a hobby. Reading, pets, walking, cycling, golf, music, gardening, dancing,painting, whatever you fancy.  Be passionate about it - it is first of all of you, only then for the others!

Do not be shy to talk or exhibit it! People will tell you are too old for it.

My friend recently posted this image and I borrow it here! I am not able to trace the origin of this image from internet to pay credit to .

NEEDS:

As you near the sixties, the needs in life become less. You should be happy with your own company, though you have friends. Your need should get less with reference to talking, eating, regrets, worries.

This may not mean much to a 30 year old. Wait another 20 years, and read it again to know the true meaning!

                                   You live only once, live it well and make it count!

THE END

APPA'S EASY CHAIR

 Appa’s Easy Chair

"Let's sit quiet a bit, Toady!" said the Rat, throwing himself into an easy chair, while the Mole took another by the side of him and made some civil remark about Toad's delightful residence.

1908: Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows 

In the seventies, I remember my father lying in an easy chair in the nights, a bit tired. He used to tell me about some main events, trials in his life. I was a young medical student then, not always receptive however, like most adolescent sons!

Though mostly amusing, the discussions had been educative, instructive, advisory in nature. He was a traditional strict dad.

His main words were, “Always, put in the best effort.Be wise as a serpent, but harmless as a dove”

He himself was a self made man and had worked hard during life; he took on 4 jobs after his retirement, to put me through a medical college education and my sister through mathematical higher education.

More than 2 decades had passed since his demise. 

I was looking through the attic the other day. I found a carefully packed easy chair. It was my father’s. I had not seen an easy chair, leave alone his, for many years. 

Thanks to covid, one gets a new overview of life! 

I took it upon myself to look for a cloth for the easy chair. The cloth I found was too long.With considerable difficulty,I located a tailor to alter it to fit the chair. Sadly due to my own stupidity, I had z small part of the chair cracked up, while setting it up 😷.

The furniture shop opposite to my house, glued it and gave it back. With the remark, would I be interested in selling it to them, because it was made of wood that you hardly ever get nowadays. 

I had never paid any attention to the type of wood; then I remembered my father once saying that he had the easy chair done out of rose wood as it would last a long time!

Late last evening, I finally took the easy chair out into the garden for a trial and sat out for half hour. 

It was cool, after the rains during the day. The jasmine smell was strong in the air. My new vigour in gardening had helped to blossom all sorts of flowers. I sat in a partially lit area considering the recent rains and the puddles, along with two of my German Shepherd dogs. 

It was wonderful to sit in my father’s easy chair, 25 years after he had left. And I don’t know how long he had the chair. It was in the family as long as I could remember.

It was very relaxing 😍, well, at least till the mosquitoes arrived on the scene. I beat a hasty retreat into the house!

5 minutes later, there was a knock at the door. The watchman showed me what he found at the spot where I was sitting… a large scorpion! 😳

Apparently it was moving across the floor , when the GSDs partially bit it with violent tossing of their heads. He managed to pry the scorpion away from the dogs, but a bit too late!

My father’s words rang through my mind, “Be wise ( cautious)” . I am sure he meant it in a different context. But even in this situation, I had chosen the lit area for sitting out, as the sun had gone down. I was  acutely aware of the dogs, as they always pick out reptiles around earlier than humans, rain or no rain. 

Some might have attributed this to karma!

If I had been sitting out for a bit longer, I might have picked up the scorpion in ways more than one 😩. I could not  help but thank  the mosquitos silently, for persuading me to go indoors!

So it is good to be cautious even when totally relaxed in a traditional easy chair, covid or no covid!😊

(FOUNTAIN) 'PEN - DRIVE'

(FOUNTAIN) 'PEN - DRIVE'

When we were kids, we had only fountain pens! ( Why fountain- I don't really know)  Ball pens were very new . No school, or legal papers allowed them. Nor did our parents!

My sister and I had one or two Hero pens each. 

Every Sunday, my dad used to take the pens apart, wash them, clean them, fill them up with ink and make sure they work well. 

So the pens were always in working condition all the time. Hero pens were difficult to kill. Believe me, my sister and I tried to, several times!!

Before my father's era, there were quill pens.They did not contain the ink, but only the nib which had to immersed in the ink every time you wrote a line!

Do you know that the most interesting and romantic love letters were written with the quill ink pens. They were slow to write with and were laborious. The writer had time to put his thoughts in order before writing the words! 

But after the advent of ball pens, the love letters are much shorter because the pens moved on paper faster than the thoughts in the brain! Now with mobiles, the emoticons have away even words!

But I digress!

Recently, (with my young grandson opening cupboards and old packages) I have come across an army of fountain pens discarded, labelled as non functional lying around.

Remembering my late father, and his old habits, I gathered the pens, took them apart, cleaned them, and de-clogged the nibs of pens, watched on by my family with amusement.

Much to their dismay (and to my joy!),  all the pens are now functional and filled with ink - ready to be written with- ha ha!

'THE (FOUNTAIN) PEN-DRIVE'  has been been a successful mission after all !

Imagine my surprise when today my son Pravin dropped on my lap about half a dozen discarded ink pens, to be fixed! 

One fine day, I guess my grandson would expect him to do the honours!!

IF ONLY THE DINING TABLE COULD SPEAK ......!

If only the DINING TABLE could speak

The dining table is where modern family namely the parents meet the children and eat together with a thankful  heart.

Dining table is where the guests are entertained as it is always in a room with access to the kitchen.

Though known as the dining table, it is used for purposes far more than dining.

The table is where the family says a prayer for the meals.

Joyful events like births, engagements are announced.

Daily events are shared by the family at the end of the day during meals.

Television is watched together for news, matches, movies and events.

Sad news too - accidents, ill health, deaths are shared, tears shed at the table.

Children study at the dining table, do the last minute home work before the school.

Progress cards surrptiously shown to the parents at the last minute just before school at the eleventh hour for the signatures!

Children watch the parents communicating with the near and dear and learn how to communicate.

Dinner time is the best, when the unwanted food is shoved below the table to the dogs without the knowledge of the mother! ( giving special meaning to ' we are not worthy to pick the crumbs from under Thy table!'......)

MId-night forbidden raids to the fridge and the stolen food gulped in the dark at the table, watching midnight movies!

Dining table seats visitors dropping for a chat, news, gossip and tea.

Every birthday is treated with cake cutting, singing, good wishes and unpacking around the table.

Formal prayer meetings demand more seats around the dining table for singing the thanksgiving.

When children leave for college, there is loneliness around the table and the feeling of emptiness is palpable.

Children grow up to be young men, and get married; their families join in and more joy pours in.

Grand kid/s come forth into family. 

Music, happiness and laughter around the dining table yet again.

And life goes on!

If only the dining table could speak ……!