Random joys of waking up at 5am

– 20mins: Reading in the cone of yellow light of a desk lamp; nothing and no one to interrupt this almost meditative moment.

– 30mins: Walking. Soaking up the warm sunshine and the cool, clean air.

– 15 mins: A ‘pre-breakfast’ smoothie/coconut water/juice. Unhurried relish. Watering plants. Extending the calm.

– 45 mins: Study/work on a project. Absolute stillness.

– 30 mins: A quick organisation overview . Pick up stuff, put in right place. 5 minute clean up. Check important mail. Schedule day. Pack lunch. Pack bag. Gather keys, socks, water bottles. Pray.

– 20 mins: Unhurried bath. With some music. And a scented candle. Think. Ruminate. Moisturise. Get dressed. Wear perfume.

– 15 mins: Eat a hearty breakfast. Slowly. Talk. Laugh

– 5 mins: Smile. Kiss. Hug. Step out to work.

Photo Project: Day 4- The Background

I couldn’t find a ‘snazzy’ (as described in the photo project rules) background in my home. So, here is my nesting nook next to my bed with the pale early morning light and fog as the background. Also the giant Ghibi-esque trees outside my window.

My nesting nook comprises of two large storage boxes, my day bag, a hot/cold water bottle, my ‘essentials’ pouch, medicine kit, a small ganesha idol, dried ginger candy and wireless headphones.

One of the storage boxes is for soft linen including few pieces of mustard and rust coloured work-wear from Uniqlo, two checkered pattern kaftans for lounging around at home, few handkerchiefs and a piglet soft to from three decades ago.

The other storage box contains the books I am reading (simultaneously), my Kindle and iPad, rice crackers and a box of mixed dry fruits for early morning and late night snacks.

The ‘essentials’ pouch contain travel sized vials of a face serum, an eye gel, a lip mask, prenatal vitamins and essential medicines, a small notebook to keep track of budget and also double as a pregnancy planner.

Everything I need on a daily basis, is right within my reach, all at one place.

Yet, every morning when I wake up, my nesting nook is silhouetted against this milky, foggy blur of the early morning with my favourite trees barely peeking through in the background.

And this ordinary background of my mornings is what I want to highlight today.

Background of pale early morning light and blur of trees outside my window

Breakfast

Alternately flimsy and knobby, an amoeboid dosa splattered on the frying pan; with a little batter running down the ladle and crusting on my arm. Comic-strip sweat beads glistened on my forehead. Few of the dosas I could cradle in my palm, while others occupied the entire pan. Size notwithstanding, the aroma and the taste were familiar; making the whole effort worthwhile.

The batter was homemade.

The Dosa Batter
1 part brown rice, 1 part urad dal, 1 part moong dal, 1/2 part Chana dal, 1/2 part masoor dal, 2tbsp flaxseed powder, 1 tsp salt; soaked for a couple of hours, ground and fermented overnight. Served with onion and tomato chutney.

Also:

  • Oiled my hair.
  • Sharpened my pencils.
  • Ate a spoonful of butter and died happy
  • Watched clouds.
  • Wore my favorite t-shirt; it features a typewriter.
  • Read Optic Nerve for a while.
  • Listened to songs from Studio Ghibli’s ‘My neighbor Totoro’

The day

It is a no pants day. An acute craving for freshly squeezed orange juice day. A wake up frighteningly early yet stay in bed day. An old Goan melody day.

A trying to find meaning in the checkerboard of light and shade stretched across my floor day. A speaking just a handful of words throughout the day.

A darkened room and the whirring of the fan and the whiff of the fragrant body lotion day. An Adrienne Rich poetry day. A graphic novel day. A book about books day.

A counting blessings day. A soupy noodles day. A red socks day. A staying in the present day. A call in sick and grateful for the headache day.

An internal day. A tree watching day. A piecing together the perspective puzzle day.

A quiet day.

(Note: This is a recycled post from a now deleted blog of mine)