Day: March 18, 2011

Well, those two things don’t necessarily go together, but they do have something in common:  a balmy pre-spring day and a bust of Alexander the Great, that is.  They are both an affirmation of how “the show must go on”.  And if you think that is even more vague of a statement, allow me to explain:  the weather here today is mild and balmy, and although just a bit breezy, from the sight of the blue skies, the crocuses in the ground peeking out, the grass turning green in patches here and there, and the tiniest of shoots appearing on barren branches of the trees, one would venture to say that Spring is indeed around the corner!  And that sentiment, the sentiment of hope for a new season, captures the sprit of the purpose of this blog viz. that “the show must go on!”  In the changing of the seasons–Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall–the show does indeed go on!

 And what’s all this about the bust of Alexander the Great, you say?  Well, I happened to find this lovely monument tucked away on one side of campus during my noon-hour walk on this beautiful balmy day, and I couldn’t help but stop and look more carefully at the image and information of this man who lived more than 2000 years ago, and yet, so great was his mark on the state of the world as it was known at that time, that his name and lore have been immortalized over the millenia.  The show goes on!

So, these other pictures are what again?  Well, the first is a view from my office window, and the other is a view of my office building from the outside.  That third window on the top-most floor, third from right has my name written all over it!

 

This post was first published in my private blog almost two years to this day on Friday, March 20, 2009.  Two years later, the show does indeed go on… but the love remains the same.

It comes to us in different ways: in person, on the phone, in a letter or an e-mail or even a text message. Sometimes it even comes in a small parcel. All the way across the oceans. Love, that is. 

Last Friday, I came home to find it on my doorstep– a small parcel sealed at every seam and corner, with lots of bright stamps on the front, and AIRMAIL written on the front and back. One look at the return address told me it was from my cousin, Shorrosh in India. I picked it up, took it into the kitchen and needed both scissors and a knife to open it up! Inside, were three lovely long silk scarves. And a small note from him that said he hoped I would like them. What for, this present, you say? Well, for nothing. No birthdays or anniversaries or other milestones to mark. No special occasions that needed kudos or congratulations. It was a just-because present, the best reason ever.

But to me, there was another reason that love arrived in the mail on that day. It happened to be a day that was a rough one at work. A day that had left me confused and bewildered. A day that took me by surprise and actually knocked me down. And so, when I came home in this bruised state of mind, there was this little parcel– another suprise, but what a lovely one, this. What an instant pick-me-upper, what a sweet comfort coming from so far off just for me. Love in this little parcel, all wrapped up, and sent to arrive on just the day that I needed it most.

And that’s how love manifests itself so many times. Sometimes when we least expect it; when we don’t even realize that we are in need of it. And so it creeps up to us. And wraps itself around us, and enters our hearts, and assures and reassures us that we are loved– just as we are. And for no other reason than just-because. No special occasion necessary.

So, this one’s for you, Shorrosh! Thank you for loving me, and for reminding me that you do. Your love comes to me in so many ways, but this way through the mail is so terribly sweet. I love it. And I love you.