Day 348 - Pool Chairs

Thought of the day: I went back to my regular routine today. I was told that Lila had missed me a lot when I was away. I could tell as she was almost giddy all day. She tired herself out so much during the day that she dropped into sleep almost instantly tonight. For me, it was good to get away and immerse in an entirely different environment once in a while. I felt that I had been gone for a long time but actually it was only a short three days. Coming back home was like stepping into a different time and space. We slip in and out of different universes all the time, within each we have a distinctive role or roles to play. This goes on for an entire life time and in some religions this goes on for many life times. Are we authentically ourselves in all the universes or are we most authentically ourselves in a specific one? I wonder about that often and I don't think I will ever find a definite answer. 

Photo of the day:

Pool chairs and swim ring.  Jasmine was taking an outdoor swim lesson while Lila played in the play pool. Now that I was back in my regular routine, it was hard to believe that I was in a very different place in the company of very different people doing very different things only yesterday.

Day 344 - Homeless Man

Thought of the day: I flew into Chicago today for a 20-year class reunion. Even though I missed my family already, it was liberating to be able to do something on my own once in a while. There was a great many things that I took for granted before having a family - reading a book without interruptions, wandering about in a strange place without any particular direction, falling into sleep without any thoughts for tomorrow - simple, yet not insignificant, things that you noticed only after you didn't have them any more. When I had them back, at least for this short while, I found that I still missed them after all these years. So, after all, I really haven't changed much, have I? Do people ever change over time? When the opportunities arise, do we fall back into our old behaviors and habits as readily as snow flakes drift effortlessly onto the ground? Are we the drops of water in an ocean that evaporate, form a cloud, come down in a shower, flow into a river, return to the sea after a long journey and end up being exactly the same drops of water that we were many years ago and many continents away? I guess I shall find out in the next few days - a reunion after 20 years of absence shall at least shed some lights to these questions.

Photo of the day:

A homeless man near Chicago's Magnificent Mile. On his left lies a bible and on his right sits a cardboard that says "God Is Good". Amid buzz of the city, he seems remarkably calm. He is one of the fascinating characters I ran into while wandering aimlessly in Chicago downtown.

Day 239 - Jasmine

Thought of the day: We were away for merely a week but it felt as if we had been to a different world for a while.  It's going to take some adjustments to get back to our normal life again.  As for the kids, seven days must have felt like an eternity. We are lucky that the grandparents were so good at keeping them busy and happy all this time. It's going take a little time for them to get used to having us around again.

Photo of the day:

Jasmine getting water from a roadside fountain. Such fountains can be found all over the village and some of them were originally built over a hundred years ago.  On the way to the swimming pool, Jasmine likes to collect water from the fountains to water bushes and flowers that look thirsty along the way. That's one of the things that keep the girls constantly busy and happy.

Day 209 - Piano Recital

Thought of the day: My husband just moved his startup from our basement into an office building.  The company was taking a big step forward which was certainly a good thing for him and his partners.  However, this morning I was left with a house that's eerily quiet.  I liked the calmness of it but I missed his presence.  In the afternoon, I was also reminded of how helpful it was to have him around when I needed to go to Jasmine's piano performance while Lila napped at home.  Every transition takes some adjustments, even for a minor transition like this one.  Counting the blessings, embracing the changes, looking forward to the new and unknown will set me on the right course.

Photo of the day:

Jasmine and her friends in this afternoon's piano recital.