happy moment

I've realized that I rarely feel the BIG HAPPY MOMENT after I achieve something big - so I am going to document here my small happy moments which are just as thrilling and precious!

I ventured out in the snow today - apart from it being my first real snow day, it also happens to be Thanksgiving. So here I am happily treading out in the cold when I see this most amazing sight. Everything around me is still and everything around me is white! Not a soul in sight. Parking lots are full of car-shaped snow candy. The lawns are wearing beautiful shiny white linen. Tiny cold pearls softly hit my face. I take in a deep breath. This is it. I tell myself - I am in heaven!

Then ofcourse I walk back home and realize I've locked myself out! Any normal person would kick themselves hard at this time - but I enjoyed every bit of the waiting I did standing outside my apartment building. Then came along this really old man in the maintenance cart with the spare key - I felt bad for him - working this late on Thanksgiving day! But then he comes along smiling and makes fun of my foolish act! No more sympathies from me, Mister..

One of the few things that give me real true happiness is food. And so I indulged myself when I stood outside in the cold waiting for the old man, and prepared a list of mouth-watering things to make as soon as I got into my kitchen!

My Thanksgiving dinner includes chicken dim sums, bengali fish curry, boiled rice, triple chocolate cake with dark chocolate ice-cream and jalebi (the only things I cooked are the rice and the fish ;) ).

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm excited about today. I wasn't in such a festive mood for Diwali. I wonder why these double standards!?

I have a lot of baggage with Diwali - this time when I was away from home and family for the first time on Diwali, I just wanted a year off! So I lazed around the house enjoying the normalcy of the day. I bought four diyas from the Indian store a week before Diwali because I felt like doing something for it in my own little way. But when the day arrived I was too tempted to let the day go by like just another day. So the diyas remained untouched!

So is it about needing a change? I do like change a lot. So maybe Thanksgiving gives me something new - just have a big feast with friends and family - how lovely is that! Eventhough Diwali too is a family holiday, somehow my family is too busy to just sit down and enjoy each other's company. That could be one explanation of my excitement for Thanksgiving.

Another similarity I see between Diwali and Thanksgiving is that both are actually religious holidays. In Diwali we pray to Laxmi -the Goddess of wealth. We thank Her and ask her for her continued economic showers of blessings. In Thanksgiving, as far as I know, we also thank the Lord for what He has endowed upon us and hope to be under His blessings forever.

Sounds pretty similar - but the difference comes in the implementation. I can imagine a family here enjoying the Thanksgiving meal and maybe right before or after the meal reciting a small prayer to the Lord.
My Diwali usually goes in 95% prayers throughout the day (in various places around the city) and a rushed simpler-than-usual meal at night. I don't mind the praying as long as it's followed by a nice big festive meal - that will just make my day - no matter for how long I sat in the car looking at the Delhi roads. But what I get is going to bed starved!

The diyas are lighted all over my house - usually by the domestic help - since we all are too busy PRAYING!! Even the firecrackers end up in her hands since we don't have time even to burn the ceremonial firecracker...

Looking at the evidence I think I cannot be blamed for grabbing Thanksgiving and making it my very own - and do it with ease as long as the ever-scrutinizing eyes, and now ears, of my relatives are so so far away from me!