What We Value the Most

Hello,

My apologies for skipping writing a post and a delay in this post. 

Children as well as adults lose things that they value -- a special book, a toy, or a piece of jewelry. No everything can go in a bank vault, some things have to stay in a bag, in your home or in your pocket!

The following conversation occurs between two siblings, ages 12 and 16. 

Meera

What We Value the Most

Sapna sat in the den with her eight-year-old twins, playing a game of dominos. She looked up from their game.

Their brother Sagar entered the den with a very red face. He threw one shin-guard in the hallway along with his soccer shoes. He said, "Again, my one shin guard went missing at the soccer field."

His sister asked, "You played without a shin guard? Isn't that dangerous?" 

"Not dangerous, just not very good for my shins, and yes, my leg could get seriously hurt."

Sapna retorted, "Then why don't you take care of your shoes, socks and the shin guards? You are not our four-year-old brother, Soham. Someone always has to keep an eye on him and his belongings."

"Yeah, sure. Thats easier said than done." 

Sapna got up from her game, "Okay, my big Bhaiya, I am going to tell you a story mom told me about losing my friends."

"A story from our mom? She's always telling us lessons in life."

Sapna said, "This one may help you save something."

"Okay. What was the story?"

"Here it is. There was a guy who got tired of misplacing the pen or just losing it. He learned to keep only a cheap pen in his pocket. He got tired of his carelessness."

"So? He should not carry a pen."

Sapna shook her head, "And when he needs a pen? He did not like to borrow."

"Oh."

Sapna continued, "A friend suggested he should carry only the most expensive pen in his pocket. And so the man bought a 22 carat gold Cross pen."

Sagar said, "And he didn't lose the pen.?

Sapna said, "You guessed it bhaiya. The lesson is, if you value something, you take care of it."

"Hmmm."

"Bhaiya, if you really value your game of soccer, you'll take care of your things. Mom told me this evening that if you lose one more shin guard, that's the last game you play."

Sagar said, "If I don't wear shin guards, I don't get to play. Guess what? I did not throw away the second shin guard the last time I lost its pair. I value playing soccer,  I will take care of my shin guards."

Sapna smiled, "Good for you. Or Bhaiya, you find a game where you don't need any extra equipment!"

Sagar came over to his younger sister and patted her on her head, "Yes, my wise sister, the lesson will be remembered. What I want to know is how in the world do you lose a friend? "

Sapna smiled, "I used to lose them by getting my feelings hurt at what they did. I learned to value my friends by letting small things go."

"Good for you, sis."


The End


© 2014, Meera Desai Shah


If we value our health, we are careful about what we eat.

If we value our friends, we treat them with respect.

If w value money, we take care of our spending.

If we value time, we don't waste it.

If we value relationship, we don't break it.

The Hottest Time of the Day

Hello,

I wanted to get this post out before hot summer turned into cool autumn.

Sometimes we tend to skip a column because we know the answers, we don't care, it is what it is, it goes too deep in math and science, any excuse to avoid reading.

Sagar generally reads it.

Meera

Hottest Time of the Day

Twelve-year-old, Sapna, stirred the batter for the cake she wanted to bake for her eight-year-old, twins sisters' birthday. She figured out a way to make it an ice cream cake. The summer temperatures kept rising.

Her sixteen-year-old, brother, Sagar walked in, "Do little Soham and I get to lick the batter spoon and the ice cream scoop after you are done?"

Sapna scrunched up her nose, "How can I give you free licks? I waited till four so I could bake it in a cooler weather. I wish I could wear Audrey Hepburn's Tiffany sunglasses to avoid this heat. "

Sagar laughed, "Don't be silly about the sunglasses. Okay then, no licks but four is not cooler than noon, infact, it is the hottest part of the day in our part of the country."

"Says who?"

Sagar sat down and dipped a finger in the batter, "Marilyn vos Savant, the lady with the highest IQ."

Sapna gave a tap on Sagar's hand, "Hey, stop that, you'll get a piece of the cake. Tell me why four in the afternoon is not cooler than noon?"

Sagar licked his finger, "Mmm...tastes good. Well, she said that even though the Ultra Violet radiation of earth and air peaks at noon, the surface temperatures keep climbing for hours."

Sapna covered the batter with cellophane, "Well, I need the cake for tomorrow evening, I can't do it tomorrow at noon."

Sagar rinsed the spoons without licking them, "Well, the delayed heating is called thermal response and often it's the hottest around four p. m."

Sapna put the bowl in the refrigerator, "In that case I will make the cake at seven when it is definitely cooler."

Sagar said, "I'll help you then, Soham and the twins will be getting ready to sleep. Mom and dad won't be back till after midnight."

"Thanks, that would help. I need someone to wash the pots." She gave a sly smile.

Sagar shrugged it off, "No problem. Sapna, do you know recently Bill Gates poured a whole bucket of ice on himself?"

"Why? Was he feeling too hot in his mansion? Ice is cold at any time of the day or night."

Sagar said, "He did it to raise money for Lou Gehrig's Disease, ALS. I think it's a disease where progressive degeneration of motor neurons occurs."

Sapna nodded, "I feel like the twins, too many big words."

Sagar said, "The neat thing is, no one poured the ice on him."

"Huh?"

"That's right. He came up with this gadget that poured it on him."

Sapna shrugged, "Ha, big deal for a guy who thinks up these fancy computer things!"  

"Ha to you. Never mind, do you want to look it up on the computer and understand it better?"

Sapna took off her apron, "Okay, I have nothing to do except kill some time."

Sagar said, "Did you know that Monaco has the most packed population per square mile and Mongolia has only five people per square mile?"

Sapna shook her head, "Why in the world do you keep learning these useless facts?"

Sagar laughed, "Maybe, one day I'll go on Jeopardy."

Sapana also laughed, "Sure and then I'll bake you a cake. But tell me how many people does Monaco have per square mile?"

"Ha, you are curious too, Monaco has 42000. and the US has 87."

Sapna smiled, "Now we can both go on Jeopardy."

Sagar said, "While we are getting ready for Jeopardy, might as well tell you that in the 12th-century China, judges wore dark quartz lenses to hide their emotions in court. The lenses came to the US in 1929, and plastic giant Sam Foster sold the first pairs of mass-produce shades in Atlantic City."

Sapna put her fingers in her ears, "La.. la..la...la... I don't want to hear any more of your factoids."

Sagar waited till she had her fingers out and said, "And they are going to map the oceans just the way Google has done with earth."

Sapna put her fingers back in her ears, "La...la...la.. you are so annoying...la...la...la..."

Sagar laughed again and they turned on the computer.

The End


© 2014, Meera Desai Shah

It's All About You, Dr. Randy Pausch

Hello,

Today's post is a conversation that the mother has with her older children, Sagar, 16 years and Sapna, 12 years.

In 2008 a writer, philosopher, Dr. Randy Pausch died of pancreatic cancer. His book, The Last Lecture, was a bestseller. I have taken his thoughts from the letter he left behind to his three children and wife.

Meera

It's All About You

Sixteen-year-old, Sagar came home from a jog on a Saturday morning.The exercise and the summer heat left him sweaty and breathless.

His sister Sapna was sitting in the kitchen with their twin sisters, eight-year-old, Suchi and Soori, eating cereal and milk.

Suchi covered her nose with a napkin, "Yuck, Bhaiya, you stink."

Soori also covered her nose.

Sapna said, "I don't know why you overdo it."

Sagar mopped his arms and neck and patted his belly, "Yeah, sure, you see this pot? I want to lose it in three weeks, before the school starts."

Sapna shrugged, "Maybe you should set a limit or something on your running."

Mom walked in with the four-year-old, Soham, trailing behind her. "Sapna is right. Dr. Rand Pausch, a philosopher, said, Don't over-do, keep your limits."

Still wiping his face, Sagar sat down, "Randy Pausch? Never heard of him."

Mom said, "He wrote some very valuable advice."

Suchi-Soori looked at each other, "Let's rearrange our desks, sorry mom, we are outta here." And they left before anyone could stop them.

Sapna got up, "Shall I grab them back? Why do they always get away? I hated it last week also, they ran away when it was their turn to empty the dishwasher, and also... "

Mom said, "No, let them be. Their time will come. Forget the issues of the past, they will ruin your present. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone."


Sagar said, "Yeah, Sapna stop hating your sisters. I don't hate anyone, but I am envious of these three girls who are so skinny."

Mom laughed, "They will also gain weight if they don't watch out about exercising but You Sir, stop being envious, you are in charge of your happiness. Envy is a waste of time."

Sagar rolled his eyes and plopped down with a bowl for cereal, "Sure, next you are going to say, you are here to learn." 

Mom said, "That's right son, don't take yourself too seriously, no one else does."

Sagar frowned and Sapna smiled. Sagar made a face at his sister, "Yeah, mom, next you are going to say, don't compare yourself with your sisters, You don't know what their journey is about."

Mom smiled and patted his shoulders, "That's right son, you got it, smile and laugh more. Invest your energy in the positive present moment." 

Sapna pushed her chair back, "That's right Bhaiya, get rid of your negative thoughts about things you can't control.  That's just me saying," She pushed her chair back to put her cereal-bowl in the sink.

Sagar leaned to pull Sapna's long braid, Sapna laughed and moved out of his reach.

Soham sat by Sagar to eat his cereal. Sagar put an arm around Soham, "Come on buddy, you are the only friend I have left in this wide world."

Soham smiled and they continued with their breakfast.

Mom also smiled and sat at the table to finish her  work.


The End

© 2014, Meera Desai Shah

Counting in India, part, II

Hello,
Last week the siblings, Sagar, eight-years-old, and Sapna, four-years-old, went with their Grandmother in India for vegetables-fruits shopping at the local market.
They continued their counting, from where they left off.
Meera

Counting in India, part II 

Lorry = truck. Accepted in most Indian languages

Baer = a little fruit with an oblong or a round pit, depending on the variety

Chiku = a fleshy sweet fruit with brown skin

SIX women sat on the sidewalk with huge cane baskets.

One woman sold big squash-like papayas. She cut one open and offered a bright colored orange piece to Sapna. The girl shook her head and moved on.  Mummy had said: don’t accept food from strangers or ever eat an unwashed fruit, and in especially in India, never eat uncooked food.

The second lady separated guavas from an oblong as well as round fruits called baer.

The third woman offered a kiwi like fruit with a smooth-skin to Sagar. “Take, take, very sweet chiku, for you.” Sagar hid behind Granny and pulled Sapna with him.

The fourth woman had ripe mangos. Sapna stood by the basket and sniffed. “Granny, can we buy some mangos?”

“Absolutely, summer's the mango season.” They bought one dozen mangoes.                

Sagar whispered to Granny, “What, no custard apples?” 

Granny smiled and answered before moving on, “They come only in winter.” 

Sagar frowned. "Oh, too bad, I love those.” 

The fifth lady was rolling newspaper sheets to make packets of salted peanuts, roasted chickpeas and crispy rice, all mixed together.

The sixth lady sat with a basket full of bright marigolds, fragrant roses and jasmine. She strung them in garlands for women to wear in their hair.

SEVEN kinds of vegetables sat in neat piles in an old, beaten cart.
fresh, fresh, very fresh vegetables, just for you,” a man shouted.

Sagar and Sapna helped Granny pick some green beans, okra, sweet potatoes, carrots, eggplant and bunch of leafy coriander and spinach.

"Hey, Sagar, check out those ladies in beautiful saris.”

“Sorries? Oh, saris.”

EIGHT women wore colorful saris.

"But Mummy rarely wears one.” Sapna whispered to Sagar. 

“I think she finds shirts ‘n slacks more comfortable.”

“I guess so.”

At last they were out of the market. Sagar grinned and touched the two mangos in his shopping bag. Sapna had some vegetables in a bigger bag while Granny carried the biggest bag with the rest of the items.

Granny sighed, “Oh my, it’s hot and the bags are getting heavier by the minute.” She wiped her brows with her sari. “Let’s take a rickshaw.”

“We love rickshaws.” Sagar and Sapna said together.

They walked past NINE yellow-black three wheelers and stepped into the first one. Sapna sat in the middle, Sagar and Granny took the sides.
Once again the they weaved through the crazy traffic and reached near granny's bungalow. They stopped.
Sapna opened her eyes wide, "Look at those fat, black cows, Bhaiya."
Sagar laughed, "They are not cows, but Indian buffaloes. How about you count them?"
Sapna counted TEN buffaloes that kept their rickshaw from entering the bungalow.

At last the rickshaw stopped in the porch. Granny paid the driver his charges and they went in the house. Granny put different sized stainless steel bowls on the dining table and they emptied their wares into the empty bowls.

Sapna looked up at her grandmother, “That was so much fun.  I can’t wait till tomorrow to go out and count some more things.”

The End

© 2014, Meera Desai Shah

6: six: chheh: छह:  ६    O O O O O O

7: seven: saat: सात: ७   O O O O O O O

8:  eight: aath: आठ: ८    O O O O O O O O

9: nine: nou: नौ: ९         O O O O O O O O O

10: ten: das: दस: १०      O O O O O O O O O O

Going To an Indian Market

A Walk to an Indian Market

Sari = a wrap around dress for women                                                aroma = smell

Bhaiya = older brother (Hindi)                                                            sniff = to smell

Rupees = Indian currency                                                                   offensive = not liked

Footpath = sidewalk                                                                           biodegradable = able to rot                                                                                                          

“Come on kids, grab a bag, we’re marching to the market.” Granny said as she stuffed some Rupees in her bag.                                                                                                                 Four-year-old Sapna complained, “This minute? Why? We just ate our breakfast!”  

Her eight-year-old, brother Sagar said, “Yep, if Granny says we go, we go. Don on your cotton clothes for the muggy and hot Pune.” 

“Okay, okay, got it Bhaiya, but why do we have to take our own bag? We don't carry bags at our home in the U.S.”

“’cause the Indian veggie-vendors don’t give us plastic  bags.”

Granny said, "Hey, children, wait and watch, even your US shops will stop giving the plastic bags. It just adds to the pollution."

Sagar said, "Granny, in California you have to take your own bags, it started some time back, and the rest of the country is following."

Sapana asked, "No more bags from the grocery store, then what will mom use for garbage?"

"She'll use the biodegradable bags."

"Oh, good. How about paper bags? They rot."

"Yep, my smart sis, paper bags work too."

Sagar and Sapna were visiting their grandparents in Pune, India. They changed their clothes, each picked up a cloth-bag, stepped out the bungalow and headed for the market with Granny. They waited on the footpath to cross the road.

ONE bullock cart filled with potatoes and onions, moved at a snail’s pace. Bells fastened around the oxen’s neck warned people to keep out of its path. A shiny sports-car trailed behind.

Sapna’s mouth fell open when she saw people weaving in and around a traffic of zigzagging bikes, motorbikes, rickshaws and cars.

“Bhaiya, wow! So many people!”                                                 

“Yep, India is the most populated country in the world, well, almost, we compete with China.”

“Oh.”  Sapna nodded and held her brother’s hand tight as they reached a busy square.                              

TWO lorries were going to the market with goods. Black coal filled the open one, and pieces

of hay stuck out from the other.

The trio covered their nose to escape the smoke-smell that spewed from the lorries. A sparkling black limousine crawled behind the trucks.                         

THREE buses, two red city buses and another smaller one plodded along as they waited with Granny in a queue at the bus stop.                                                                                               “What do the writings on the bus say?”

"It says, educate your children and keep your city clean.”

Sapna pointed to the pictures on the third one, “And that one’s about computers.” 

"Yeah, it takes people to their work.”  

The line from behind, nudged the trio ahead to get onto the bus. Sitting by the window, Sapna couldn’t separate the people’s chatter from the din of bicycle bells, car and truck horns, barking dogs and other sounds.                                                                                                               She pointed to FOUR boys with heavy bags swinging on their bicycles.  

“Where’re they all going dressed alike?” Sapna asked.                                                    
“To school.”

“Don’t they have any vacation?” 

“Sure they do, at a different time than us, because India's seasons don't happen at the same time as the US seasons.”

“Oh.”

They got off at the market. She pulled Sagar's shirt and shouted, “Look!”

FIVE two-wheelers were parked along the sidewalk. Sagar read the names of the motorcycles: Vespa, Bajaj, Lambretta, Hero-Honda and Royal Enfield.

“I wish I could ride ’em.” 

“Dream on kiddo until you are older.” Sagar patted Sapna’s head. 

“Bhaiya, what's this smell?” Sapna wrinkled her nose.

“That’s the aroma of fresh fruits, vegetables and fresh flowers mixed with the smell of smoke, sweat along with the fish smell from the meat market nearby. Which whiff do you find offensive?”

“Yuck, all of them.  I can’t tell the fresh ones.” Sapna covered her nose with her shirt-sleeve.
Granny walked on ahead. The duo ran to catch up with her.

contd.

Meera

1: one: ek: एक: १           O

2: two: doe: दो: २           O O 

3: three: teen: तीन: ३      O O O

4: four: chaar: चार: ४      O O O O

5: five: panch: पांच: ५     O O O O O

© 2014, Meera Desai Shah

You Need it in Peace but Not in War

Hello, 

The English language is funny; not funny as in ha-ha funny, but different; not different as in you are different than I am, but it makes no sense; again, makes no sense does not mean it has no meaning but it's different. Do you get it? No...I am not giving you anything but do you understand?
That's how this language is and yet it has so many rules, and it is often spoken without following the rules completely or partially. Some rules are easy to forget if you are not a native speaker and did not start with English in your preschool, but you say you  think in English. Well, if someone throws water at your sleeping body in the middle of the night, and the first words that fall out of your mouth are in English, then you think in English!

Ha, today's blogpost is not about the rules in English at all, but just a little quiz, solved after the first sentence by 99% of readers.

Meera

You Need it in Peace but Not in War

Thirteen-year-old, Sagar was doing his homework and his five-year-old, twin sisters, Suchi and Soori walked in.

Suchi said, "Bhaiya, what is p...u...t?"

Sagar said, "Put, as in put this book away."

Soori said, "Okay, what is b...u...t?

Sagar said, ""But, as in but I want you to eat this food right now and not later."

The twins pouted, "Awww..., he has heard these before. Let's get back to our room."

The twins left. 

Sagar smiled and welcomed his sister, nine-year-old, Sapna.

"Hey, sis, what is present in peace and not in war?"

Sapna said, "That's easy, it's happiness that's missing in war but found in peace."

"Nope. Try this. What's once in hell but twice in heaven?"

Sapna shrugged.

Sagar tapped his paper in hand, "Okay try this. Without it there would be no live, love, life, hope or friends."

Sapna crinkled her nose, "What is it, some sort of feeling? A letter? An emotion?"

Sagar said, "Feeling and emotion are the same, but yeah, something like that, you said it."

Sapna mumbled, "Feeling, emotion, a letter? I got it!"

"What?"

"Ask me more and I'll tell you."

Sagar looked at his paper, ""Okay, here it is, all emotional relations like Father, Mother, Brother, Sister, Wife & Friends don't make sense without it."

Sapna smile, "Ha! I knew it. It's the letter 'E'"

Sagar smile, ""Right. You got it, sis."

Sapna said, "And I will tell you this... see, hear, smell, or taste as well as eye, ear, nose & tongue are lost and incomplete without an 'e'."

Sagar said, "Sapna, you are as smart as I am, now let me get back to my work. I give you an advice 'Go' without an 'e'."

Sapna also got up "Yeah, Bhaiya, your Eminence, I leave all the 'Ego' with you, I will just 'go'."

Sapna left.

The End

© 2014, Meera Desai Shah

Things to Make Life Easier. Easier?

Hello,

Every now and then I come across a column that tell me how to live or how to behave and so on. When I read some, I tell myself, that makes sense, I have read it before or I better remember this. Recently, I came across something about speaking, that made me feel, hmmm, this is nice and worth following. One person who read the points given here, commented, following these would kill some cultures!

Meera

Things to Make Life Easier. Easier?

Sixteen-year-old, Sagar, picked up an apple from the kitchen and brought it to the den along with the sheets of paper and sat in a comfortable chair. He started to read them.

Twelve-year-old, Sapna, walked into the den with the eight-year-old, twins, "Bhaiya, help me get these girls settled in a game or something."

Soori said, "Not a something,..."

Her twin Suchi added, "Yeah, forget the something, play a game with us."

Sagar looked up, "Guys, let me finish this that mom left on my desk."

Sapna asked, "What is it?"

The twins asked, "A plan for a game?"

Sagar shook his head, "Guys, sit down, and listen. I can make it simpler for you, these are seven rules of speaking."

Suchi said, "Speaking what?"

Her twin said, "We know the rules about not cheating and not stealing and..."

Sagar said, "Stop! Listen!"

"You don't have to scream at us, just tell us nicely."

Sapna sat between the two, "Girls, be quiet."

Sagar said, "Thank you, Sapna. The first one is, give up dogmatism."

Soori said, "We don't have a dog..."

Sagar glared at her.

Sapna said, "Girls, go to your room, I'll tell you the rules once I learn them." 

The twins left.

Sapna asked Sagar, "Bhaiya, even I don't know what dogmatism is. Are they going to be more and more difficult as you read the seven rules?"

"No, sis, I started with the seventh, the rest are easy, dogmatism is being rigid, stubborn, especially in an argument."

Sapna said, "Okay, I will try not to be stubborn."

"The sixth is not lying."

Sapna nodded, "Easy, mom and dad always tell us not to tell a lie."

"Actually, the fourth and the fifth go together. The fourth one is don't complain, and then making excuses is the fifth one."

Sapna scrunched up her nose, "I guess I just have to do my homework without complaints or excuses."

Sagar said, "Right, do not tell why you couldn't do it or complain about it, just do it The one before that is give up negativity."

Sapna made a face, "Uh...uh... negativity?"

"Yep, don't be pessimistic, I guess it means be enthusiastic when you talk. The one before that is stop judging."

Sapna raised her eyebrows, "Huh?"

Sagar laughed, "It means don't be excessively critical of your brother, don't tell him he's doing this or that wrong," He smiled, "And also don't be critical of your friends and others."

Again, Sapna scrunched up her nose.

Sagar said, "And the first one is do not gossip, don't spend your time speaking about others."

Sapna said,, "Hmm...I guess I'll have to find a way to remember the seven about what to speak and what not to speak. Do you remember them Bhaiya? Let's see, what are the seven to avoid? Hmmm...Gossip, Judgement, Negativity, Complaints, Excuses, Lying and Dogmatism."

Sagar gave her a high-five, "Sapana, you already remember them! I sort of do too. The hard part is following them."

Sapna nodded, "Right. I wonder how much of this the twins will understand." She took the paper from Sagar's hand and went towards the twins' room.

The End


© 2014, Meera Desai Shah