Red letter day.

Something lovely happened to me today.  I had taught some children, oh way back about 36 or 37 years ago and that too not for all that long.  I had taught them English and besides done some singing with them, all of which I can't really remember.  At that time, the school they were at was new and the number in the class was just  6 or 7 pupils.  I remember teaching them when they were in the 6th grade and doing singing with them of and on after that too. 
Then all of them left town.   Of course, this being a small town, and all of them having their parents here, I have had news of many of my old students and occasionally bump into them.  But my teaching them was such a long time ago.  So it was so lovely to have a bunch of them come visit me today.  I was really really touched, because, in my mind, I took up only a very little space in the timeline of their lives and for them to think of me and visit bringing a gift really made it a red letter day. 

With all the many, many ways of keeping in touch with the world and loved ones and friends that are now available, I find it increasing difficult to blog.  There is too the fact that I come from a generation where privacy was important and letting it all hang out is just not something comfortable.  If one has some expertise to share, or one's words of wisdom are truly pearls/diamonds/precious, then too there would be something to blog about.  But since none of these apply, matter to blog about becomes more and more difficult.  Hence these prolonged absences from blogworld.

I have been in the US of A for the last four weeks and just got back yesterday.  My husband and I had gone to see our newest grandchild and to be of whatever help we could.  We hadn't planned that we would be going again this year, when we returned from there last summer.  But then a new grandchild is a perfectly good reason to make a trip, even such a long trip as the one to the USA :-) .  We had a lovely time naturally, and enjoyed the grandchildren.  We do hope we will be able to go again in another 2 years or so and maybe in summer, so that we get to experience some of the fun things that happen then.

Since the school holidays started (for both the schools I work at) over a month ago, I seem to have been so busy that I have had no time to visit blogworld properly. 
For the last three weeks though, I have been busy because my older grandson was with us.  When he left yesterday, I was so depressed, more so when I realized that I now had the time to ruminate, think unpleasant thoughts and generally wallow in negativity--if I wanted.  When our young man--almost seven is he--was here, my mind was totally occupied in trying to stay one step ahead of him, apart from trying to keep him occupied in some other way than the mind-numbing  TV or computer.  When I think back, it was fun in spite of frequent battles about too much cartoon watching and/or computer game playing.  He had a discussion with us on whether Facebook's rule of not allowing children below 13 to sign up was a stupid rule or not.  He learned the niceties of 20/20 cricket from his grandfather and has become an avid fan.  He wanted to germinate seeds of various shapes, sizes and hues and was sad that an average tree would take around 15 to 20 years to be really mature, more so because he was a bit worried that his grandparents may not be around in that much time.  As mentioned before, an interesting time was had by all!

When people are in a good mood, the way they speak  is probably the way they would like to be spoken to.  But the same people would hate, (and possibly be unable to tolerate) the kind of behaviour that is exhibited by them, when they are angry. Very few folks would be willing to be at the receiving end of the  kind of actions done, or of the words spoken by them, when angry. It is particularly hard to put oneself in the other's shoes when angry.

But then again, there is always George Bernard Shaw's version of the Golden Rule-- 'Do not do unto others as you would that they should do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same'!

I teach in a pre-school; so that means children between 2 1/2 and just 5.  The school year is ending and many of them will be going on to regular school.  We (the other teachers and I) so enjoy the children and there are so many little things--incidents, expressions, something said--little exploits that we remember about the children.  But naturally, since these children are so small, they will usually remember almost nothing from these times.

This was brought to mind recently when I attended the wedding of one our old students.  At the wedding there were several other young men and women who had been with us.  Now, all of them are tall smart young men and elegant young women.  As I craned my head to talk to one of them who towered above me, what I remembered about him was how he used to suck his thumb in a corner during story time(he was 3 then)  He naturally can't remember that and I'm sure rather not remember.  

Although many of them are now young men and women with responsible jobs, some parents of pre-school kids themselves,  unfortunately for them, we taught them when they were almost babies and we remember them from that period in their lives. Hence it can be a little difficult to give them due respect. This is particularly so because so often the little anecdotes we remember about them are usually funny.[:-)]

When each batch of children leave, we miss them and then the new batch comes and we learn to love them.  But this time I felt a little sad that the children would remember so little of the fun times spent with us.  Ah, but such is life.  I only hope that any positive influences they gain from us will remain with them for always.

I have a new grandson, Advaith,--born 9pm 10th March--US Central time zone  and 8.30 am 11th March Indian Standard Time :-)

I feel very proud of my son, for various reasons that I do not wish to mention here, as it is his life.  But I just want the world to know I feel, so, so very proud that I was in tears.

It's been 3 months since I posted.  In the early days of blogging, I would have decorated my blog for Christmas and put up New Year greetings.  But what with Facebook and Google reader, I ended up doing none of those things.

I feel old.  I remember seeing a bit of an interview of Julia Child by Larry King and she said that, even at 80, she felt only 18 inside!.  How wonderful to feel that way.  But unfortunately, I feel maybe only a couple of years younger than my age.  

Last night I dreamt of my parents so clearly and my mother talking to me (telling me to check whether all the doors were locked actually).  In the dream I felt young, even as a grandmother, because my mother was there. As long as she was there, even at 55, I felt young.  In a couple of weeks it will be five years since she passed away.