I might be — as common readers of this column will know — a little bit of a complainer. And in my time I’ve written loads of columns on ‘What I hate about airline journey’ or ‘Essentially the most annoying issues about working in an workplace’ and even ‘The highest ten methods by which a husband / spouse can drive one loopy’.
Properly, this column is travelling in a distinct path this week. As an alternative of one other litany of complaints, I’m going to share an inventory of what I really like about life. So, right here in no explicit order, are simply a few of the issues that I consider make my life price dwelling.
These lazy mornings after I can sleep in and never hassle with the alarm. There is no such thing as a luxurious fairly like lingering in mattress, swinging gently between sleep and wakefulness, understanding that one other 10 minutes of snuggling beneath the covers isn’t going to throw the time out of substances.
That first cup of espresso that alerts the day has begun. The aroma of espresso beans within the kitchen; the primary sip that jolts the tastebuds awake; the caffeine jolt that follows. I don’t understand how I’d get by means of the day with out this.
The flexibility to obtain any ebook I would like on my Kindle at any time of day or night time. Rising up in pre-liberalisation India signifies that I can keep in mind a time when new books took weeks if not months to reach in Indian bookshops. So, it looks like a minor miracle each time I learn a evaluation of a brand new launch and simply open my Kindle app and obtain it inside seconds. What a time to be alive!
Lengthy-haul flights with out Wi-Fi, which implies: no catching up on e-mail; no scrolling by means of Twitter or Instagram; no doomscrolling by means of information web sites. As an alternative, it’s all about watching trashy motion pictures or catching up on an excellent ebook or each, with a glass or two (or 4; who’s counting?) of champagne.
The truth that I dwell in a metropolis, Delhi, that has a lot to supply. There are lovely parks by which I can take pretty walks by means of the 12 months. There is no such thing as a dearth of historic monuments to go to. There are many museums showcasing all the things from antiquities to artwork and textiles. There’s a clear, functioning, well-connected Metro to take me to far corners of the metropolitan area. And there are many coffee-shops and eating places to spend time at, with family and friends.
I’m grateful that I’ve the downtime and the assets to go on vacation each on occasion. However I’m much more grateful that, a lot as I really like happening trip, what I really like much more is coming residence. Holidays and unique places are all very properly, and don’t get me improper, I take pleasure in them as a lot as the subsequent particular person. However there may be nothing fairly as good as sinking into the depths of my very own couch, or slipping between the covers in my very own mattress. For my part, the very best reward one can get is the flexibility to take pleasure in one’s on a regular basis life as a lot as one enjoys a break from it. That’s the place true happiness stems from, and will every of us be fortunate sufficient to expertise it.
From HT Brunch, July 1, 2023
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