Vibrant glimpses of a fading year

Image courtesy: Google

2014 has almost faded into a bunch of memories with just a few hours left for the New Year to begin. The coming of 2015 rekindles hopes, desires and dreams in each and every one of us, but at this juncture my heart is full of gratitude for the year gone by. The year may have faded from present to past, but its glimpses remain vibrant, painted in beautiful hues by the various emotions I have experienced, people I have met and activities I have engaged in.

Being a high school science teacher, I was fortunate to be able to interact with an amazingly talented bunch of creative teenagers. Sometimes they did make me pull my hair wondering if teaching was my forte, but at other times they made me proud and taught me valuable lessons that I will never forget. By April 2014, a satisfying academic year drew to a close. I bade a final goodbye to all my colleagues during our trip to Nandi Hills.

One of the sweetest memories I have of 2014 is our first wedding anniversary. We felt it came too soon! It feels great to be married to the person who was first my colleague and then a great friend. It was a proud moment for all of us in the family, when he was awarded a doctorate. We celebrated by holidaying for 2 months! We spent a month in Doha with our brother and family. The summer heat didn't scorch our spirits at all as we had a fun time cooking, sightseeing, shopping and playing together. The icing on the cake was our nephew Manomay and his antics.

The second month of our holiday was spent in hot and sweaty Kolkata with my in-laws. Again, the heat and sweat were ignored while exploring the city’s museums and markets. We treated ourselves to the finger licking chaats, delicious mangoes, kulfies and many other delicacies. A trip to my home in Kochi proved relaxing and nostalgic. I devoured the simple meals prepared by Amma and spent time with my cousins and my darling nephew Aarav.

I revisited my long forgotten hobbies – gardening, reading, writing and painting. I started an organic terrace garden and though it is very small I’m quite proud of it. I got back to reading regularly and am stocking up some books in the hope of having a nice library one day. The itch to express my feelings and thoughts had me starting this blog with 30 plus posts in a span of four months. I am so glad I started writing as I now know how much I love it. Motivation came in the form of my article in Women’sWeb and another in The New Indian Express apart from the encouragement from well wishers and fellow bloggers.

End-of-the-year-family-time in Kolkata was fun, catching up with family and relatives and now it is New Year’s Eve being spent with my beloved husband in Bangalore. A quiet celebration so like us, away from the partying crowd. I am happy that I got to spend a lot of time this year with people who really matter to me. As a couple too, we went on short trips, picnics, cycling trips and nature walks. We did many things together with gardening, cooking and playing scrabble topping the list.

A memorable year indeed- loads of family time, discovery of hidden talents, plenty of time amidst nature and quite a bit of travelling.  Good bye 2014. This adieu is forever, but THANK YOU for all the evergreen memories.                 

Wish you all a very Happy New Year 2015!!