Weekend Victory!

The summer is really and truly ending today for me since the monster's school finally reopens tomorrow (well, it has opened, a nice rainy day typical of Mumbai in July). I called the school and asked them for detailed feedback on what to pack in her bag. They very nearly laughed at me and mutterred something like, Its your child, you decide. So, I have mentally allotted biscuits and water (did a banana, some orange cream biscuits, and water). The bag is powerpuffgirls courtesy grandparents (Managed to change back to old bag thanks to rain). Stingy me had decided to just wash last year's ladybug bag but they did not like the idea. Clothes, aah, thats the big challenge since our school does not do uniform (the standard issue pink skirt and blouse were picked finally, I did not resist).

Anyway all of last week I had a nagging nasty cold to contend with. The newspapers had ominously remarked "Don't ignore any fever" in the wake of Dengue and Malaria and what not around the city. Did not have a fever thankfully! I used the excuse to pop sundry crocin vicksaction500 and, for the single reason that they were there in the box, multivitamin tablets. I was sleeping in a blissful vapour cloud consisting of vicks (for the cold), bengay (for the blasted neck ache), vaseline (for extra moisturising), and general mumbai monsoon mugginess. I was really worried about the cold since I did not want to miss the opportunity of carrying the newest little baby of the family over the weekend in Bengaluru.

In the past year, when I have fallen prey to these seasonal ailments, and god knows I have fallen prey enough number of times, I have wallowed in the mire of self-pity. Of course for the most part I have not managed to rest my colds and chills and what not at all, with office and monster-related stuff and vegetables carrying on full steam (or at least three-quarters steam). The only thing I have done is avoided my early morning exercise sessions, which only serves to make me more miserable if anything. Self-pity is such a bloody dangerous thing that I am convinced that my recovery was really rendered impossible thanks to my mental state.

This time around, I willed myself to get better. I did gargle, and I did take some vicks type things (nothing sustained, just popped tablets when the mood struck). But I did not get into the whole 'Oh look at me so sick and filling so many hankies with snot and still having to do all this hard work (meaning boiling milk)' Instead I convinced myself it was just a routine cold and there was not even any fever to speak of, and since I had a fairly busy sched at work, I think I actually managed to psyche myself into getting better. And yes, carried the baby to my heart's content, she actually slept in my lap for about half an hour. It was real nice, such a cute cuddly baby with big eyes and tons of hair.

Next thing to do is to get rid of this neck ache thing by fighting it with the mind. I have a cousin who insists on curing his fevers using just rasam and the power of the mind (and water, he drinks gallons of water). Usually, I laugh at the idea, but now I am coming around to his point of view. And meanwhile, the heavens have opened up, you can hardly see beyond the sheet of rain, the sides of the roads have started flowing, and, although the cook could not make it home this morning, we have all gotten ready in time, the lunch boxes are packed, breakfast made & eaten, child dropped off in her new class (but same old room, same young teacher), I have switched on the tube lights in my office for the first time in many months (its too dark today obviously)...