Self Help Is The Best Help

Life at the Sury household was rather slow the past week.

First, we had heavy rains, which was welcome, after the disgusting heat. But then, even though we knew the rains were necessary, it was quite annoying as it did not actually rain consistently. It would drizzle one moment, and then the sun would shine weakly. Somehow, it did not manage to quell the heat. Then, for three evenings straight, it poured like there was no tomorrow. We rejoiced. We thought of the farmers. We thought of all the things that depended on the monsoons.

You’d think all was well. As usual, cases of the ‘flu, cold and strep throat spread. Incidentally, if we go to our doctor and tell him we have a cold when he asks what’s wrong, he just brushes us aside and asks, “tell me, what’s the problem”. Colds don’t matter. It is a part of life in the city we live in. Pollution, allergies, you name it, we have it all in this beautiful city. We love it nevertheless.

Then, Vidur fell sick on Wednesday. First, he complained of a not so comfortable throat. We were confident we could drive that impending infection away with home remedies. Truth was, we were scared as hell of his forthcoming music program, which was today. Minus  him. On Thursday, he bravely went to school, thinking he would manage. Alas, Fate had different plans. And so, the throat got worse. Much worse. He thought he’d never be able to swallow again. His voice disappeared. And we mourned it, because it meant no music program.

Sadness prevailed.

I took him to the doc, who prescribed antibiotics, and, well, life went on.

The thing I hate most about Vidur falling sick is the silence. He’s the sort who hums constantly. I missed that. And seeing him listlessly lying in bed broke my heart. Still, we hoped that we would at least be able to attend the music program today, in celebration of Guru Purnima, a major event at his music school. It was not to be. Sigh.

He’s recovering, albeit slowly. Coughing a lot. So painful.

Add to that, I did a random blood sugar test and you don’t want to know the result. Let me just say it is scary-high and I can’t figure out why. I was shocked. I was miserable.

Things didn’t work out the way we expected, but I am compelled to be grateful for what is. And as Vidur enjoys saying, self help is the best help!

• For one thing, Saturday and Sunday were holidays – their school usually works a 6 day week. But second Saturdays are off. This was one. We were relieved he didn’t have too many days to catch up with.
• We have a doc who prescribed medication
• I am glad I did my blood test. I am going back on my super-strict diet.
• We have a warm and cozy home, which is more than  most people have.
• We have music
• I used a coupon just in time before it expired and saved enough to cover the doctor’s fees. Ha. Every little helps, right?
• We had a fun visitor today. We hadn’t seen her in a while and it was really nice to catch up and reminisce. She’s a smart young lady now. I felt nostalgic thinking of when we first met her, about nine years ago.
• The weather is now wonderfully cool.
• I know this too shall pass.

Yes, we did the slow dance. Sometimes it is really nice to just sit back and allow life to take over.

Here are some photos from last week.

Can you see the little girl performing, walking on the rope? Sights like this scare the heck out of me. It hurts to see them risk their lives for so little. Oh, but the pride they take in their work!

No dearth of onlookers, sadly.

Closer home, in our yard, this croton is flourishing

Along with this one. See the heart shaped leaf?

See the statue of Goddess Lakshmi? We were returning home when we spotted her. Vidur insisted on bringing her home. The base of the statue is crumbling. But …well…. he insisted we take her home and restore her. Work is in progress. The rest of her is intact, save a few bruises which paint can easily take care of.

Isn’t she pretty?

That’s all I got this week. I am relying on self help to make things better.

As I stand on the threshold of Week 3 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge, July 2014, I feel rather proud of myself for posting everyday for two weeks in a row.

Today is Day 13 of the UBC July 2014

Also linking up with BlogHer’s NaBloPoMo July 2014

I am linking up with the lovely Unknown Mami for Sundays In My City. If you enjoy travel, head over to her place to see what’s happening in cities across the world. No visa, no tickets required.

Did you smile today?