Downtime

Many of you have asked me how I manage to keep going without losing it. SoI thought I would share my coping strategies today. First and foremost 'losing it' is not an option I have. At least not till I get a real ALL CLEAR for Ranjan that would be not before June 2014. So without quite realising it, I have almost surreptitiously crafted a schedule for myself that fits in the the few free slots I have in the day. I call it my downtime or alone time! First and foremost I make it a point to wake up very early, sometimes at 3.30am and tiptoe down to my little office and write. And that time no one is awake and the world is mine. From total silence with an occasional dog barking, I can hear the first bird calls. It is pure magic and I feel alive. I am ready to take on the day.

The other things I have found myself doing quite regularly is a bit of retail therapy. Often it is simply visual retail therapy: browse in my favourite book shop, have a look at the new collections at Fabindia or simply walk past the shop windows. Sometimes I indulge but just a little.

Reading is of course the all time favourite and the frequent trips to diverse organic products outlets allow me to devour books. As many of you know I have mastered the art of reading in a moving auto rickshaw. Sometimes I do not even realise we have reached the destination so engrossed I am in my book. It is also good for my nerves and my annoying backseat driving.

Every Tuesday I have a date. Don't go imagining things! It is with a girl friend and we have a cuppa and chat sense or nonsense depending on our moods.

And since a few weeks I have a new weekly treat: going to see Utpal at his school and watch him bloom from minute to minute. It is a huge gulp of fresh air, an unbeatable feelgood shot, a moment when I truly jump of the spinning world and catch my breath. It works wonders.

So all these bits of downtime make me strong and ready to fight to the end!