The worry lines

You could see the wide smile a mile away as cheering from a super-excited audience drowned the repetitive "thank you". Sometimes, you were reminded of legends such as Gandhi, Mandela and Martin Luther King who energized people with their sheer presence. The flags, the banners, the posters and the youthful crowd warmed the cockles of the heart - for there was hope and there was a groundswell of support for change.

Today, a few days after the number game has been put to rest and the competition vanquished, we also see the worry lines crease the brow. Responsibility lays a heavy hand on even broad shoulders. This one is yet green and uninitiated. And hopefully, in not too distant future, the head will wear the crown lightly and with humility and wisdom. Until then, I hold my breath and wait to exhale.

The subject of my thoughts is conspicuously inconspicuous but, hey, this is a name all of you see, hear and talk about these days.

PS: My loyalties were with the competition but I take this loss lightly because we aren't getting a raw deal and the real "enemy" waits to be tackled !

Summer da jawab nahin !

Its summer when you have daylight streaming in at 5:30 AM and the birds are busy at the feeder before your morning cup of tea is ready. Its summer when you drive up to the farmers market to take in the sights and smells of flowers and fruits, vegetables and freshly baked bread. Its summer when bing cherries flaunt their luscious red and green beans cant hold back their freshness. Its summer when you can walk around the yard with minimal clothing as you would dare to. Its summer when the wooded trail is swathed with wild flowers. Its summer when the kids are out on their colourful bicycles and their parents sheperd them on the wooded trails. Its summer when the evening sun sinks to vibrant hues behind a green cover that is so soothing to the computer-fatigued eye. Its summer when garage sales abound and tiny tots sell their lemonade. Its summer when you see a 90-something couple prefering to walk across the street hand in hand to lounging in deck chairs. Its summer when the young and hip drive around in their convertibles with itsy-bitsy pieces of clothing and flashy eyewear. Its summer when the gas stations keep the price ticker going up all the time. Its summer when the outdoors are bustling with life - fishing, running, walking, dog-walking, biking or doing anything to keep from going in and losing contact with precious sunlight.

Its summer *because* this season is a good lesson in life on how to stay grounded in the here and now without fretting about the past and worrying about the future. A potent lesson indeed.