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Of life lessons and listening to one’s heart - Mrs. B speaks



Small pleasures matter in life. Really small, everyday pleasures. Like, being able to smell the garden in full bloom on a hot summer day, or being able to have a hot water bath in cold weather. Or even being able to drink a hot cup of coffee first thing in the morning. Or, for that matter, being able to eat junk food to one’s heart’s content! Ah, bliss!

Oh, I almost forgot, for those of you who haven’t met me before, myself, Mrs. Bhagirathi. The kids in my building call me Mrs. B. I am a housewife. Or better still – a homemaker. I work from home and generally spend time reading and surfing the internet when the kids and my husband are away for the day. I also cook and clean, and wash and iron clothes – but I guess all that is included in the title of “homemaker.” So no special mention needed.

So, like I was saying, life is a sum total of small pleasures. And what I said about junk food, is absolutely true. Especially when you think of the cheeseburger. Or the veggie burger with extra cheese, as in the case of us vegetarians. In fact, there is something about cheeseburgers that I must share with you!

You see, my father handed down some life rules for us siblings to live by. And we diligently follow these rules, like good children should.

Just for your benefit, I will lay them down for you too –
1)      Always speak the truth,
2)      Always give your 100% to any job, with nary a worry about the results; and
3)      Always listen to your heart.

Cool, right?

Now, while the first two were simple and easy to follow – I mean, it is always the best to speak the truth, isn’t it? That way, one doesn’t have to remember what one had said at different times. Same goes for hard work too – I mean, once you give your complete attention and commitment to a project, the outcome is bound to be great! And at the very least, you conscience is clear that you have given it your best shot. See? Then there is no question of things going wrong in that case. Mostly.

So, the first two rules that dad gave us, were easy. Not so with the third one though.

That bugger proved difficult because of a cheeseburger!

No, really. Let me explain.

You see, everyone in India, at one point in time (which was around the time we were all growing up…), was obsessed with America. (Many still are!) And as an extension of this obsession, now that we are all grown up, and have more access to ‘American’ fast food (read junk food), we millennials prefer burgers and colas for snacks, even meals.

So, it was during this period of early introduction to junk food, that I came into contact with the 
cheeseburger. Having found its vegetarian equivalent – a soulmate, really – in the crispy veggie burger, I was the most content young adult of my times. And everything was fine till I wasn’t asked “would you like it with extra cheese?” Because, that was when I went all weak in the knees and starry eyed….

Because therein, lay the problem, see? The extra cheese, while music to the ears and elixir to the taste buds, wasn’t the best thing for the health. And it left its footprint. On various parts of my body. And yet, I couldn’t abandon it. Because dad says – Always listen to your heart. And my heart always craved the burger – with extra cheese!

Things really came to a head, when I met my husband to be. It was the time, when, in India, no café or hotel allowed you to spend more time than required to finish one plate of samosas and one cup of tea each. And so, we – the husband to be and I – were always in search of cafés where the waiters wouldn’t watch us like hawks. That was when our search led us to these fast food joints where the burger was the king and the cola, the minion that you couldn’t live without!

The romance that began from there, has lasted now for almost two decades – the romance with the burger, I mean – and of course the one with the husband too – what were you thinking?

So, even today, I easily fall prey to the lure of the burger. The plump beds of the bun, the tasty, crispy patty within, the tomatoes and the lettuce romancing each other under the soft, squishy quilt of the burger sauce while balancing the crunchy onion rings on top. Not to mention the amazing liquid cheese oozing out from every pore – really, how can one resist a burger?

But that is not the only reason (although that is enough) that I stick on with the burger even today. It is also because of dad! You see, it is very important to follow the life lessons handed to us by our parents. And I always follow my heart, just as my dad tells me to.

How about you? Do you follow any rules handed down to you by your parents? I would love to know in the comments section!

   

Note: This is my third entry for Write Tribe's Festival of Words, June 2018. 
Pic courtesy: Freepik

You can read my other entries for this festival here - 

The Dream
About Time 
The Trip
Start Over  

Comments

  1. Rules, schmules aside... I WANT A CHEESEBURGER RIGHT NOW!!! The way you have explained about the burger - starting from the texture of the bun, to the liquid cheese oozing out - I WANT A CHEESEBURGER RIGHT NOW!!! Awesome article, like all the articles you write, classy, blah-blah-blah but I WANT A... YOU KNOW IT!!

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    Replies
    1. Hahaha! Hope you got to have your burger, Deepa; and eat it too ;)

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  2. Cheese burger.. iam not a big fan of burger but your post is mouthwatering 🙂yes follow your heart , eat more and then exercise more. Simple 😉

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  3. ok so this makes me want to eat a cheese burger. I do try my best to follow the life lessons handed over by my parents

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    1. Thank you Aesha, hope you enjoy your burger :)

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  4. Haha..it was a fun read Rashmi. I am hungry now and I want a cheeseburger. As far as rules are considered, its ok to break them sometimes.

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    Replies
    1. Aha! Now that is a thought! Enjoy your burger :)

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  5. Good advice from your dad. Following your heart is a good thing except with cheeseburgers :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Suzy :) Yes, that is one area where he wouldn't mind me skipping a few rules ;)

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  6. wow post. i hardly eat burgers in restaurants being a vegetarian. But now this post with your classy descriptions is making me to search for the soul food. lovely take on the prompt.

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  7. Oh I loved the conversational tone and I am abig big fan of cheese though not burgers. Whats this thing with all the food that's lip smacking which shows up as love handles.. its so torturous to avoid it

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  8. I am not a burger fan, but this post of yours had me drooling. I want one veggie cheese burger right now.. OK heading to the McDonald's KFC or what we is closer... Brilliant piece of writing.

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    1. Thank you so much Anshu! Hope you enjoy your burger at the McD or KFC ;)

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  9. Well, I am not fond of burgers and cola, but the way you described how you satiated the cravings was amazing!

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  10. My time to follow my parents' rules is over now. I am the one who makes the rules now with an eye on a write up about me and my draconian ways and my rules some 30 years down the line. It was enjoyable read. This is my second post which I have read about Mrs B and I think I have taken a liking for her since she comes across as a person who is fun to be with :)

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    1. Hahaha! Yes, now that's an interesting point there :D

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  11. What a fun read Rashmi. Craving for burger now 😉

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    1. Hahaha! Thank you Vartika :) Hope you enjoy your burger!

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  12. Story of my life. My love with food and burgers continue today though these days I try to eat them away from the eyes of my toddler

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    1. Awww....you are doing absolutely the right thing Sonia! Keep at it, have fun with the burgers ;)

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  13. Oh this post was really enjoyable!

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  14. Oh I love Mrs B and her dad's life lessons. And I love the burger too as its minion - great analogy there.

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    1. Thank you so much Tulika! Glad you liked the post :)

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  15. Mrs B rocks, doesn't she? :)

    Such a delightful post. You have explained the lessons in a really delicious way here :)

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    Replies
    1. Hehehe! Ain't she cool? Thank you so much Soumya!

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Love them or hate them....

"Behind every great kid is a mom who is pretty sure she is getting it all wrong", they say. True, parenting is a game of 'wait and watch.' There is no right or wrong here; or nothing that is a sure fire success mantra. Everyone has a different take on on how they wish to raise their young ones. And it is the choices that parents make that impact their children majorly. 

The Dream

“Hello,” said the voice on the phone. “My name is Roald Dahl. I know you never expected a call from me, as famous as I am, but I’ve been given your name as someone who can help me with my next book…” That was how it all started. With that one dream. Of course, I knew it even before I had opened my eyes, that it was a dream. I mean, who in their right mind would say I know you never expected a call from me, as famous as I am… ?! Not to mention the fact that Dahl has been dead for the past twenty-eight years. But that didn’t matter. Not at that time. Because that dream gave me clarity. That dream propelled me into action after ages of inactivity. Well, I say ages, but it was merely months, really. Months spent going in and out of courtrooms. Months spent climbing up and down that horrid staircase of the family court building. Horrible, awful months. Excruciating months, when I preferred oblivion, and possibly even contemplated death. Months when I didn’t want to exis