One moment!!

I was all set for a long drive to Coonoor with family for my cousin's housewarming ceremony. Thanks to the weekend traffic and the coordination between multiple people, it ended up being a tiring journey. The biggest saving grace was the fun conversations with cousins. We reached around 4 in the evening, kinda tired but the place just lifted me up. The scenery was heavenly and the clouds made it unreal. I had never seen a cloud being sucked up from above.

The evening that followed was awesome. Surprise from by best cousin was so overwhelming, I gave her a big hug and almost squeezed the life out of her kids. They are so cute and cuddly. The drinks were flowing thanks to the world's best bartender (aka me) who likes making people drunk 😆 The rain was lashing down making it slushy and cold. It just didn't matter as we were having a great time talking and laughing. Once the rain stopped and all had reached a good high, a pianist opens up the floor for some karaoke. And man that was crazy. Most of us besuras managed to entertain the lot with old Hindi songs. It was so much fun to remember the lyrics we cousins wrote down in the 90's listening to radio channels (those were the days of no internet but we found what we wanted by working together). I don't even remember eating anything, such was the atmosphere. Sitting around the fireplace with my cousins brought back old memories.

Thanks to my newfound routine of waking up early, I managed to get out for a walk (thanks for the encouragement). I wandered around the narrow lane which heads to the dolphin's nose viewpoint and walked for 3-4 kms between tea estates and houses with good gardens. The whole place felt great. When it was time, we got ready for the pooja. The typical Tamil breakfast of Pongal, masala idly, appam, etc was brilliant. The conversations from the previous night continued. After the pooja and lunch, I had my plans to drive. I got the keys to a stunning Harley and wanted to take it for a ride to a nearby dam. Unfortunately, the bike had other plans and stayed put without starting. With a heavy heart, I got back to the room to rest and get ready for the evening cocktail party. My spirit was high and had no signs of sleep, so I got out on the same lane for a walk which was so pleasant. The evening party was much soberer as most of them were recovering from the previous night's craziness. The accordion player was special and managed to play some old hindi/kannada/tamil classics. We wound up around 11 and headed back to the hotel.

I was dreading the next day but man it was worse than what I was expecting. 11 hrs of travel, cranky tired people, bad traffic, cramped in the last seat with people nauseating, and trying to catch sleep wasn't easy. The saving grace was singing in the car to avoid nausea. Lunch was mediocre and my appetite was lost by the time I got home. 

But one moment made the entire day and the trip worth it. I'm glad I walked to my cousin's house before leaving for Bangalore and meeting the family and also having a moment for myself. It was a good 4 km uphill hike on a well-maintained road that gives you great mountain views. The weather, the feel, the scenery, the conversation, the silence, everything was just perfect. That one moment when I sat on a rock staring at perfect tea mountains in the silence changed everything. Just felt special, like nature wanted me to feel that I guess, and keep it for the rest of my life.

All you need is one moment to make up for the whole day or even a lifetime. Glad I had one such incredible moment. Looking forward to many more that will make every day worth living!!!