Beckoned by maple leaves

There is always an interesting twist to my first visits to a country: a dash of silliness, a hint of eeriness, and just enough confusion to make the trip a little more interesting, and certainly more memorable.

It all began with my first trip abroad to the US, almost 17 years back. The fascinating turn of events during the maiden journey - from the initial transgressions at the Mumbai airport [First time at international airport.html], the encounter with two Vs between Mumbai and San Francisco [Of water served with lime twist], the check-in confusion at San Francisco Airport on my way to New York, the adventure of the 'missing bag' between San Francisco and Newark, and finally the non-existent hotel booking in New York [Of Ps and Qs], courtesy some wonderful assumptions and funny coincidences – brings a big smile on my face even today. Boy it was exhilarating!

Image Courtesy: Yours truly!!😊

This time I was Northward bound, to the land of maple leaves. It was also my first international business trip in a while, so naturally some twists were always on the cards.

The scheduling intricacies

The trip was initially expected to be in September, right after Ganesh Festival. After preparing for almost two months, guess what nixed the plan? Sudden appearance of some holidays in the calendar! No, I am not joking, and they couldn't think about it when we started planning way back in June. Next, I carefully tucked my two weeks of fame right in between Dusshera and Diwali, which again got pushed - this time, the hosts abruptly remembered they celebrated something called Thanksgiving in October. This revelation, notably, occurred only after I asked. Finally, since December would have been embarrassingly late for both the parties - after all, we were planning for so long - and too close to yet another holiday season for them - November had to win by default! Boy oh boy, was I getting enough hints for the interesting times ahead? If patience was a virtue, I was getting tested to my wits' end to win the accolades. 

The weather conundrum

While we were discussing the travel itinerary and meeting agenda in the three locations in Canada, there was always an incoming advice on the different weather conditions in the different time zones I was bound to experience. Vancouver, followed by Montreal, and then Toronto - it was a good potpourri of what Canadian weather had to offer. Someone subtly, and very jokingly, mentioned 'snow' during one of those light-hearted conversations, but we brushed it off as a low probability event - the disclaimer always being it starts only in November end. Honestly, after spending over a decade in Namma Bengaluru, even traveling to a place with low single-digit temperatures needed some planning - more so because the market was getting ready for the Diwali shopping, not for Winter shopping. Mention of snow at that point was a little too ambitious. And with all kinds of superstitions associated with my previous international travels, all this was happening without the knowledge of my shopping partner who had to play an important role in the preparation.

Taking into account multiple quotients associated with the warm clothes shopping - utility, shouldn't be too warm or too thin; availability, in Bengaluru at that time of the year (no time left for online haggling), reusability, when and whether I will reuse it; affordability (well, of course); brand and probability (of adverse weather events) - we finally settled down with something which will be ok to carry me in low single digit temperatures, slightly wet surroundings, a good mix of semi-formal / formal / casual, and can be used once in a while in early morning / late night Bengaluru weather!

Business luxuries

Image Courtesy: Of course, CHATGPT!!😊

Any other day, the environment and cost conscious, humble "me" would have lightly kicked myself for this. But there comes a time when you decide not to push back for a change. The long distance journey, and a certain designation in the organization, made me eligible for a Business Class travel. Did I have an option of saying no? Of course, yes. Did I exercise the option? No! Not this time.

Carbon footprint can be looked into later on - I will walk to the groceries' throughout next one year. Humility can wait for a while - sorry NRN and Mr. Tata. Purse strings can be managed in different ways - so what if all of them were Five Star stays. This time, I had to loosen up a little bit. Was it worth it? A resounding yes, for reasons more than one!

Well, I tried a little, to change the class for the Bengaluru to New Delhi leg of the journey - the company policy blocked me from partially changing the class of one part of the journey. The hotels I booked were all a walking distance from the office, hence a lot of money on local transport saved.

See, there was an honest attempt made ... not completely guilty! 😇😇😇

From fat ladies to hockey sticks ...

When you let procrastination steer your ship, you never quite know what curious treasures, or hidden storms, might wash up on your shore. Sometimes it’s a pleasant surprise; other times, it’s a wake-up call you didn’t see coming. This time, as I finally decided to face what I’d been putting off, I discovered just how unpredictable the extent of the outcome can be. And how not-so-surprising was the way I went about responding to it eventually!

The wake-up call

And so it was, around Christmas time last year, when I finally pulled myself out of the slumber and decided to get the long-awaited health check-up done. I was feeling “unhealthy” (read "overweight") for what felt like ages – days, weeks, maybe even months. I was avoiding admitting to the truth I suspected. But it was always there, lingering in the background. There were gentle reminders on leveraging the corporate plan to get the routine tests done – it was after all free once a year, and they also wanted to show that they “cared for my well-being”. Phew, another tick-in-the-box! The elder one’s school anyways didn’t let us go on a vacation. So, one fine winter morning, a few vials and boxes of body fluids went through the grind, to unearth the ‘treasure’.

Facing the numbers

There I was, armed with all the optimism in the world, or was it a well concealed trepidation, reports in hand much before the 24 hours deadline - flipping through every page, checking every number, analyzing every range. Initially, it was normal, then I noticed a few ambers on the screen, and then parameter by parameter, I had painted the town red. It turned out that I had not left even the most basic indicators untouched by my generosity! The only reading within perfect limits as per my "smart watch" turned out to be misleading. Voila! The watch was not smart enough to measure the blood pressure correctly. While certain numbers in the report were sufficient to trigger a sense of bewilderment, I vividly remember the general physician silently turning towards my wife behind my back and murmuring – “Our friend needs to get his act together!” On second thoughts, this one sentence in the Mother Hen's ears played a key role in the proceedings later on.

Building new habits

Image Courtesy: Of course, CHATGPT 😊

Well, it started with the dietician blocking ‘all good things in life’ from coming in my direction. The usual suspects – sweets, processed food, potato, salt, rice, oil, certain fruits – everything needed to be stopped or controlled immediately. Then the realization about interventions like portion control; frequency, sequencing and timing of meals; importance of regular movements started feeling embarrassingly obvious. On top of that, who knew that those tiny seeds of pumpkin, sunflower, flax and chia could help so much, or that just taking a quick 15-minute walk after dinner could do you immense good?

While procrastination has been my Achille’s heel for a long time, I went back to the “old me” and pulled out the tenacity buried deep within. Determination was the need of the hour, and almost immediately I could sense the "old me". The target – I had to be down by 15 kgs in 6 months. Rest everything will start falling in place once this goal is achieved. Steep slope? Yes! But we have crossed taller mountains and deeper gorges in the past. Remember the past manifestations like the one standing between the pillars! And then, if not now, when do we become serious about this? The proverbial juggernaut started rolling!

It started with the most basic ask – a timetable. It might sound very mundane, and something you don’t want to accept as an enforcement because ‘you are already self-disciplined’ – either the unknown voice or the fear of the now known made me prepare one and follow that. Right from those fenugreek seeds which needed to be immersed in water the night before; to the oats soaked overnight in curd, with some dry fruits and seasonal fruits, and cinnamon powder; to squeezing in those 40 minutes in the early morning routine for the mandatory 5,000 steps; to the tea without sugar (and not even jaggery) - this one was difficult; to the measured consumption of oil (yes, certain ml per person per day - it was fun to see the oil getting measured in those tiny measuring spoons at the time of cooking); to the 3S dinner restriction of having sprouts, salads or soups – it had to work in clockwise precision and a lot of meticulous planning. It was a team effort; was certainly not possible without Wifey’s support - I am sure the general physician murmured much more than that line in her ears!

The results

The results started showing up immediately. Bloating reduced drastically – it was great to be able to bend down to tie the shoe laces without feeling the pressure on the chest; and breathlessness was far lesser. I generally started feeling good, may be also because I was finally doing what I had been procrastinating about for so long. Most importantly, I started knocking off one kg weight on an average every week. I could sense the waist size going down. The unwanted fat around certain body parts started disappearing. The tightness in certain body parts while wearing clothes went down. All this within a few weeks of some basic discipline!

By the end of three months, the weight was down from 88 to 77 (and hence the reference to the fat ladies and the hockey sticks), HB1AC was down from 7.1 to 6.0, the cholesterol and triglyceride readings were within acceptable limits, and the B12s and D3s were perfect. It was good to see ‘things happening’ and the results so visible. It felt nice that the bottom-most visible button of my favorite shirt was not getting shamelessly stretched. And of course, all those formal trousers, which I had kept just like that, hoping someday I will wear them, suddenly started becoming available for consideration.

Lessons learned

There comes a time in such a journey when you feel like kicking yourself in the backside, bending beyond your physical limitations. These are the basics which education should naturally bring to you. But you just keep on pushing it off to some future date. Imagine, a simple BMI calculation should have raised enough alarm in my mind to bring the damn number down from 'bordering obesity' to at least 'bordering overweight'. But the unmet new year resolution on the year-end target weight for last so many years would have meant reducing the BMI to just a little less than borderline obesity. Was I smoking pot all these years? No, beyond a point, it was not procrastination – I was perhaps living in a fool’s paradise or enjoying (or was it feigning) blissful ignorance.

As I end this year, seems some lessons need to be revisited again. A few kgs and inches have been gained back over the last 9 months. The foodie in me will continue to exist. What is life without some indulgence, eh? But, there has to be a balance. And the mind now knows that the numbers can be regained. If 2025 new year resolution was forced, 2026 is inspired by what was achieved last year. The realization that procrastination can be overpowered – by action and by determination. Why not target the perfect BMI this time? Needs a repeat of last year's performance ... why not? Get, set, go!

Been 21 years ...

It is the age where you enter the lower limit of the next age-group in many of the forms and registrations. Thoughts popping in your mind are typically around middle-age quirks and how does one's processing speed change, family having evolved into a stable unit getting ready for the first birdie to leave the nest in a few years, middle management to senior management transitions (past and future), ruminations around why are we doing what we are doing leading to the dreaded "what is the purpose of my life?". And then during one of those mundane drives towards the office, with the radio jockey cracking the same old jokes, making prank calls to unsuspecting people (while I always doubt it is unexpected), playing the top 10 songs and dissecting the same trying to be hilarious, suddenly says - "Can you believe? Munnabhai MBBS turns 21 years today."

While there are multiple conversations and deliberations you are a part of focusing on how time flies, this unexpected pronouncement surprises you in a different way. You are in the middle of your daily brooding, perhaps planning your day or week ahead - this one suddenly takes you down a very different memory lane. This is in the same league as "I have more than 20 years of experience", "Let us plan for our 20 years reunion", "I have been staying away from my hometown for more than 20 years now", "Oh, last I met him was 20 years ago", "Time for the third renewal of passport" and of course, "Next driving licence renewal will be for 10 years only."

You usually cannot afford getting all nostalgic that time of the day, or that day of the week - but this is different. If this comes at a time when you are planning your year-end break, knowing very well that the elder birdie's board exam preparation will not allow you to do a lot of family stuff during the break, this transgression allows you the much needed reprieve from the rigmarole of finding something meaningful to do during the break.

While movies get picked up and put in the watch-list based on whether or not you were "allowed" to watch those movies then, or whether the particular movie was easily available, or whether those movies "clicked" for you, it is usual to pick up and discuss movies based on qualifiers like "this was the first movie I watched with my friends", "this was the first movie we watched during our courtship", and "this was the first movie I watched after I joined my first job". Then there are movies which she has been asking to watch together for a long time, but this time you have no excuse; this new movie released on OTT - worth experimenting with the genre she has been asking you to taste for a while; the younger kiddo wants to get a piece of cake and asks you to accompany him because the elder one is not available; an obscure movie in your bucket-list for no reason - the list goes on.

All in all, a wonderful time spent during this break ... all thanks to that coincidence of having tuned in to the particular FM channel that time, that day - and for once giving some importance to what was said.

Another year around the sun

Curtains getting drawn on another year, we go around the sun once more, and the proverbial time once again proves that it is flying so fast. Tempted to say that the rat race continues ... tempted more to assess whether I am in the race or watching from the fringes or better still enjoying the show sitting outside. One thing the year has successfully done - it has given many more occasions and acknowledgements for familiar ruminations - "there is no end", "why are we doing what we are doing", "what is the purpose", "this makes no sense" ... the best - "really?".

Having said that, one thing that perhaps changed, or at least seems to have changed, is the fact that life is no more on an auto pilot. Many things either getting delayed because of procrastination finally happened - like the long overdue family vacation abroad; or things actually taking place on time (or as someone said, it is now or never), and happening perfectly, like the thread ceremony of my younger son. Many acts never ever done before, like two theater movies on consecutive days, with the family, one of them in the front seat just to ensure that we have to do it come what may. Then you feel why the heck did the "first time" had to wait so long - but you immediately take a step back and repeat to yourself, again the cliched, better late than never.

The feeling of being blessed in the true sense made its presence felt, more so after the realization on so many occasions, but also once in a while when you end up being a typical human being and feel better when you compare yourself with others. You don't get the sense of entitlement - you sometime just feel you are blessed (or lucky, depends which frame of mind you are in). And if this becomes way of life, reasons to believe that life is beautiful.

Repeated assertions of gratitude over last so many years has meant that it has started becoming a part of the gene pool. Other than what I said above, this is the stage in life when you start valuing certain relations much more than others, you start "moving on", you have a clearer understanding of which relations deserve investment of your time, you start truly enjoying those small moments, your growing kids and their dreams, planning for life beyond a certain age ... life is beautiful and is worth living!

Top it all - a great ending for the year - I will be in my birthplace for the last three days of the year. Missus is not far behind - she was in her birthplace just a fortnight back.

Looking forward to the next year - more gratitude, more thankfulness, more family, more dreams - and a promise to take care of oneself, getting back to reading days, and yes, no more last-week-of-the-year blog posts 

Resolution time, once again

This has been the longest ever gap between two posts on this blog. Not that I have written multitudes of these ever since I started almost ten years back. And I am certainly not going to justify, or come up with any excuse. There are so many thoughts, so many actions, equal if not more number of reactions - it is plain and simple, good old lethargy. Frankly, I am back here only and only because I did not want this to be the first year when I didn't have a post. As always, thanks to dear missus, I will ensure this year doesn't go blank either.

Next few lines, however, are not a result of any kind of lethargy - many will still be tempted to call it so. But still ... When I was putting my thoughts together on what should go in here - knowing very well that as against my usual full week of thinking time before I post, I only have a couple of hours to come up with something - I kept on going back to what I wrote exactly fours years back. Even then it was towards the end of the year, and I wanted to avoid drawing a blank. But what I wrote then finds resonance even today, and it continues to be one area we need to come back to again and again. If I go back to my thoughts during the peak of the pandemic, what I wrote four years back should have become very obvious. However, looking at how we have gone back to good old days within 12 months of the peaks we saw last year makes me bring the three points back. They are what I called a set of realizations ...

... that ultimately what matters is your family, friends and dear ones ... those who really care for you ... the experiences that you would cherish ... those little (and large) adjustments you make

... that there is no end to any of this ... there will always be more money to be earned, more promotions to yearn for, more material pleasures, more of everything - you can never have enough

... and finally, that no attitude tops gratitude ... be thankful for everything that you have, and perhaps for so many things that you don't have ... you know not what those missing possessions entail

And hence all the more reason for these to be the focus of the resolutions for the coming year.