Keep Calm & Relax for Four Minutes

Hi Koko,

So this breezy June morning in Bangalore when the traffic snarls were drowning my thoughts, I surmised that it's a great loss to you and me if we are not making memories. What did we do the past week, month or year? I am not sure if there are any moments that really jump out at me.

While it is tough to concentrate with so much going on I just had a moment of calm; and all this calmness stems from a very wise little lady, about whom I am writing today.

A couple of days ago, there was “Bring Your Kids to Work” day at your Baba’s office. Of course it was a lot of fun! It seemed to be too much fun for you for sure – you were jumping about in the bouncy castle, getting Spider Man tattoo, rolling in the ball pool and what not! Your friend Prisha, (aforementioned wise lady) who is obviously the poised one, was trying to keep up with you.

Prisha likes jumping in the ball pool too – but she doesn’t throw the balls out like you, she likes playing with color, and play dough and balloons as well! You on the other hand have no patience to sit and listen to instructions. When it was activity time, I saw the enthusiasm in her eyes (and the reluctance in yours). She made a robot or an animal or something like a doll with some red play dough, while you thought it was something awesome to stick in my hair. While she patiently sat on a chair to see origami tricks, you were racing with some like-minded kids.

The culmination was when an amiable man was telling a room full of rowdy children about the magic of block prints. The protégés sat in crooked lines and a white handkerchief was put in front of everyone. Wooden blocks were distributed and then came out the colors. You my dear boy chose to sit on the handkerchief! Though I found it incredibly adorable, I could feel judgmental eyes on me right at that moment.

As you became more and more restless through the string of very well structured instruction (taking nothing away from the teacher), there was a small hand that touched your back. From a distance, I saw it was Prisha – she leant forward and put a hand on your shoulders and I could see you slide back. Koko the conformist! I was amazed.

When I asked you later that evening about what was it that Prisha told you, this is what you said: Prisha is my best friend; she told me “Relax, for four minutes.”

That is the best piece of advice I have heard in the longest time. I think I’ll get one of those “Keep Calm & Relax for four minutes” t-shirts now. In fact, when I am stressed at work nowadays, I say that under my breath and it really works like magic.

Koko, in life you face many difficult times. You should count yourself lucky if you have a friend by your side who can just calm you down. Sometimes, when there are tons of things at office and I go home, pick you up from daycare, all the while thinking I need to go home and do these 18 different chores, I miss having someone tell me that it would not be so bad to relax for a few minutes.

Then just the other day, you sat in the back seat of the car, looked at me frowning at that rogue driver on my side and said, “Ma, relax for four minutes!” – We both burst out laughing. At that moment, inside your favorite blue car, life was perfect. Thank you for being that person who looks out for me, thank you my angel.

Love you to bits,

Ma