A great getaway!








We sat at the back of the car, I was getting squished in the tiny pouch.

I tried hard to peep out and take a look out of the window. I noticed several beautiful trees as we passed by and realised we were travelling away from the city.

"Amma, I am hungry,  wailed the little girl. When do we reach? what is for breakfast? it is so hot!! "

Why do kids talk so much, i wondered. I must admit , I always admired this little girl, bubbling with enthusiasm and a blithe spirit. 

The car halted and the mother was all excited..aah here we are..finally..

I sensed the mother was feeling at home as soon as we reached the place and I felt the place was very close to her heart.

I took a big leap , jumped out of the pouch and woillaaa...  what a mind blowing view..

"Get up, Get up...  we are on a day out, this place seems awesome.. " i rejoiced turning towards my pals‐ the sketch pens , the oil pastels , the paints.

We were all looking forward to get out of the house since months, thanks to the Corona.

We were picked up gently by the Lil girl and placed in a huge basket.We were heading towards a rusty cottage, the path we took mesmerised us.The magnificent tall trees, the colourful flowers peeping out of the thick bushes seeming to welcome us, the enchanting lush greenery,the money plants entangling with the bamboo trees..this was nothing but an eden.

I witnessed a bunch of excited faces greeting the mother, and their kids greeting the little girl.In no time,  the place was full of chatters. 

We were neatly arranged on a mat as i sat their as a spectator overlooking the gang. We, the color pencils were nicely groomed to look sharp and smart, the oil pastels arranged in shades,  the paints and brushes teamed together. It seemed we were getting ready for a performance. 

I noticed each person in the gang was in a different form, a few excited kids, a shy toddler , a moody teenager, a few anxious parents while some energetic. The mother seemed to be planning something , I pondered while gazing at the scenic beauty of the place.

What I witnessed next was a series of  know each other events , people expressing their hobbies, lifestyles, likes and dislikes.I also noticed an unusual thing , people started collecting fallen flowers,  broad dried leaves, feathers, pebbles and arranged them neatly as a bouquet and gifted it to each other! Wow, such a cool nature friendly gifting idea! 

I believe the gang was gradually getting connected to each other.

I noticed everyone had a passion to learn, try out something new on their own. Some chose to make music out of twigs, using boxes as drums,spawning creativity.

The gang broke for lunch and we all waited for them. As much as like me, my pals were curious of the whole show, what's next after lunch, when is our performance,  we were apparently waiting to be our best.

As the sun began to sink, the cool breeze brushed our faces , at times the breeze was strong enough that we bumped into each other giggling.  

Here they were, seemed satisfied with the lunch. After some discussions, the whole bunch started playing games. They burst into laughter enacting zombies, ran as deers trying to catch each other, leaped and bounced around. We were thrilled to see the joyful faces. The flow of happiness in the gang was at its peak, I would rather call this a family now ! 

When the family was tuckered out, all settled down on a stone pavement. They picked some sheets and also us, our happiness knew no bounds. We wanted the family to embrace the joy we could bring. The little kids carefully chose the oil pastels and us, the color pencils , they handled us with great care. With each stroke, we brought smile on their faces. The plain sheets were coming into life as we bumped into circles, patterns on the white background. The parents chose sand , leaves and made art out of them. There was perfect silence except for the chirping of the birds, rustling of dried leaves which brought music to everyone's ears. 

I have heard art is an expression of life, but today I truly witnessed it. Each person in the family brought out the best art, we were extremely elated for having partnered. When the art was done, the family looked calm, composed and blissful. It seemed like the art session had rekindled the spirit in everyone and worked wonders. Some chose to talk about the art, talk about the day, some remained quite choosing to stay in their spaces. We saw this day helped everyone unwind and refresh. Exploring the nature, art, music, games, everything done as a community, where age has no bar, brought a whole new perspective to learning. I recollected the saying "A happy family is but an earlier heaven". I craved this day never ended while I sat there quietly, soaking up everything i could.

Finally, the family packed up after a coffee break and got ready to bid adieu to the beautiful place and to each other.

We sat at the back of the car trying to catch a final glimpse of the place , the place that brought immense joy in all of us.I took a deep breath and said to myself "this is the day i want to live again and again"..

 

Special mention

Thanks to Masti-ki-Paathsala team without whom i would never realize the importance of a community and fun parenting.

To enjoy your parenting journey, join our community-

https://pineberrymkp.blogspot.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/Parenting.with.MKP

 

 

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