Dear 80y old Arushi..

 Dear 80y old Arushi! 

ASSUMPTIONS: 1. Arushi is still alive and well at the age of 80! 

I hope to see you, but if not, I'm glad I have this medium to communicate with you today.

80 years is infact a very long time na, 50 plus years from now! Gosh! :) 

How are you doing, Arushi? :)  Do you have drooping cheeks and fewer teeth these days? Do you need your walker to walk or did the exercise you did helped you stay fit and healthy? I'm hoping you don't binge-watch soap operas and eat boring and bland food! I hope you're doing rather well! and have travelled enough to have enough memories to keep you sane, and that you also have a wonderful family to look after you. 

Wait which 975th COVID-19 variant are you on? Does it still exist? Or does it keep coming back every 6 months like it used to ages ago? :P 

Omg how does 2070 even look like? Are there like those flying cars and stuff? Did your generation finally resort to some timely measures and actions to fight climate change and maintain three seasons like it used to be or has everything changed? 

Do you still watch those "reels" on Instagram like you did when you were 27 years old, or wait again, do you even have Instagram? Haven't you guys not travelled through the Metaverse yet? Which version of web exists? Web50? :P Are you at the stage when you don't grasp virtual reality and have to ask your grandchildren to explain it to you? And do they also get upset with you as you did when you were in ur "#humara zamanaaa"? 

Remember how we battled to teach our parents and grandparents when we first got WhatsApp? 

Oh wait.. Do your grandchildren know how Mr.Imaginary Husband and you met? I hope that by the time I get to you, I will have loved with all of my heart and soul. I'm hoping my imaginary husband (FOR NOW ONLY! :P) is wonderful. I hope he gives you a cup of tea every morning and doesn't expect you to be like cleaned up early morning itself. If you come across a package that is too heavy for you to lift, he will assist you in breaking it down into packets so that you can manage it. You guys would still opt for that generation-to-generation passed-down tradition of taking an after-dinner stroll as our parents did! Arushi, trust me, you will have loved and been loved astoundingly well, whether you had one great love or many. 

 

I'll have lost people I care about by the time I get to you. You had never experienced the loss of someone close to you when you were 27 years old. There have been a few people, but you've managed to get by, but your 27-year-old self understands that one thing that terrifies you more than anything else is death and losing someone you care about. But you'd have already been through the fear and come out the other side, I'm sure! :) 

I hope you're still living in India with your family. As intended, you're resting in the house's side balcony space and either writing or drawing and occasionally staring out the window seeing your grandkids running about on the verandas and playing. Also I am sure they talk DNA, walk DNA and laugh DNA. Just like you did and made your own mum and dad do it too. Hai na? 

I'll have published stuff that will change the way people think about science and see science in general by the time I get to you. In India, I will have been a part of a vibrant, beautiful and proud community of researchers and educators. I'll have spoken and written things that have enraged others. As far as I know you, you will never, ever stop questioning what you believe is unjust and this would eventually reflect on the minds you would have shaped as an educator. I'm curious to know what would they want to say for you..You knew you weren't going to move kingdoms or mountains or anything, but you'd always wanted to make a contribution to society in some way and you would have done that. I'm sure you've inspired them in ways you won't realise.

I'll be so proud of you by the time I reach you. And, most significantly, content and happy doing whatever it is you've always wanted to do! :) 

Arushi, listen. I can't guarantee that you and I will ever cross paths. I honestly have no idea. I have so many questions, thoughts, dreams, and desires so much and so many that I wish we had a technology that could give us a glimpse into your future. But one thing is certain: on my route to see you, I intend to seize every opportunity, to say yes as often as possible, to take risks, and to have a lot of fun in the journey! :)

I just hope that when we're 80, we switch roles and you're the one in charge to then reply to this letter and write to the 27y old Arushi!

See you on the other side, lady! :)

What if we had a mind thoughts to a text converter?

What if there's a smart watch that monitors your thoughts and displays a report for it? What if you got a notification for your mind report, similarly like you did for your daily screen time report?

I chose to practise this exercise today,  from the moment I woke up from my afternoon nap till I brewed a cup of Kadak chai for my mother and myself! Let's take a look at it: 

Kyo hai yaaaar itni thand!  Arushi: You don't have to keep whining just because you have to leave your blanket and get up . There are just 10 minutes left for mum to finish her online lessons, and if you don't have tea ready  by then, you will have it from her. 

Okay, that's alright. I'm going to get up. 

I have around 5 minutes of buffer left. 

Why do these construction workers make such noise?

Dude, you just got up. Stop YAWNING 

This post Covid hairfall is really a thing!. Aree yaar. What if I lose my hair? Hello. Keep your mouth shut. If you put a lot of stress on it., You'll lose even more hair. Okay.  Still, yaar! Itne Baal jhadd rahe hai :(  

Anyway. Notification on WhatsApp: Dekhu k nahi?   Arushi no: The source of all problems is social media. Dont check it and hence now seems to be a good time to prepare chai. 

But don't forget to wish your bachpan ki dost a happy birthday as well! 

I'll do it after chai! Everything is better after chai. 

But I'll have to give up my heater for it! Oh, my God! It's so friggin cold.   

However, we are going to make chai on a stove right?. That can be used as a replacement na? Seh lenge ye judai!  Huh.. In life, I believe I can be a motivator as well! :P

For 2 cups of chai, how many pints of water should I use? Really, dude? I've prepared chai an incalculable number of times, so why do I keep double-checking with myself? 

How and where did my chai masala go? This mother, no, she'll clean the kitchen and I'll be unable to locate my things! 

Thankfully got it! After adding it, I hope I added chai masala and not garam masala! What nonsense! :P Again self doubt! 

Waaahhh Chaiii!  What is this aroma of adrak, tea leaves, and chai masala brewing together? If there is paradise on earth, it is here in my vessel of chai :P 

Thank you, O god, for the gaseous state and garam vapours! In these chilly temperatures, this is a lifesaver. 

Tu marz hai dawa bhi.. Par aadat hai meri.. This Deepika looks so amazing no.. I ll pakka watch Gehraiyan! 

You have just done 2/10 To Do list things: Better forget Gehraiyan and focus on that: P Do these post Chai.

Aaah.. I have the perfect colour of my chai. Nah, I don't believe in soulmates, but .. Chai is my soulmate par! ( IFYKYK)

Remember all of this, Arushi; you need to go write stuff down for the article! :P 

In the midst of it all, Mom appears and says, "This entire warmth is not for you. :P Give me also some desi heater!"

We both chuckle heartily and take our separate cups of chai, along with some freshly fried Aaloo papad, to enjoy! It's just a typical evening with Mom! 

But here's my report on my thoughts: 

The total number of thoughts is 4567. 

4003 distracting and self doubt thoughts 

Thoughts on #Khudkitareef: 56 

Thoughts of gratitude: 45 

460 random musings 

3 overacting ( 50rs should be cut for this!)

This is only a snapshot of the >10k ideas we experience on a daily basis! I hope we take reasonable care. I wish we were more conscious and put some of these on DND or even switched on Focus mode like we do for our digital well-being! 

But, you know, if only everything had been as simple as it appears to be!