What I learnt from what I gained

Being home-bound is not easy if one has been independent. More so if you are the kind who loves work, who thinks anything else that comes in the way of work a disturbance.

But for over the last 13 months, I have been just that - out of work. For a start it was about the need to set up home. Then came the trouble with family obligations. I just about began the job-hunt and revived my blog, when the long pending health problems that were already a bother, began eating into me.

On the negative side, there is a lot I have lost out on. Am penniless, live off my husband. Am out of work and yet my poor health won't let me work instantly. On the positive side, I have gained a great deal. Instead of focussing on the things i lost, let me list out what I did in the last one year that I did not, in several years.

I have watched a whole lot of movies I had missed out on, although at home. While at work I had not quite enjoyed movies for I thought they were an intrusion into worklife.

Being home has helped me become movie-aware like never before. The list just goes on - Mona Lisa Smile, Mansfield Park, The Mystic Masseur, The Householder, The Recruit, Hulk, Jodha Akbar, Emma, Pride and Prejudice (had watched it many times before), When a man loves a woman, 50 first dates, The Guardian, new releases like Race, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, Dostana, Rab ne Bana di Jodi...whew! That's quite a number...and just a sample!

Another positive. I made trips to town alone, explored Colaba Causeway, shopped at Crawford Market, and played host to friends who came down to Mumbai.

I have done other things I did not do before too! Watched one of the IPL matches! For me who had never been to a cricket match before, it was a treat. Maybe the real matches are different.

I surprised my dad on  his birthday, thanks to my husband who decided to fly me down for just that.

I also  hopped along for his office picnic that turned out to be a team-building exercise. I have been to malls for not just chilling out, but shopping, window-shopping, movies, books...chatting up with friends...these are things I never did before.

I watched a shoot at Film City - shoot for a horror serial. And was very excited about it for long after the shoot. Making friends among the crew of Hindi serials has opened my eyes further about film-making. Am learning to look at films from the point of view of the cameraman, the director, and the story-teller, rather than being an audience.

I managed to be home-bound and loved doing up my home on a budget too. With and without money. Would not have imagined it before. Getting friends among neighbours was the hardest among all the difficulties in this big mad city.

You can know a person for ages and walk past him or her without as much as a smile. Quite a culture shock that. But once I got them, it has been fun. I would not have imagined settling down to teach a bit of craft to kids. Here I did just that.

My health is usually not in great shape. What does it mean to stay home alone and fall sick, minus the care of your family? I got that experience first hand out here in Mumbai. Time flies. But not when you are ill. You cry alone, you suffer alone, you struggle to take those few steps to the kitchen, and yet when your people call, you don't have the heart to say things are bad. You see your husband do everything he can, and yet feel helpless. Tolerance of pain has something to do with it. Self-motivation has a lot to do with it.

When in a new city, you have no friends to shop with too! Have passed through that phase. But shopping with your spouse can be a pain too. Don't buy this. Don't buy that. You have a bit of that in your stock, so why waste money? This bit about having your spouse around for shopping I need to write in detail at a later date. But then I learned something really big after living with it...patience.

I have read books, devoured them, and yearned for more! Work had not spared much time to read books. Being out of it did. 

Am yet to get back to work. But would rather relish these before I move on. If I do remember many more things I learnt, will type them down again. For, learning in life is never-ending.