Din 221: "Work for the people; not for the money."

It really was time to bid Mumbai farewell this morning, but I know I'll certainly be back here very soon, because it's Mumbai, not the Amazon Rainforest or something. :) (Though the view from my balcony left some room for confusion.)


I was very touched when Gaikwad Uncle came to the airport to see me off himself, and surprised when I was somehow already checked in when I arrived, my baggage was whisked away and taken care of, and I was handed a boarding pass without ever approaching a counter. Think the special treatment ends here? Get ready -- the theme of today is how much of a brat I am.

Nani greeted me at Chandigarh Airport, with a paratha and a bowl of dahi in tow. Upon arriving at home, I rested briefly before my first appointment of the day -- with Manu Auntie, who is essentially a one-woman walking beauty salon. The embarrassing photograph below shows Ratna the Spoiled chowing down on Punjabi food while simultaneously getting a pedicure. Please don't judge me!


As Manu Auntie left, Bimla Auntie arrived. She is the world's best masseuse, and I always knew that, but today I asked her why -- it turns out she has quite a story. She was trained in acupressure by a woman looking after a paralyzed lady. Her teacher gave Bimla lessons lasting all day, and then tested her by making her massage the patient suffering from paralysis while she did. For example, the teacher would take one foot and Bimla the other. They would then press the acupressure points and the patient would have to tell them if the feelings on both feet were symmetrical. Quite a learning process! Two weeks into these lessons, Bimla's teacher herself met with a car accident. Then the teacher herself was not able to move her arms for quite some time, and Bimla would take care of her. Now, Bimla reports that both the teacher and the formerly paralyzed patient are "healthier than any other humans I know," and they shower Bimla Auntie with blessings galore! She shared with me her philosophy of working to earn people rather than money -- because money comes in handy to get by on a day-to-day basis, but people are the ones who are there for you in truly trying times. Today, I learned that everyone has a story if you take the time to listen.


After my massage and shower, Nani cut me some fruit which happened to match our house's front windows perfectly! Sorry for posting all these pictures of produce, but I looove me my healthy snacks.


For tea, we went to the home of our neighbor Mrs. Sidhu, whose grandson just got married in Jaipur. Mrs. Sidhu is Nani's best friend, and my favorite out of those of Nani's friends I have met. I had a lovely time hearing about the regal wedding and sharing anecdotes from my magical time in Mumbai.


Upon arriving home, I was attacked by a splitting headache, so commenced my one-hour meditation session as soon as possible. Finding myself very weak even after the sitting, I decided to down my dinner and hit the sack in a timely manner. Here's to an energetic tomorrow!

Comments

  1. kiwis and mangos in india? fruit galore!

    ReplyDelete

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