Ready for the new

April introduces us to so many new beginnings and spring fills the air with hope and freshness. The cherry blossom and yellow flowers all over the town add to the bounce in your feet while walking. It really really does feel good to see so much beauty right outside when you step out of your house. I do thank the great efforts the gardeners put in making sure there is a lovely floral pattern in each roundabout and dividers between the roads. I have never experienced such a drastic change. It's like every day you step out you notice a new bunch of flowers white, yellow, pink, and red; one can swear they all bloomed at night. Even the grass below your feet will not quit to surprise you with these tiny white and yellow flowers. It seems like New Year's resolutions are back in fashion and people want to try all sorts of outdoor activities. I recently picked up jogging (everybody jogs here) primarily to lose the extra 10 pounds I have gained eating delicious desserts over the extended winters. It's been a week and I already feel fitter than before and my legs hurt all the time. The podcast I follow for motivation is named apt 'Jogging for cake'.

Easter is also another reason for the happy faces and general decor in the supermarkets. I just recently got acquainted with Easter, like when my son brought home an Easter card and an egg designed with his modern art. Then he also enjoyed lots of bunny-shaped chocolates and was given a pleasant surprise of an Easter bunny nest at the door on Easter Sunday by our friendly neighbors! Doing something together with the family and kids is the best way to celebrate life. We do not celebrate the festival but I can bet next year I will be making these decorated eggs just for fun and being the secret bunny for some cute kids. I can only imagine what a big celebration it could be if these were normal times and people had the freedom to celebrate and pray together. 

In India, we celebrate Holi, the festival of colors to welcome spring. There are many interpretations for holi out of which the most predominant religious one is the story of "Holika Dahan" which we follow the night before Holi. It is a classic legend found in our sacred Bhagvat Puraan which explains how a child named Prahlad was saved by Lord Vishnu and Dharma was restored. Prahlad was the son of Hiranyakashipu the king of demonic asuras. He was an arrogant king who had received blessings that made him almost invincible to death. His boon was that he cannot be killed by man or animal, during day or night, never indoors or outdoors, not on land or water or air, and not by any projectile or handheld weapon. His son, Prahlad was a devotee of Lord Vishnu and refused to worship his father as the ultimate power. In order to get rid of Prahlad, Holika planned to sit with him in the pyre and burn him while she covered herself with her magical cloak which made her immune to any harm from fire. However, as destiny would have it wind blew hard and the cloak flew to Prahlad to protect him from the fire and burn the evil Holika. Then Lord Vishnu appears as an avatar of Narasimha (half human half lion) and kills the evil king at dusk, at a doorstep, on his lap with lion claws. This occasion thus became our modern-day holi where we forgive the old evils and fallacies and welcome new starts of peace and harmony.

Besides the festivities and celebrations, the weather has the power to change our moods too. Just yesterday the sun was bright and mighty so we decided to step outside and go on a hike to the mountains. The hike was such an amazing break from the mundane. The meadows, the water streams, the vegetation, the panoramic view of Salzburg and the tiny paths that lead to nowhere; all were welcome. Even though we have a little one, he pretty much manages to pull his weight with some loud and nasty cribbing. With the weather being so great we had so much fun and then late at night it snowed. I can totally tell that my enthusiasm for life is 5 notches down because it's cold again.

“The promise of spring’s arrival is enough to get anyone through the bitter winter!”
— Jen Selinsky

April holds a very special place in my heart as 5 years back in April we delivered our baby boy, Ivaan. Ivaan means God's gracious gift and what a gift he has been! It has completely changed the way I live, act and think. Being a parent takes you on a nerve-racking once-in-a-lifetime type of journey which is cherished later by most folks. Although you keep losing your original version of a kid and it is replaced by this new person who completely takes over, you still enjoy each stage of your child (more or less, I've heard the terrible teens are the worse). It has been only 5 years but I have started missing his baby stage when all he needed was milk, sleep, and we celebrated his po-po like he just achieved another doctorate. This little monster has now started demanding and coming up with ridiculous quotes such as; "if it's my birthday I get to decide what theme it should be based on!" and "I am going to say one word but you won't like it.. TV" and "Mom! Nick just kissed Jess! (while his dad and I thought he is not paying any attention to New Girl)" His grin just completely makes me surrender to him and on most days when he requests a pancake, I just cannot say no. Here is to hoping that spring will not completely refresh this 4 and a half stage of my son so soon even though he turns 5 soon. I hope that the clouds allow the sun God do his thing and make the weather bright and sunny again; until then I will just enjoy my coffee and the book that makes me smile.