(475 words)
A couple of questions running through my mind:
i. Is it
okay to use to the term ‘Staycation’ if your stay is in your home (Not a holiday
home, but the very home that you live in)?
Can
you unlearn how to be independent (and independence here is not the kind we see
in History textbooks, but the feeling of being on your own)?
About eleven
years ago, I got a chance at
independence. It was certainly very tough for my parents to see their little
love going to another city for College, but they were proud of me.
Being on my own was
not being taken care of by my parents, but instead being taken care of by my
friends. Independence to some degree, for starters.
About seven
years ago, a new chance for
some more independence. My parents were prouder of me and this was tougher on
them, since the move was now to a Big City, for B-School.
With the “degree
of freedom” increased, I learnt how to take care of myself. Wasn’t on my own
still, but now I was ready to be on my own.
About five
years ago, I attained “full”
independence when I started working and earning (renting an apartment with a
stranger, paying bills, cooking food, shopping for stuff, early morning trips
with friends, going to movies past midnight, boarding a plane solo to & from
across the globe, changing jobs, living solo, going to the movies solo and even
eating out in restaurants alone).
About year and
a half ago, I opted for a
week of work from home as the world started to close due to an epidemic. That
week ended with the start of National lockdown and start of living full time with
my family. It was not tough for my parents, finally!
Full independence for
me gave way to a co-dependence for the three of us.
About a week
ago, I lost my uncle to a
tragic accident. My parents had to visit the family for the
last rites. This time it was my parents going to another city, and it was the
toughest for them. How will our overgrown baby, who is in a managerial job by
the way, “manage” to be on her own?
Here’s how: With a ‘4 days, 3 nights home staycation’ (in the saddest of circumstances). While Instagram went to ‘revenge trips’ to hills and beaches, I stayed in a place I literally call home. This place had everything- no crowds, no safety concerns, no e-pass or test reports needed, the beds were comfortable, the food home cooked with all my favorites on the menu, I connected with nature each day while watering the plants in my parents’ garden and when the break ended, I got the answers to the questions posed in the beginning of this post.
