Rachna says

I walk across and slide open the large glass windows of the balcony to look at the trees swaying in the morning wind. Rain drops glisten on the glass railings. The rain swept greenery looks inviting. With a steaming hot mug of coffee in my hands, I stand to savour this sight. Thick grey clouds cover the sky. Looks like the rains have not given up on us. This is the view from my bedroom window that has changed after years.

Inside the home there are lots of boxes lying around. They remind me that I have a lot of work to do in arranging belongings in a new home. After a sedate 17 years in the last home (our own home), we have moved homes in the same city. It was a hectic couple of weeks. While we have shifted many times in the past, this time it is after a really long gap.

As painful as the process of moving is, the change is actually quite welcome. I am not alien to shifting houses. All my childhood, as a bureaucrat’s daughter, we shifted homes every few years. Is that the reason why I don’t feel too much attachment to a home? I can’t say. But, it makes me more flexible in terms of adjusting to new places and people.

I have beautiful memories from my last home. I raised my children there including Coco. Come to think of it, it is the only home both my sons have known, an experience vastly different from my own, I realize. I do find solace in the thought that that home is still mine. We can always go back to the house and neighbourhood that is so familiar if we wish to at a later stage in life. Yet at the same time, my soul craved some change, any change. Such are the dichotomies of life!

Currently, I am in an apartment after many years compared to a villa. I love the solitude and convenience that apartments offer. It has been 5 days, and I have barely seen anyone except the staff. The introvert in me does not miss seeing people on a daily basis. As a matter of fact, I am pretty content with being on my own. I treasure of privacy. That is not to say that I don’t wish to socialise. But, I am not craving to make new friends, just yet.

So much clutter that was accumulated over the years has been gotten rid off now. I can look at setting up a new home with maybe more wisdom gained from experience. Old furniture retains the continuity as all of us adjust to new surroundings.

For now, I am enjoying the change in scenery, and the peace and quiet with barely any sounds. The staff seems efficient, and I have already found a househelp. So those things are going smoothly.

The move has been decent so far. I look forward to getting back to my exercise and work routine and finding some semblance of order.