Facebook tells me that April 10th, was world sibling day. Did you know ? I will admit that I did not. And now, I feel bad because I did not wish my younger brother who lives in Bangalore, about 10,000 miles away. Didn't wish my two little cousins whom I love so dearly. But again, Isn't every day is a sibling day? or for that matter shouldn't everyday be a mother's or father's day? what about friendship day?
I often think about this (mostly on such nominated 'days') - but the truth is, now that I am thinking about it, I realize that I never wish anybody on any day. And that's probably the reason these days exist, so that we take a pause from our daily grind and thank our Mother, Father, Siblings and friends, and tell them how much they matter to us. Let them know just how lucky we are that they are a part of our lives.
Letting my closest ones know how much I care has always been an uphill battle. Growing up, I was brought up in a setting where my folks, despite having immense love and care for each other in their hearts always had a straight face. We never hugged each other, never kissed or caressed. We cried alone when we were down and never laughed out loud (LOL) . We never acted crazy- as if it were a cardinal sin. Never played pranks on each other. I know it sounds strange, because it was. But strange was our normal, was it for you too?. Anyway, all this made sure that I was enroute becoming a classic introvert. Somebody who had the demeanor of a calm ocean, but a tsunami brewing within.
Some of that inwardness faded away, when I left home to attend school and then during my engineering days when I met tons of amazing people that changed my life. It wouldn't be an overstatement if I said that I really turned a corner during my time at my alma mater , Manipal Institute of Technology. But, amidst all this the one thing that did not change was how I was communicating with my siblings and my immediate family. Its difficult even to this day. I don't remember when was the last time that I hugged my mother, or told my brother how much I love him. I am thinking about it today, over a glass of Jameson and Ginger. True, I am a little lightheaded , I will give you that.
If you are still with me, and if by now if I have made you think we are weird family, then you got it all wrong. Let me tell you that there is no dearth of mutual love, respect and care for each other. We've just chosen to be that way, or as I said before, your weird is our normal. I have to believe there are other families like mine, that are bound by the strongest bonds of love yet, that don't hug, or wish each other on sibling days, mother's days etc.
That said, I would like to get better at it.
