2021 !! Katham Katham!!

I have always been fascinated by the idea of recollecting the events of the whole year during the end of the year, and ever since I started this blog, I wanted to document them every year. But then there is always the demon called "procrastination" and my-ever-loving friend "laziness" who convince me every year to skip this, except for 2 years (where the zeal to write overpowered these guys). This year again, I am fighting the demons and hope that this post sees the light of the day.

As far as the year is concerned, 2021 started good, turned silent, hit the wrong chord bang in the middle of the year, and continued faltering almost till the end, but managed to not end disastrously (for which I will be eternally grateful). My life this whole year was an exact replica of how the world was. Confused. Worried. Anxious. But at the same time, thankful and grateful for the privilege, people and the support around me.

The year started off with Athiboy's first year birthday celebrations, and then a quick 2-day trip to Mangrove Bay Camp - a place off Chidambaram where we went on stand up paddles in the Kollidam River. It was the first trip with just the 3 of us and we all really enjoyed it.

As the restrictions started relaxing, we all hoped things would be back to normal. Around March, my mother's foot's condition worsened and she could neither walk for long, nor take the stairs. So we started scouting for a new house for them and after a lot of back and forth arguments, and a whole lot of convincing, we shifted them near my home. Just when it seemed that things had started to settle down, we got the biggest blow. My parents tested positive for Covid. Luckily, they'd both taken both the vaccine doses - so the infection was not severe, but the mental stress was too much to handle for everyone. The whole of June got lost in Covid and recovering from it. In my experience, Covid is as much a mental stress to the care taker as it is for the infected person. It is torturous. I wouldn't want anyone to go through this. 

If there are two things that were a sweet surprise to me this year, it has to be my birthday and Ultimate Frisbee. Birthday surprise was my little brother (not-so-little anymore) gifting me a mobile phone. For years, every time I buy him something or give him money, he used to tell me that one day he'd get me the latest mobile at his expense - which, even though I'd listen to him say, but would eventually ignore. This year he totally surprised me by getting it when I least expected it. Definitely one of the star highlights of the year. 

Next, Ultimate Frisbee! It is a mixed gender sport, played with a disc. It is intense, but lovely. V has been into this sport since late 2019, and has been convincing me to join him ever since the kiddo turned one. The awareness about this game in India is very less, and even lesser in TN. There are only a handful of people who know and play the game. So, after hearing V talk about it day in and day out for close to 2 years, I thought I'd atleast go see it once before I turn down his request to join. But the moment I got some sense of how the game worked, I started liking it and wanted to know more. There is a whole lot to learn from the game, and I am definitely looking forward to it in the coming years. 

The final challenge of the year came in the last 2 months, which were on a whole different level. For the first time in 4 years of marriage, I had to take full ownership of the running the house as my mother-in-law became a little sick. It was only at this time that I truly understood how big a task it is to keep the house functioning as it is. I understood what my mother and father had been doing all these years, I understood how much my mother-in-law toiled all these years. It was a challenge to juggle between office work and the household chores, but I tried to do smart work, and my mind was always looking for ways to get things done quickly and parallelly mostly by planning in advance, and not shying away from asking for help whenever I felt like I needed some.  

Lastly, a few things about Athi! This is possibly one of the best phases with him. He's an energy bomb, his excitement is contagious. He runs about the house repeating all that we say in his mazhalai. Loves car rides, thatha paati, reading books, toy cars, balance cycles, bike rides. Dances to the tune of quite a few tamil songs. Is a die hard Rava Kesari fan. Can't imagine him growing up and going to school, but at the same time, can't wait for him to grow up soon. 

Hope 2022 would be a great year for everyone. Happy New Year!!