Picture this.
Beautiful green meadows dressed in beds
of yellow and white blooms, all hemmed in by lush green hills. The backdrop, this
natural canvas as if out of a fairy tale. Sounds magical, doesn’t it? Well,
there is more. On one end of this picturesque setting lay an enclosure walled
by coniferous trees. Trees with dark green leaves reaching endlessly towards azure
blue skies. And this secluded, almost hidden away from prying eyes. Leading away from
there, a path swathed with twigs and leaves to a stream flowing at a distance. And
in the silence of the woods the echo of delight. Folks smiling, talking and
having fun in the middle of that, almost as if in a parallel universe. Moms and
dads alike chopping and cutting in preparation to cook. A few even working at
getting the fire started to be used for cooking later on, using vessels as big
as a witch’s cauldron. The children playing in groups, giggling, few crying too
but overall all cheerful amidst chaos.
This scene, the beginning of a day with family and
friends, a day of being together, is what comes to my mind when someone
talks about picnics.
What about you?
There was a time when picnics were
an annual feat in my life especially during New Year’s. It was something
everyone looked forward to. I remember spending some beautiful winter days in
the lap of nature surrounded by people I love. The food prepared out in the
open always left a wonderful aftertaste. That picnic chicken curry is still my favorite
and no one has been able to replicate that since. But do you know what the best
part about such picnics was? The time
spent together, yes, the key word here is together.
The tradition, I’m sure, is still
continued back home but I haven’t had a chance to go on one for what seems like
ages now. Moving away for higher education and then starting work in a new city
later on came in the way of these little tidbits of life I had taken for
granted. And now as clichéd as it sounds, where is the time?
Everything is virtual in these days
of the social network which I don’t mind, considering a lot of people simply get
on my nerves and I’m better off without meeting them in flesh. But then again once
in a while a picnic or a get together really does no harm.
I don’t know about you but these
days I make do with quite dinner parties with friends and family. Well, at least
those few who happen to live in the same city as I do. These are of-course few
and far in between because like I said, nobody has the time.
There was a time when I would meet
cousins at least once a year. Now, I don’t even remember the last time I had
taken time out to just speak to any of them other than on their birthdays. Should
I say this is the downside of the fast tracked lives we lead, how scattered our
circle is or technology? I don’t know but I do know that something somewhere
went missing.
I just hope we can bring that back
into our lives. The future generation needs to know there is more to life than
social media, there is more to life than virtual friends. And the chaos of
being together with family and friends only adds to the pleasures of life.
But how do we do that?
Simply by being together!
·
Making it a point to take time out to meet family and friends.
·
Not waiting for that special occasion to make plans. Make mundane special, I say.
·
Maybe, not leaving everything for the weekend?
·
Giving importance to face-to-face interactions occasionally
rather than just Facebook chats.
·
Impromptu dinner parties with friends and
family. It’s the meet that matters not the meat (or what’s on the plate!)
·
Calling instead of relying on WhatsApp. I know I’m
guilty of not doing that too.
·
Planning holidays around meeting family,
extended family even.
· You add the next one here!
Linking this to #1Word Wednesdays hosted by Lisa of The Golden Spoons and Janine of Confessions of a Mommyaholic. The words this week were creepy or chaos. I chose the latter.