What Treaure will you unpack today?

For the first time in 6 years, every box of belongings in our home is unpacked. As we moved multiple homes through the years, there was many a box that lay hidden beneath the surface.

Some of our possessions lie in the open; waiting for a place to belong to in our home, or maybe to move on to another home.

A nameplate that stayed with us through more than a decade of marriage. An old note from someone appreciating who I am. My own notes in diaries of an era long gone by.

With each memory I pick up, I relive a moment, visit a place, or meet my younger self. With each memory that I stumble upon, I laugh, cry and live.

I know I can’t keep them all. Some may need to be recycled. Some may serve somebody else now as well as they served me. Some, I will still hold on to as long as I live.

I feel a sense of release, and my mind transports me back to when I was 8 years old. My father would return from his travels abroad at midnight. We would be fighting sleep to help him unpack. The suitcase would be hastily opened. It would smell of far-away places that I longed to discover. That sweet smell would fill the room. And one by one, we unpacked all the goodies he would have got for us. Toys, clothes, gadgets, perfumes, chocolates and more. And then they would lie around the suitcase while our mom hustled us back to bed. “You can see them in the morning!” she would say. “I won’t put them away yet”.

I would take a long hard look at all the treasures had arrived, and I would say to my father. “I love unpacking the treasures”

Today I take a long hard look at all the treasures I have. They smell of familiar places I have been to; and of memories gone by.

And as nostalgia meets longing, and emotions are stirred, I say to my son, “I love unpacking the treasures”

What treasure will you unpack today from the memories of your life?

What will you lay open; to let go or move on?

What will you hang onto the pedestal of memories?

What will you give to someone else to make their own?

What treasure will you unpack today?

 

And she was left behind......

She was getting ready to go to work and glanced at the calendar. It was the 1st of July. How could she forget? It seemed like a normal day. It had seemed that way a year back too. But the day was far from ordinary. Her life wasn’t the same ever again.

She went back to that fateful day. It had been a routine for the last year. No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t stop herself from the flashback that replayed in her mind. Could she have done anything to prevent it?

Would she have believed somebody if they had told her how the day was to turn out? She might have laughed at the idea? Or maybe cried?

What if she hadn’t left the room just then? What if she had taken better care? But there were no answers. The emptiness continued to eat her everyday.

She had wept beside him not wanting to be left behind. They had been inseparable all these years. Couldn’t he have taken her too?

She remembered how she had broken the news to her daughter, and how they had taken turns in being strong. All they had was each other now.

Not a day went by when she questioned him. Why did you leave me behind? Why didn’t you take me too?

She remembered how his laughter would resound in the house, and how she kept expecting him to wake up and announce that he was only joking.

As they had taken the last remains of his body, her daughter had cried, “We lost the best man in the whole world Mom, we lost him.”

She was shaken out of her reverie by the clock chiming nine. It was time to leave.
As had become her daily conversation routine with him, she stood in front of his photograph.” How are you? Do you think of me often? How could you leave me behind? Why? Why? “And she sobbed uncontrollably.

Her body was shivering involuntarily, and she didn’t know what to do. Suddenly, she felt surging warmth through her entire being. She could smell his perfume, and she had the distinct feeling of being held.

She felt her tears dry up, and a renewed strength within. Her daughter called her while she was in the cab. “Mom, I miss him.” And as she consoled her daughter, she heard a voice in her heart which said. “I left you behind for her my dear, and I miss you too”


Epilogue:
My uncle passed away this day last year due to a sudden heart attack, and I have countless memories of him, his laughter, and his ever helpful ways. He was just short of his 60th birthday. His smile was infectious, and he had love in his heart for everyone. Rarely seen angry, he was the epitome of positivity. An IIT Mumbai alumnus, he was not just brainy but extremely business savvy as well. I hadn’t spoken to him for a long time before he passed away. I kept thinking I would do it, and the day never came. I still regret that. So this one’s for you Raju Kaka. You are remembered and truly missed. And for Baby Atya and Aparna, remember that he’s watching over both you and is extremely proud!