Sunsets and Me.

Sunsets and Me.

My parental house is in the old part of the city. An ancestral place where two previous generations before my father and uncle had lived and flourished. It was an independent home, not very lavish but spacious enough for us kids to play hopscotch, hide and seek and run around as little kids in the courtyard. A place bustling with people. Relatives and extended family who frequently visited. For me, it's a memory of a home full of happiness and sunshine.

Yes, sunshine, literally. The house stood west-facing and was right opposite a lake, and every evening, I had a picturesque view of the sunset. Not that I took a chance and appreciated the ubiquitous sunset; mostly, I didn't. I was too busy to even notice it most of the days. In the scorching summers, late afternoons brought heat and glare directly into the rooms of the westward-facing home, and the onset of monsoons would mean the intrusion of insects and mosquitoes into our lake-facing home. The winter afternoons/ early evenings were beautiful. My grandmother would bask in the afternoon sun when the insides were cold and it was warmer outside; I would hover around her while she read or sometimes regaled me with her talks. The family would join in at other times, and a chitchat ensued, especially on Sundays. And then there are flashes in my mind of late evenings when the whole place was kissed by the setting sun and enveloped into a golden hue. It looked magical.

So, you could either love or hate it, ignore it, hide from it or embrace it; irrespective, the sun would come each day to bid farewell until the next day. Steadfast and Omnipresent.

 It has been more than 2 decades now since I left that home. So much has changed since then. People who were an integral part of my life departed too early. The house itself seems unfamiliar, having undergone several changes. Yet, every time I watch the sunset from that home, I fall in love with that view a little bit more. It transports me to the simpler times, those carefree days. Glimpses of moments long gone by flash before my eyes, and tears well up, but they are happy tears. They are tears of gratitude. In those moments, I think of the love and blessings this home showered on their little girl and will continue to do so eternally. In times when I lose faith, this thought is highly reassuring and comforting. Much like those everlasting memories of the sun-kissed days.

#unauditedthoughts