Home Sweet Home

Home is where the heart is. 
Whom are we kidding?! Home is where the wifi connects automatically!

New age. New adage. But bottom line remains the same. Home is the best place in the world.

We are moving into our new home, soon. Our tenth residence move, since our marriage, to be precise. We are like the pros now! Right from changing the addresses on the mailing list to hiring the new support system to children’s entrance exams to discovering the grocery stores and salon – we have it all covered. The to-do list keeps upgrading, that’s all. Just like going up from two to three to four members, the number of cartons also just kept going up. We have, like, cracked the code, so to speak.

Earlier it was just the two of us. We were free to explore the new neighbourhood at our own pace. Buying household stuff as and when needed. Literally. I clearly remember our first house: we went to buy stuff required to make tea, and only tea. That included a trip to the grocer and the utensils store. The next day we went to almost the same shops for buying a pressure cooker for the comfort food: rice and dal, and just the essential spices. The third day it was a step ahead to get stuff for chapatis. We got potato, too. Only potato. Our folks back in our hometowns were in shock. They survived it. So did we. And how!

Things are different now with the children around. Pre planning and lists are a must so that their routine doesn’t get disrupted. We all love lists, thankfully. In fact, we panic without lists. Our kids are equally enthusiastic this time around because our neighbourhood remains the same. So, no more leaving our friends behind. They have prepared their own transportation list for the move. They also have a chores chart, complete with a grading system, for after we move. Well, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Only a laptop with an Excel file is missing. God bless them. I just hope they don’t end up handing out the chores to us and start evaluating our performance. 

We actually spent two full days sorting their toys and books. Yup. Two days. They didn’t let us throw anything. Who knew how much these tiny raccoons could play us?! 

Well, the real ‘fun’ part is when you furnish or renovate your own place. The external factors that affect our peace of mind are the various teams that are ideally supposed to simplify our job, viz. Civil Work Squad, Painters’ Gang, Carpenters’ League, etc. They, in fact, leave us with very little of our piece of mind, by the time we are done with them. They are never on time. They always leave before time. The number of holidays they skim off makes you wonder if their job satisfaction level is more than ours! 

I can’t afford to forget the endless trips to ‘Timber Market’ and the like. We discovered that there is a totally different world out there. How ignorant we were till now! Plywood just sat there like a king, veneers and laminates in so many shades that it would put our make-up brands to shame; handles and hinges, textures and tiles, wares and wallpapers, essentials and electronics, mirrors and mattresses….. phew!

My husband and I make a good team, I must say. We have this unwritten policy of only one person ‘over-acting’ at a time. The other person is given enough opportunity at the next instance to react and create a scene. I am the other person, most of the time. We play fair, that way. That is the secret of harmony in our house.

Now, that you know our little secret, don’t get carried away. It is not always easy to throw your weight around. You know you want the subtle muave shade for the cushions, but dear husband insists on the in-your-face yellow colour. You can’t put your foot down always. You have to steer him away gently while making it look like muave was his idea always, in the first place. Takes a lot of talent, people.

We, sort of, stayed in our own territories most of the time. I have a say in the events of the house, like – Who gets which room? Which curtains should we buy?What should the colour scheme be? He has a say in the events of the outside world, like – Did Dhoni do the right thing by retiring when he did? Should RaGa stop entertaining us with his speeches? Will NaMo stay for another term? Fair play, as I mentioned earlier! 

Well, all said and done, we are almost there. The excitement is in the air. Making this city officially our own… now looking forward to making new memories, sweet and sour, in our new ‘Home Sweet Home’.

Just a parting thought: ‘Please leave your shoes and ego outside.’