Summer revelations

It's summer... one of my favorite seasons of the year. The laughter and racket kids create in their backyard or while racing each other on bicycles signal pure joy. Everything around seems so alive! This is the vibe I love.  

Yet, these 3 months go by so fast. Look, we're already in the last few weeks of summer, trying to trap as much of the sun and fun as we can before fall dawns upon us. 

With half of the Ullas' gone to India, this summer has been a different one for us. While Ana has had a very exciting 4-week holiday in the Incredible India, I have desperately tried to make summer interesting for Samara. Thank God, we are finally down to the last week of separation. 

I sit on my beautiful yellow table, sipping on a refreshing iced tea, looking back at the summer that has gone by. The combination of heat from the scorching sun and chill from the drink sets off a cascade of introspective thoughts. I think of my two girls... 

My Ana - my kindred spirit!

Ana is no more the baby who tugged on my dress for attention. When I see her in my mind's eye, I see a young lady with lot of grace, empathy, love and a touch of the Gen alpha vibe! She cracks me up with her witty sense of humor. She also keeps me grounded when the 'Alpha vibe' overpowers the rest of her. 

Although she's miles away, she's constantly keeping in touch and this time, for the first time, on a one-to-one basis - she's got a temporary phone with WhatsApp where she messages me. And boy does it feel good to read her messages! Of course I need to read each of them at least three times to understand, because Gen alpha's don't believe in punctuation and innocent words like 'cooked' or 'cooking' do not have any connection with the kitchen. I know the sentence has ended because there is a 'bro' or 'bruh' at the end of it. 

Anyways, when I have finally read and understood all that she's trying to say, I have a smile plastered on my face. And there are little happy butterflies dancing in my tummy - the kinds I felt when I had a good chat with my girl friends back in college. This got me thinking that my little missy is slowly and steadily becoming my kindred spirit. I know we will have times when she'll hate me (for no particular reason - it's what all daughters do to their moms), but there will be a time that follows where we will talk... a lot... about random topics; we will laugh together, cry together and wait to tell each other our stories. Can't wait to be her BFF! 

My Samara - my alter ego!

Coming to Samara... If you know her, you will know she is from a whole different universe! She is already so confident and sure of herself that there is little room for me to intervene (I guess). 

My interactions with Samara always leaves me perplexed. She has the innocence of a child, yet a sort of depth I fail to understand. There is nothing random about her. And when I look at her in my mind's eye I see someone who will constantly teach me to look beyond myself. I strongly believe that she will become the official 'MOM' of the house. The rest of us Ullas' will go to her for solutions and a few life lessons! I can't wait for her to grow into my most promising feisty alter ego in all the right senses of the world!

Alright! So, these are the thoughts that have been brewing in my solitude. I'm pleasantly surprised how this 'Summer of 2025' has turned out to be a time of revelation for me! I am sooooooo glad to be the lucky mom of these two beautiful girls. I wouldn't ever want my world in any other way.