2 April 2013. 6:27 AM. "Learn to take"

I came back home early-ish yesterday. And after waking you up, changing your diaper and making your milk, we sat outside in the living room with your toys surrounding us like a wall. There was no way into our little enclosed world of fun. And for that half an hour, there was no way out.

I was eating this snack from a bowl - murruku. And like I usually do, I placed the bowl between us, so you and me could share. That's how it generally works. Only this time around, things turned out a little different.

You took each piece of murruku in your tiny hand and extended your hand towards my mouth. And then you proceeded to feed me. And not once, or twice mind you. You finished when the bowl was over.

It was cute at first. A daughter feeding her father. But then I got thinking. So Mimi, listen up. It's time for Another Boring Sermon from Dad. 

We live in a strange world princess. It's a world where everyone's out to take, take, take. One palm open in front with fingers twitching for more, and one palm open under the table. Everyone takes - politicians, businessmen, family members, friends. Which itself is fine, as long as the takes are followed by one or two gives.

But gives, there are none. Nobody's willing to extend any help, to pick you up when you're down, to loan you some money, to cook a dinner for you which isn't followed by some ulterior motives. I'm sorry if your dad sounds like a pessimistic fool, but unfortunately that's the way it is.

The world needs people like you again Mimi. People who are unselfish, unpolluted, uncorrupted. The world needs goodness of heart, not millions of hard hearted brutes. It needs people who trust blindly, who make friends with a stranger without an ulterior motive. The world needs good people like you.

And as you grow up, I want you to stay how you are. I want you to keep giving. Most of the time, you won't get anything back. You'll get hurt, you may cry. The boy you love with all your heart may go out with another girl. But don't let that change you.

Because here's the thing. The world, its people need to change. It needs more love, less hate. More trust, less suspicion. More laughter, less fights. More peace, less wars. More brotherhood, less racism. More give, and less take.

My sweetest little Mimi, you could be that person to bring about that change.
I love you.


Bookmark the permalink. RSS feed for this post.

10 Responses to 2 April 2013. 6:27 AM. "Learn to take"

  1. Sorry bt don't teach her blind trust... It gets broken definitely n then u r left broken.. Sad as it may sound, bt those who do break d trust however seem to b enjoying in oblivion while u who trusted blindly are constantly reminded of ur foolishness.
    It is a bad world, just getting worse each day..

    ReplyDelete
  2. I so wait for your blogs..
    You are a great dad :)
    Even my name is Mimi..and everytime i read your blogs..i feel as if my daddy is telling me ..
    As of now,i am staying away from my parents..(higher studies,you know..it sucks )...so yes,your writeups indeed cheers me up.

    Keep writing.:)
    Thankyou
    Mimi.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello there Mimisha (Mimi)
    Thank you so much. It's nice to know you relate to this, that's what every writer hopes for. It's hard staying away from parents. Which city are you in now?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hail from West bengal...presently staying in Delhi..
      Studying in Delhi University., :)

      Delete
  4. If you get too lonely, you should come over sometime. Could get to meet our Mimi. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sure, would love too. :)
    I told my daddy abt baby Mimi...he was like ...dekh li..aar o mimi aache...world e..considering the fact ..'mimi' name is so rare..

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dear Mimi's father,

    It's an absolute joy to read your posts and boy, am I glad to have stumbled upon them!
    Thank you very much!

    Reading this I felt a resonance with Gibran's words on 'Giving' in 'The Prophet'.

    As a parent, one often faces the challenge of what we would like to transfer to our links to future. I am glad , very glad that there are parents like you who transfer righteousness despite the fact that we are but human ( and hence are prone to err).

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank you very much for your kind words Aadarsh. I'm glad you enjoyed reading them. I keep writing every now and then, so come back soon.
    As a parent, I don't really have anything to give my daughter. I'm not very knowledgeable, I have no money to speak of, no palatial house. All I do have are these little things I wish I could speak to her about now. Unfortunately, she'll all but a year and a half old. So will have to wait till she grows up!

    ReplyDelete
  8. My dad has a diary fullof poems that he’d written when I was a toddler. One of the poems talks about how proud I made him when I took those little steps for the first time. This blog reminds me of my dad’s diary. Thank you 

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you for reading, and sharing the story about your dad. :-)

    ReplyDelete

Search

Swedish Greys - a WordPress theme from Nordic Themepark. Converted by LiteThemes.com.