Let us keep our earth clean!

Life is more hectic when we hit middle age. This is the time our parents become older and our kids get into their teens. We need to be a balancing factor between them and act as a stabilising factor. Again we need to concentrate on our profession, career and other responsibilities. It is very challenging to keep going forward. This is a gentle excuse for keeping away from blogging.

In order to have a good family time, and some relaxation we go for long walks as a family during the weekend. We get some personal time with the kids and we use this time to share their feelings and experiences.

Yesterday, when we started walking we decided to count the litters strewn around by some morons of the society who do not care about anything on the earth and keep littering the public places. When I lived in Edinburgh, Scotland I was very much impressed by the way Edinburgh city council took care in keeping the city clean. The Edinburgh city council had a huge advertisement painted saying "Edinburgh's not an Ash tray". Once I saw this lorry, while going to work, I took my camera from my bag which I always carried and clicked the picture.

Many years before, when I was travelling along with my niece in a Taxi in Chennai, India, I threw a choclate wrapper without my conscience. Though my niece was very young, she asked me "Uncle, how can you do that? I did not expect a person like you to do that?". That is it. Her question hit me like a hammer on my head. From then I decided not even to throw a tiny bit of anything irresponsibly and litter. I have been keeping this up for many years until today, and I shall never do that as long as I have my sense in my remaining part of my life. On the contrary, I try to pick up the litter thrown by others at places and situations where it was possible. Once when I got into a tube in London, I noticed hundreds of notices lying on the floor in a compartment. While I picked them up sincerely, I could notice few of the passengers watching me. Once I finished picking, and kept them together to throw it in the bin, I saw only one passenger who did eye contact and smiled.

During our family walk, we decided to count on the litters. Within ten minutes of walking my son said that the count had crossed 100. I have clicked few of them. He said that he stopped one of his friend throwing an empty crisp packet on the road and showed his packet where he had put his own to be thrown into the nearest bin. His friend was impressed and did the same it seems.

Even at work and some hotel, I see notices displayed to avoid spitting the chewing gums on the urinals. But some morons, ignore these and still carry on their disgusting act.

If you happen to read this, and you do litter the earth, may I request you please to consider throwing it in the proper bin/recycle centre than littering our beautiful earth.

Yes, let us do our bit to keep the earth clean.

Wish you all a happy 'PONGAL'.

Note:- Pongal is a 'Farmers Festival' celebrated in Tamil Nadu, India.

Absent Mindedness

Life is hectic. I can keep adding 1001 excuses for my absence here. I want to start a begining today. I thought of publishing a picture that I took few weeks before during weekend walk. I shall write more about my walk in my future posts.

While I was busy capturing something else, I saw this sun glass left by someone. It reminded me about how we as human being tend to forget when our mind is occupied with something else. As soon as I saw the sunglass, my mind started thinking about the owner. If that person happened to be like me, definitely he/she may come back to the same place looking for the glass. I did not want to touch it. I left it hoping that the owner may come and take it.

Since this reminded me of some unfinished job, I clicked this picture. Whenever I keep seeing this picture it reminds me of absentmindedness.

From childhood I make it a point to keep account of the things I carry along with me. Once I missed a pair of Gloves, which I placed it in my coat pocket. Since the bus arrived I picked up my baggages and boarded the bus. After buying the ticket I realised that my hand gloves were missing. I knew that I was wearing until I reached the bus stop. I knew that it should have fallen from my coat pocket. So, I got down in the next stop, and walked back with all the baggages to the next bus stop. As I started nearing the bus stop, my heart was beating fast. I was sure that it will be there. Yes... they were lying there. Lucky pair of Gloves. This happened in Edinburgh last year.

My daughter returned from school last friday with a great disappointment. She called me and informed that she missed her new purse while coming back from school. I knew how she would have felt. She cried over the phone. After I reached home, I took her by walk to her school. Since street lights were on, it was not difficult to see inspite of darkness. We searched the entire road. We could not find her purse and I asked her to remember. She said that she wore her coat only after hearing the school bell. I said she must have dropped it or it should fallen from her coats when she hurried from school. She was not convinced.

Now, few hours before after I returned from work she came and hugged me and said that she got her purse back. Her teacher found it on the floor and had kept it safe. She was so happy since she had her lucky chain inside the purse. The chain is less than a pound and so the purse. It is not the money that matters for children. It is all about their possession. They do not like to lose their favourite possession.

She has gone to bed happily. Kids are a pleasure and for them it is a different world. I peeped into her bed. She is sleeping peacefully with her hands tightly holding the purse.