Packed Lunches

Mimi's photoblog of lunches she packs for her school going kids had been inspirational for me when I first saw it. I pack J's lunch for her every morning, try to make it aesthetically pleasing but come nowhere close to Mimi. She is gifted. But the idea of packing a lunch that looks different each day, getting children excited about what they might discover in their lunch box is definitely worth emulating.

The act of preparing and packing a lunch for J, takes me back to my own childhood. I thought then that my mother had the perfect life, that I was at its epicenter and her universe revolved around me.

Most of those illusions were dispelled with time and maturity. I learnt how she overcame the challenges of her circumstances to preserve the illusion of harmony amid chaos and create things of beauty mainly using her imagination. I may not have always been the focal point of her existence like I thought but I was always abundantly loved.

There is to me a certain Zen about arranging baby carrots, grapes and broccoli and make it all look like a smiley face; just like a sand Mandala blown away, the ride on the school bus will undo your efforts completely.