Observations
It's only day two of the pat leave.
A few observations:
- You pay attention to ordinary moments more as you don't have work to attend to.
- Slack is as much a social media app as Twitter and Instagram. It maybe is more addictive. It gives a false impression that you are busy and doing meaningful work. All you are doing is talking and responding to questions being asked by your peers at work. If your job is only doing just that, then you are okay, but since most of us are paid for other work, it's doing more harm than good.
- You can experiment with workouts. Today I tried cycling because I could. I did not have to worry about logging in at 11. You have the mental space to pay attention to life.
- I've been thinking of Appa more and figuring out if I could have done more to save him. I wished he was here to attend this naming ceremony. I expect to see him someday in some capacity. It will be scary if it happens, but it will be interesting if the universe can do some magic for a few moments.
- I also realised how bad I could be at maintaining friendships. You tend to ignore these aspects of life when work takes priority.
I've something to look forward to this week, so I am occupied and have something to do daily. It will get more interesting once the naming ceremony is done, and then you have to figure out how you want to spend time.
I am spending more time with Gubbi. I am helping Preeti in managing Gubbi. Today I helped her set up the wardrobe that stores all Gubbi's clothes. Felt valuable to give meaningful ideas. I am exposed to Gubbi's ebbs and flows more now. You never know why she is crying. She cries when she is hungry or sleepy. However, now we see her cry when she is unwell and has issues with her stomach or difficulty breathing.
We have been shopping every day for the last few days. I wonder why we invented the concept of a return gift. We are spending a sizeable amount to procure return gifts because it's a ritual that cannot be banished.
It's interesting to meet many salespeople in these retail shops who must get to iterate their sales pitch daily. Some of them are very good, and it shows how they can identify customers who are most likely to make the purchase. They use conviction in their language and persuade the customers who are on the fence. They also require incredible patience because not all customers are quick to choose. They have to exercise restraint in handling demanding customers without showing them signs of desperation or irritation.
You tend to meet a few master salesmen and are in awe of their skills. Still, most are ordinary and do the job because they didn't find anything better. These big retail shops in South India employ many people who are not busy throughout the day. During the festive and discount season, they have their hands full, but most of the day, they have to sit idle and wait for customers.