August Glimmers

“But I can see us lost in the memory
August slipped away into a moment in time
'Cause it was never mine”

What a month I’ve had! Huge! 

I wanted to document some Glimmers of Gratitude from this month…

Daughter turned 16 @ Live. Laugh. Lolla(palooza).

Closed a chapter when our home sold!

Said goodbye to the 9-5 corporate world….

Celebrated Rakshabandhan with family (and got a fab fab gift from my sister 😘)

Celebrated Nephew birthdays and made so many precious memories!

Experienced magical sunsets from our new backyard 🌄

Signed up for Hyrox Chicago 2027 with my besties 👯 💪

Kids began a new school year - my second one as an only parent 🥹

Visited a bath house for the first time 🧘🏽‍♀️

Continued my weekly farmers market tradition 🌱

And somewhere along the way, I’ve started writing/blogging again ✍️❤️

Reactions to “I’m unemployed”

I’ve had a terrific 3 day weekend emotionally and mentally. So it feels like a good time to pen down my thoughts on how people reacted to “hey, I’m unemployed now” news!!

I’ve been having a really hard time every single Sunday evening - I feel depressed, anxious, just not happy. It spills over to Monday morning, and it takes a lot out of me to feel better. Today, I did not abandon self care. I proactively scheduled a walk with a casual acquaintance post dinner, and it worked out SO well. She lives close by, has kids the same age as mine, works at my old company, and loves to walk - could not ask for more! AND - she promised to walk with me, rain or shine, whenever I need company — BINGO!

Coming back to the topic - I’m still accepting that I don’t have a corporate job anymore after almost 26 years of working at the same company. It’s helping that I have a lot on my plate to manage daily, along with some long pending items to take care of as well. I’ve barely had any down time so far. Yet, mentally, I will admit that it’s been a struggle to accept the loss of my professional identity. 

Whenever I share this news with anyone, I’ve observed that I tend to get defensive. I don’t need to. And I’m learning not to. I’m also sensitive to negative reactions, although it shouldn’t matter to me one bit how others perceive this information. 

The reactions have varied from hilarious to downright unbelievable. 

Here are some of them::

:: The funniest one (from my nephew) — “maasi, listen: don’t worry about money. Just put it on your card. One day you will die. The next generation will take care of your debt.” 🤣

I asked him how? He says: “I’m sure one of them will win a lottery and it will all work out” LOL!! God bless this kid!

:: The worried one (from my parents) — how will you manage? Will you be ok? Do you want us to come and help? When will you find another job? They’ve been fairly quiet but I know they are worried. In spite of me telling them they need not be. But parents are being parents - what else can I say?

:: The reassuring one (from my financial advisor) — “next year this time you will tell me that this was the best thing to happen to you” - oh how I wish this comes true 🥹

:: The annoying one (from an undergrad friend) - the only question this person asked me over text when I shared that my corporate career was ending after almost 26 years was: “what about health insurance?”. And I answered that. And then this person left the conversation and ghosted me. I’m still not over it honestly….I’m appalled 😱 

:: Girlfriends (various) - most of my close girlfriends are relieved. One has taken a half day off tomorrow to hike with me. Another came over on a Thursday evening a few days ago and brought me dinner. One took me for the bath house date. Another has a lunch scheduled with me for Friday. They will make time for me, on an ongoing basis, I’m sure of that. 

:: My inner circle ⭕️ - these are the folks who have held my hand and my heart through and through this entire time. They are just so supportive, my boots on the ground folks - and have been doing whatever I need, whenever I need, on a daily basis. Infinite gratitude for their love and support ❤️

:: My children - My son keeps saying he has a lot of unemployed jokes that he wants to share with me. But hasn’t done that yet. I think they are loving my extra bandwidth, but it’s only the beginning. I’m finding myself to be much more present and regulated, especially in the morning and evening time with them. 

There are also friends who have chosen to keep a distance. Some are local & had replied to my email or called me to say they will come see me soon, but haven’t shown up yet. The one thing I’ve learnt to accept in this new normal is to be prepared for such behavior. 

I keep saying “I’m unemployed”. Eventually I’ll stop saying that.

What would you say to me? 

Keeping me company 🌖🌔

 

I’ve had a whirlwind 2 days - felt as if I’ve lived 10 different lives. 

And as I drove home tonight from my sister’s house, I saw the most spectacular rising blood moon. 

I couldn’t believe it was real at first. I asked my daughter to snap a couple photos from our moving car on the freeway. 

I couldn’t see the lunar eclipse that happened on the 27th of August - we had cloudy skies and I couldn’t stay up late that day for a potential clear window.

This view today more than made up for it.

The kids fell asleep right after the moon rise, but it was glowing bright all the way home, keeping me company 🌖🌔

The SKY on 🔥

Yesterday….my backyard…..

Last Thursday of August!!

May September brings us softer mornings, 

good news,

answered prayers, 

quiet healing, 

the courage to let go, 

and the kind of happiness that doesn't ask us to abandon ourselves 😇

PS:: I couldn’t get enough of the MARVELOUS sunset from my backyard last night. The kids were mesmerized too 🥹

Maldives 🇲🇻 — More than a bucket list

 

{Archived post from July 2026}

This morning was our last morning in the Maldives.

It was gray and windy.

The sea wasn’t the brilliant turquoise from the last few days. The waves kept crashing into the shore, one after another, without pause.

Standing there, I found myself thinking about how small we really are.

More than two-thirds of our planet is covered by water. Beneath the surface is an entire world filled with coral reefs, fish, sharks, whales, manta rays, turtles, and countless forms of life that existed long before us and will continue long after us.

Then my mind wandered even farther.

Our planet.

Our solar system.

Our galaxy.

Billions of galaxies beyond.

In the grand scale of the universe, one human life is unimaginably small.

And yet, one human being can leave an immeasurable imprint on the lives of the people who love them.

Sameer lived a deeply fulfilling 49 years.

His absence has felt so loud.

When he died, it felt as though my own world had stopped.

But the earth kept rotating.

The tides kept rising.

The waves kept crashing.

Life kept moving on.

⸻

I didn’t come to the Maldives expecting to find peace.

Honestly, I came because I was tired.

I needed a break.

I needed uninterrupted time with Rusham and Ruhi.

And I needed little pockets of solitude in between.

Looking back, I’m actually grateful that I didn’t have adult company.

My heart, my soul, and my mind craved this quiet.

⸻

As I look back on the last four days, I realized how many “firsts” we experienced together.

Our first seaplane ride.

Our first stay in a water villa.

Snorkeling with majestic manta rays.

Swimming alongside nurse sharks and stingrays.

Riding a jet ski over the open Indian Ocean in search of dolphins.

Our very first scuba dive.

Watching rainbow fish and flying fish from our villa while enjoying both sunrise and sunset every single day.

Watching the FIFA Club World Cup on a giant projector under the stars by the beach.

Our first family beach photoshoot.

Somewhere along the way, I stopped counting countries and started collecting experiences.

These weren’t just items checked off a bucket list.

They were moments of wonder.

Moments of courage.

Moments of laughter.

Moments my children and I will carry with us forever.

⸻

Standing by the ocean this morning, I realized something.

My problems haven’t become smaller.

My grief hasn’t disappeared.

Some relationships are still painful.

There are still things I wish were different.

But somehow, they have become smaller relative to everything else that exists.

The ocean has always reminded me how fragile life is, yet how vast the world around us remains.

That realization didn’t make my grief disappear.

It simply made me breathe a little easier.

⸻

Today, I feel peaceful.

Not perfectly peaceful.

Not completely healed.

But peaceful enough.

Do I wish some things in my life were different?

Absolutely.

Am I accepting things as they are?

Also yes.

I’ve realized those two truths can exist together.

⸻

As I leave the Maldives, I’m taking home far more than photographs.

I’m taking home memories of courage.

Three first-time scuba divers.

Countless laughs.

A few tears.

Long walks.

Quiet mornings.

Conversations with strangers.

Time with my children that I’ll treasure forever.

And perhaps…

A little more room in my soul to breathe.

Ironically, my favorite morning wasn’t the postcard-perfect one.

It was this gray, windy morning.

Because it felt honest.

The last fifteen months haven’t been constantly stormy.

They haven’t been constantly calm either.

Like the ocean, life has simply kept moving.

Wave after wave after wave.

And somehow…

I’ve kept moving too!!