We always get up early in the mornings, musing over how boring and monotonous life has become, how very utterly predictable we are, and how peaceful life is ... I mean, really. For someone who hates risks and thinks twice before stepping out a comfort zone of sorts, risks are like, offering me a peanut-butter jelly sandwich along with my normal dosa, chutney and hot tea fare that I love on a very ordinary day. Why can't I have my way, or what I want, on a particular day? I don't like it! Blech! Why? Because it forces me to think 'out of the box', and take steps into zones I don't know or comprehend. It's like the masala coke I was forced to have, as part of a dare in college, or the sweet honey chaat which I absolutely, totally detest! :-P
Well, just this morning, I woke up grinning, thinking of last night and providence's crazy games. I've been a bit complacent about my weight and can see it piling on again, surely but steadily.(When it should've been the other way 'round. Sigh ...) Anyway, so coming to the adventure I had this morning.
I was talking to a friend and driving (using a handsfree headset, thank you), and all of a sudden, like, a C-grade Hindi movie, I literally felt like my steering wheel had been tugged right out of my hands (a la Bipasha Basu from 'Raaz'- ok, corny, chuck it), and the car just went into a spin of sorts ... Before I knew what was happening, all I could think of, was, "Ok, I'm skidding, and the steering's out of my hands and I have to stop it". My second thought was, "Shit, I'm going to hit someone and someone's going to get hurt!". Strangely, I never once thought I'd get hurt! My third thought as the car skidded completely out of control, and literally spin in side oblongs was, "I'm going to hit the apartment wall, and the car's going to get damaged". And oh! Did I mention I did a two tyre wheelie? Well I did ... A few seconds if not more. That's when I got a grip on the steering and veered towards the footpath which I could then see to my left (when the spinning world decided to slow down). Then a voice in my head, "When in a skid, hit the hand brakes", and that's exactly what I did, and to my relief, the car stopped. Perfectly aligned to the footpath and an inch away from it. I was blank. People came running and all I could think of was that my car had'nt been serviced properly and that there was an inherent problem with my brakes or my front right tyre.
Then I looked up just as a man came running to me, pulled my door open and asked me to step out. His next question had me stumped. "Which direction did you come from, Madam?". I did'nt know! I was blank ... It was a miracle that there was no traffic in front of, or behind me ... All I did was point in front of me and say, "There!". That was when I went "Whooooa" and realised I'd done a Jason Statham and a 360 degree spin on the road!
Before I could respond to anything or anyone else, a middle-aged dude in jogging tracks and a tee pulled me out of the car, made sit on the foot-path and pushed my head down between my knees and in a stern voice literally commanded me to "Stay down". I almost responded with a "Woof" then thought better of it. :P
Funny thing was, I only thought of my "valuables" (I'm sure we Indians coined this word), and feebly mentioned this when my car keys were pressed onto my palm and I was again asked to "Stay down". What, was this war? Bizarre thoughts ran through my head like a bullet, like way too many thoughts, ideas, concepts, theories all at once and I couldn't process even one, completely. Weird!
When I sat there, thinking of sinister ways of suing the Maruti Service centre for their carelessness in servicing my car, I heard two very loud "Thuds!", loud screeching of a heavy vehicle and lifted my head long enough to see two bikes skid across the road, throwing both riders off like two rebellious, belligerent horses, and a bus screeching away from them and scraping the side of the circle on the right side of the road. And of course, the poor first biker sat in the middle of the road, legs wide apart in front of him, looking dazed and lost. I'm sure I could've seen the tiny canaries flying around his head had I squinted hard enough. Funny it sounds but funny it was not, rest assured.
The othher biker wasn't so lucky and landed up with multiple injuries to his arm and leg when the bike fell and dragged him with it.
I can go the cliched way and say that the accident "changed me" and all of that hogwash. Well it did. To the extent that I value myself and my life (and my car!) a lot more and don't hesitate to say "No" to people I don't like, and to things that I don't want to do. It has made me a lot more aggressive and selfish in going after what I want and dismissing what I don't need and whom I don't want in my circle. I signed up for those music classes I'd really wanted to go for, for eons! gave myself more time at the gym, and recovered from work related and other personal shocks in a heartbeat. Because there's a fact I realised. You live, for yourself, your family and those closest to you. The ones who just come and go? Barely swish a shade of a colour in your life ... It's the ones who stay, who add hues and harmony to your life. But if your base colour should be black, white or red? That's something only you can dictate. :)
Before I could respond to anything or anyone else, a middle-aged dude in jogging tracks and a tee pulled me out of the car, made sit on the foot-path and pushed my head down between my knees and in a stern voice literally commanded me to "Stay down". I almost responded with a "Woof" then thought better of it. :P
Funny thing was, I only thought of my "valuables" (I'm sure we Indians coined this word), and feebly mentioned this when my car keys were pressed onto my palm and I was again asked to "Stay down". What, was this war? Bizarre thoughts ran through my head like a bullet, like way too many thoughts, ideas, concepts, theories all at once and I couldn't process even one, completely. Weird!
When I sat there, thinking of sinister ways of suing the Maruti Service centre for their carelessness in servicing my car, I heard two very loud "Thuds!", loud screeching of a heavy vehicle and lifted my head long enough to see two bikes skid across the road, throwing both riders off like two rebellious, belligerent horses, and a bus screeching away from them and scraping the side of the circle on the right side of the road. And of course, the poor first biker sat in the middle of the road, legs wide apart in front of him, looking dazed and lost. I'm sure I could've seen the tiny canaries flying around his head had I squinted hard enough. Funny it sounds but funny it was not, rest assured.
The othher biker wasn't so lucky and landed up with multiple injuries to his arm and leg when the bike fell and dragged him with it.
I can go the cliched way and say that the accident "changed me" and all of that hogwash. Well it did. To the extent that I value myself and my life (and my car!) a lot more and don't hesitate to say "No" to people I don't like, and to things that I don't want to do. It has made me a lot more aggressive and selfish in going after what I want and dismissing what I don't need and whom I don't want in my circle. I signed up for those music classes I'd really wanted to go for, for eons! gave myself more time at the gym, and recovered from work related and other personal shocks in a heartbeat. Because there's a fact I realised. You live, for yourself, your family and those closest to you. The ones who just come and go? Barely swish a shade of a colour in your life ... It's the ones who stay, who add hues and harmony to your life. But if your base colour should be black, white or red? That's something only you can dictate. :)
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