Dear Piya,
As I begin writing this letter, I am very conscious of not titling it 'Your first day at school'.
Well, it is your first day at school today :)
But you have been in school for over 1.5 years, online that is (the new normal that COVID-19 asked of the world...long story...have shared it in bits before...so won't do it again.)
How does today mark your first day at school, then?!
It does because not only did you begin your 8am to 1pm, today, you also indulged in what I have believed to be a quintessential school-based experience : Taking the school bus!
Oh, how I absolutely LOVED my school-going days! I used to look forward to school majorly because it began with me & my friends riding the school bus.
~ The silly fight over the prized window seat or seat next to one's best friend
~ The curious enquiries around 'what did you get for lunch?'
~ The childish giggles over secretive whispers
~ The joy of looking at the city from a level above
~ The mirth of jumping up & down as the bus crossed a road-bump
~ The lost sleep as we went towards, as well as the tired yawns as we came back from, school...
If I were given a choice to relive one day of my life again, I would probably select a bus ride to my school (and then continue with the whole day in school going forward till the bus dropped me back home to the open arms of my parents who had missed me dearly!)
Yes, darling...I am missing you ❤️
Which is a mixed feeling because, honestly I have been roaring across town in wait of the day that would see you start your school in the proper sense - offline, in physical presence of your class.
I have dreamt of the 'me-time' this would come with and the luxury of sleep that I promised myself to enjoy starting the minute your bus left the stop!
Spoiler alert - I am awake, writing this letter to you; Not even close to laying down, let alone asleep!
That's because amidst all the pending work which I can now do with ease (you being at school & all...) the mind keeps wandering to what you must be doing right now.
Would you be playing out in the ground?
Would you be enjoying some hands-on art & craft?
Would you be giggling with your friends?
Would you be looking blankly at everything around, trying to make sense of this new world that has popped up around you, today?
Or would you, by any chance, be wondering what your old woman must be doing back home?
In this second, my one true regret is that telepathy is an art I never tried to learn...
So I take solace in letting my mind go back to the last visual memory I have of you from this morning -
As your school bus came to a halt at the stop, you climbed up and dashed straight to the first window seat in sight.
As the wheels of the bus started going round & round, your eyes shot out the window, preparing your mind for all the wonder that was about to unfold in your life.
I kept looking as the bus turned a corner and went out of my sight, towards a journey you will cherish for years to come.
I can't wait to hear all about the first day of it, as I come to pick you up at the bus stop today.
Till then, I let my mind wander...
Love,
Maa.
P.S. I think I will take a nap now...
