My ‘non-happening’ way of life

For almost four years of my life, evenings meant nothing to me. Literally. They were just about languishing in a morbid office surrounded by gloomy pieces of news and the clock ticking away towards a deadline. I would hear friends discuss evening plans and family lament my absence for social dos. I would quietly resign to my fate (or rather my profession).

Now, one child and a change of profession later I have access to a bunch of evenings.

From Mondays through Fridays, they involve finishing work and rushing home to get busy with the sons’ chores. The mind is occupied with whether I get to catch the bus on time, whether I manage to get off the several signals on the way and whether the roads aren’t too crowded.

Yes, I work in a ‘9 to 5 job’ (okay 9.30 to 6.30) – a term many my age look down upon as boring, non-happening and non adventurous. There was a time when I was one of them. When did I change?

Well, the answer is I haven’t really. It’s just the situations around me that have perhaps changed. I have just learnt to adapt to them. For four years, when I had only one life to look after (obviously my own), I had my way. Waking up at 10, lounging around, walking into office not before 4 and sleeping late, mine was surely a nocturnal life.

But now, life is different and let me say it’s nice. Waking up early to hear the birds chirping, to see the family scurrying around for morning chores, to rush to work when the whole world does and to return with it, to be able to make plans for evening social dos if need be and most importantly to be with people I so want to be with.

I never knew living the ‘non-happening’ way could be so much fun.