Lakshmi Iyer's Blog, page 64

The Savior Syndrome

I am on my way to drop my child at daycare, the trees that line the median and either side of the road are glowing in the morning sun. Russet, Auburn, Sun-burnt, Fiery. The adjectives spring to my mind even before I can comprehend them. The colors are breathtaking. I wish if only for a […]

Violence Against Women – Face to Face

I sit at my desk, an empty document staring at me, my mind churning with all that I have heard today. I am disturbed. I am emotional. I am helpless. I met a girl for the first time today. Somebody another friend introduced me to. She arrived in a silver SUV, her children smartly dressed in […]

Empathy, Not Discipline

It was the week before the 2016-17 school year began. The Friday before first day of school, I sat on a folding chair at the elementary school, a pink paisley purse by my side, watching the office manager answer the phone, jest around with the teachers and smile at me. I could hear the deep […]

Tis All About Me This Time

Two years ago, I turned in my badge, laptop and everything else that signified I had a corporate persona. I drove home feeling relieved. I spent the next one year physically tending to my children in an effort to validate my decision. I cooked (and still do) fresh most meals and did away with most […]

Of Light, Love and Joys

I walk quickly down the stairs, pausing only to switch the lights on in the basement. The house is unnaturally quiet. The kids are in bed and Saathi rocking Laddu to sleep. The LED string lights are almost invisible under the glare of the overhead recess fixtures. I look around. There are brown bags clustered on […]

The Spectacle That Is Death

I scroll through my twitter feed, aimless, bored. I hit the search button and key in #Jayalalithaa the results stream in reiterating the same things from the last time I searched about an hour ago. I am fascinated. I am obsessed. I am morbidly curious. In 1999, my Appa lay in the same hospital in […]

Imperfect Love

My hand shakes a bit as I shape the batter on the sizzling tawa resulting in an imperfect heart. I try to fix it and end up making it misshapen. I dot the edges with ghee and feel frustration overwhelm me. The clock reads 8:16 AM. Six minutes before the bus will trundle past my […]

Open Adoption – Reflections On The Journey

I sat at my desk browsing for gifts, ears keenly attuned to the sounds from the adjoining family room. I’d let my twins sit at their table, their art pads open and one single instruction. “Make a card and write a note in it for your mom’s birthday. All I ask is that you think […]