Random joys of waking up at 5am

– 20mins: Reading in the cone of yellow light of a desk lamp; nothing and no one to interrupt this almost meditative moment.

– 30mins: Walking. Soaking up the warm sunshine and the cool, clean air.

– 15 mins: A ‘pre-breakfast’ smoothie/coconut water/juice. Unhurried relish. Watering plants. Extending the calm.

– 45 mins: Study/work on a project. Absolute stillness.

– 30 mins: A quick organisation overview . Pick up stuff, put in right place. 5 minute clean up. Check important mail. Schedule day. Pack lunch. Pack bag. Gather keys, socks, water bottles. Pray.

– 20 mins: Unhurried bath. With some music. And a scented candle. Think. Ruminate. Moisturise. Get dressed. Wear perfume.

– 15 mins: Eat a hearty breakfast. Slowly. Talk. Laugh

– 5 mins: Smile. Kiss. Hug. Step out to work.

Breakfast

Alternately flimsy and knobby, an amoeboid dosa splattered on the frying pan; with a little batter running down the ladle and crusting on my arm. Comic-strip sweat beads glistened on my forehead. Few of the dosas I could cradle in my palm, while others occupied the entire pan. Size notwithstanding, the aroma and the taste were familiar; making the whole effort worthwhile.

The batter was homemade.

The Dosa Batter
1 part brown rice, 1 part urad dal, 1 part moong dal, 1/2 part Chana dal, 1/2 part masoor dal, 2tbsp flaxseed powder, 1 tsp salt; soaked for a couple of hours, ground and fermented overnight. Served with onion and tomato chutney.

Also:

• Oiled my hair.
• Sharpened my pencils.
• Ate a spoonful of butter and died happy
• Watched clouds.
• Wore my favorite t-shirt; it features a typewriter.
• Read Optic Nerve for a while.
• Listened to songs from Studio Ghibli’s ‘My neighbor Totoro’