Although you are aware that a sprout springs and grows, it never seem to do it while it is under your watchful eye. But there are times it appears to me I almost can tell when a child is growing through an intense activity as if he/she is making connections in brain as you watch them.
I notice these intense moments usually lasting between 30 minutes and an hour where the child is alive, intensely alive, more than normal. It seemed to occur in a circumstance of growth: Needs set aside as in hunger, Days deliberations washed out as in after a shower, Weather willing as in a cool comfortable room, a sense of rest in sight, a sense of security and peace, and no where to extend for the night.
Yesterday evening was one such.
Kavitha had an assignment to complete chapters 3 through 6 of the book. Ann brought her earlier in the week a combo DVD that came with a DVD and a book. Kavitha also brought the same book home from the 3rd grade teacher. She is still intent on carrying the two same books around. I suppose typical of a woman. (sorry, as I am sure I would offend an otherwise the finer specimen of our species)
4 year old Narayan decides to read the book as well. He will have none of me or Kavitha reading it to him. He proceeds with page 1 and describes the pig the spider along with the salutations. He describes how a spider is a good thing and how he would keep it as a pet. Then he declares he is on page 15. A good 10 minutes of sweetest drivel I had ever heard.
He wins the race with his sister as he finished the book far before her and content that the slow poke sister is still reading and she is only on page 1, he moves over to put the DVD in the DVD plyer. Having satisfactory arranged necessary electronics, the DVD player, the sony receiver, and the high definition Mitsubishi TV, he comes back and sits by his sister on the Sofa and patiently waits for her to finish the race and join him to watch the movie. The patience lasts for a few seconds and he decides to move his limbs and exercise.
He bends backwards with his legs on the sofa and his head on the floor. He does a number of situps. He comes over to me after a number of these and folds his shirt up, flexes his hand muscles and proudly declares me to feel the fruits of his upside down situps.
All hair does not need the necessary company of a gel. And Narayans hair is not one of those. But he insists on some mornings that he wants to be handsome, smell well, and look swell in all. His hair styles vary: Mohawk, spikey, like-you-do. Having arranged his hair along one of these lines, he would use cologne under his ears, on his wrists, then checks his shirt, pants and shooes and weighs himself well in the mirror.
He comes over opens his mouth wide right in my face and wonders if he smells good.
The last ritual is how he determines how handsome he is: essentially how well he smells through his mouth.
Well why not, under a predicament, has Yasoda not found the Universe realized in young Krishna's opened mouth.
Vasudeva sutam devam; Kamsa chanoora mardanam; Devaki Paramanandam; Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum!!
Infant of Vasudeva, yet the Lord of Creation, Destroyer of the demons Bliss of Yasoda, your Mother, I bow to you, Krishna, the Guide to all there is