A rare evening with Isha

One evening last week was a very special and rare one. I was being chatty and Isha came up to me and said ‘Sshhh... Be quiet’. Though I always love to be reminded to quieten down, to watch my breath, I got almost startled this time because it was Isha who came and told me that. The kid who, I’d thought, never knew what it was to be quiet or still for even a few seconds at a stretch! I whispered ‘Ok!’ For the next three hours, Isha was quiet and slow and spoke to me in whispers whenever necessary. So, we - mother and daughter - spent together-time, but in silence. We went through her books, clothes and toys cupboards and sat with every piece and decided whether she wanted to keep it or give it to one of her little sister friends. She’d occasionally stop and try to catch the bird call. And every time I forgot about our ‘quiet’ deal and spoke aloud, she’d say ‘Sshhhh.... quiet’.

There was more to this. When I was hurriedly walking somewhere, Isha stopped me and whispered "See, there are a lot of small babies playing on the floor and some are sleeping. So, you need to watch where you're stepping. And walk softly." I agreed. So, we both spent three hours, not just in silence but also walking gingerly and mindfully.

Isha whispered that she was hungry and I prepared her dinner plate. She ate quietly without moving around much, quite a feat for her!  After some more quiet time watching the lizards catch and eat flies, she agreed to brush her teeth and get ready to go to bed. Then she just lay down beside me and fell asleep without a fuss.

Every day with Isha is different and special. Many days when I want to be quiet, it gets loud, intense and challenging. That day when I was energetic and noisy myself, ended up being quiet and easy. Every day is a lesson for me in receiving with openness and gratitude, whatever unfolds and flow with it! Like gently slipping into 'walking meditation' practice that evening!