It’s party time

Last week has been crazy busy. Alan, one of Amit’s ex-colleague graduated from MBA program and so we attended his graduation party. I love graduation parties. There is so much hard work put in by most grads and it’s very satisfying and fulfilling to see them and their significant others in happy mood. Alan’s kids were especially happy as now they will get more free time from their papa . Julia, Alan’s better half is an amazing woman. She is a home maker and does it with pride and extra confidence. I love that. Julia is also very active in local volunteer group that does advocacy for gay/lesbian rights and awareness about sexual minorities. She had organized a great party and has invited lots of her friends. I have to admit when I started seeing the guests arriving I kept thinking, oh well, this is going to be one of those another parties where straight married people talk about their kids, their ‘straight’ life and the usual ‘married with kids’ dialogues. I have been to many such parties where if you are not married and with kids, you better have excellent communication skills and an ultra ego to hold your feet strong. But how wrong I was! We had an amazing time. We happened to meet these two extraordinary ladies who were interested in talking on topics like Indian culture, abortion, homosexuality, raising pets, American weddings and growing up in Midwest. Now, that’s what I call a complete conversation. Honestly, I suffocate when I am surrounded by very typical traditionalist type conversations where you can see their world is so narrow. But talking to these ladies, I felt it was very honest, heart to heart and healthy conversation. I admire these home makers. These are the ladies (and in some cases men), who are the real backbone and foundation of their family. They are the ones who act as a glue to keep every member of their family together. And they do it with smile and pride. They have this innate quest for more knowledge about everything in life. In our ‘corporate success’ obsessed culture these home makers are breath of fresh air. They hardly get credit or recognition for the amazing work they do but of course they do it irrespective of that. I often find, women (and men) like these are extremely intelligent, humble and know what they are talking about. You will find them without any pretense and they will be the first one to admit that they are not perfect in every sense. Can we have more of such personalities please? :)

Amit and I have been getting ready for my parents who arrive here next Sunday. Currently they are on a Europe tour and are having smashing time. During last week, they celebrated their 35th marriage anniversary in Switzerland. Sheetal (my sis) and I were extremely happy about that moment. We have come a long way from living in a humble 200 sq. feet home with bare essentials to wear and eat to where we are today. Our parent’s hard work and strong belief in good deeds and education is what made us who we are today. Thanks aai-baba (mom and dad) for everything and congrats for making 35 years of life together. I am sure life was not always rosy for you and you had ups and downs in your relationships but main thing is you believed in each other and made it this far together. It is a great milestone and it is something that we will work to achieve in our personal relationships.

It’s Indianapolis Pride today. So Amit and I are getting ready for the Pride parade. I feel so proud to represent my company and walk in the parade with my company’s float. Happy Pride everyone.