Daily Rhythms, Family Fun, and Nervous System Harmony – 3

We are currently in London.  I am visiting my brother’s family. I have two nephews Ishaan (almost 3 years old) and Sanjay (6 months old).

My nephew, Ishaan, loves going to Hammersmith.  He enjoys going by bus to Hammersmith. While there are many buses that come near our house, only Hammersmith works for us because the Hammersmith bus stops right outside our house.  If we try going to the other bus stops, Ishaan makes us carry him so we usually go to Hammersmith.

When I go with my mom and Ishaan to Hammersmith, Ishaan asks for idlis as soon as we board the bus. He is hungry after school and looks forward to eating the idlis.  I enjoy making idlis for Ishaan.  My mother packs them and then we go to pick him up from daycare. He enjoys eating idlis when we board the bus. Now, he also likes pongal.

My nephew (Ishaan) asks for crepes everyday. Sometimes, we go to the crepe restaurant.  The first time we went to the crepe restaurant, Ishaan would not wait patiently. After that, he started liking crepes so much that he started waiting patiently.  We like to sit at a table near the window.  Ishaan watched buses and pigeons while waiting for the crepes.

Crepes are like dosas, but there are savory and sweet crepes. Ishaan likes fruit crepes with raspberries, strawberries, bananas, and oranges. Ishaan also asks for ice cream with crepes. So, we order both savory and sweet crepes. After eating the crepes, Ishaan and I go around chasing pigeons.

I go with Ishaan to Hammersmith almost everyday. Ishaan loves to chase pigeons like Aneesh (my brother) used to like chasing pigeons back in the 1990s when he was two years old.  Sometimes, there are only a few pigeons and sometimes, there are a lot of pigeons because people throw pieces of bread, so therefore pigeons come to eat them.  Ishaan loves the story Ramana thatha blowing on the milk for Nondi monkey.  So one day, Ishaan was blowing the bread crumbs on the pigeon just like the way Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi was feeding.

Regardless of what we do in Hammersmith, we have fun in Hammersmith.

September 14, 2024

Today, we went to Hammersmith with Ishaan at 11 AM. We usually go to Hammersmith in the evening, but today, we went in the morning. Today, we suddenly decided to go, so we did not prepare pongal or idly. We saw the bus coming and we had to run to the stop. I was running to the bus with Ishaan, and his cap fell off. My mother picked up the cap and we both dashed to the bus. As soon as we got on the bus, Ishaan asked for idlis. We told him, we did not have time to prepare for idli, but we will eat crepes. He was very hungry, so he said we will eat the crepes, and then see the pigeons. When we got down at Hammersmith, we went to the crepe place. We usually sit near the window, but today, somebody else was sitting there. So we got a different table. Ishaan sat quietly and waited for his crepe.  All of us enjoyed the crepes.

Then, we went on a number walk. We then went to see the building which has one and two written in a large size. On weekdays, we sometimes do not get time for the number walk, but we have done it a few times on weekends. After seeing that building, we walked around looking for more buildings and cars, and read the numbers on them. On the way back from the walk, Ishaan made us carry him. We walked back to the Hammersmith bus stop. We only had to wait for a few minutes. We then got on the bus and came back. On the way, Ishaan fell asleep.

As you can see, even though we have a pattern, each trip is somewhat different. We all enjoy going to Hammersmith. Once, I went with my other nephew, Sanjay to Hammersmith. However, usually, my mother, Ishaan, and I go to Hammersmith, and my father takes Sanjay to Hammersmith at a different time.

Daily Rhythms and Family Fun

In my previous blog post, I described my visit to Tiruvannamalai.  I mentioned how I include calming and energizing experiences in my daily rhythms.

https://specialsaathi.com/2024/09/11/tranquil-in-tiruvannamalai/

Hammersmith trips have also become a part of our daily rhythms.  Hammersmith trips are calming because there is a predictable flow to the trip.  Even though we started going to Hammersmith because of the bus stop, it is working well because it is a part of our routine.  At the same, it is fun because I spend time chasing pigeons and exploring Hammersmith with my nephew Ishaan.  Ordinary moments can be calming and enjoyable.

Author Ananth Raghunandan
Ananth is a 26 year old Bharatanatyam dancer and a Theater Arts for Holistic Development (TAHD) student ambassador.