A trip for the ages - with senior age parents


 


15th Dec 25

I have travelled the world.

But this was the most important trip of my life.

Trips like this remind me why I share these stories at all.
→ Not to build a brand.
→ Not to chase reach.
→ But because somewhere, someone scrolling might pause…
→  Call their parents, delay one meeting or choose presence over pace.

I am on a short trip with my parents.
Or maybe it’s long.
We don’t know yet.

→ No itinerary.
→ No meetings.
→ No laptop.
→ Just my parents and time.

→ For years, I have spent time in what my work expected to do.
→ Also, going out with friends and colleagues..
→ A small vacation with wife and daughter.

This time, I chose to invest time in my parents.
We packed only two things with certainty :
→ Their medicines
 → And bottles of filtered water.

We left at 7:40 am instead of 7.
My dad reminded me, repeatedly, on how I have never respected schedules.
I reminded him we weren’t catching a flight.
That debate alone was worth the trip.

We stopped at a modest Udupi joint for breakfast.
Filter coffee. Hot medu vada. Dosa.
Simple food. Perfect moment.

A temple visit brought calm to my dad.
Bordi beach brought hunger to all of us.
A rundown shack served one of the best meals we have had in years.

Daman followed.
Quiet lanes, Portuguese buildings, fresh seafood, slow walks by the sea.
Tomorrow?
Maybe Vapi. Maybe Surat. Maybe Ahmedabad.
Or maybe we just go home.

That’s the beauty of free and easy.
Especially when time is borrowed, not guaranteed.

We stopped at the Nira stalls, fruit vendors, spoke to farmers, laughed at small things.

I can’t explain how much this trip has meant to me.
Watching their joy.
Their curiosity.
Their enthusiasm & at this age.

Yes, they have their idiosyncrasies, given their age..
Yes, there’s patience involved.

But some relationships don’t need optimisation.
They need presence.

Because one day, the roads will still be there.
The beaches will still be there.
The coffee will still taste the same.
They may not.

And when that day comes, I want to remember that I chose time over everything else.
I wouldn’t trade this for anything.
Not now. Not ever. ❤️

If this resonated, hug your parents a little tighter tonight.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WHY RIP IS NOT THE CORRECT FORM OF CONDOLENCE TO A HINDU FAMILY

WHY RIP IS NOT THE CORRECT FORM OF CONDOLENCE TO A HINDU FAMILY R.I.P means Rest in Peace- In Christianity, this short epitaph signifies wishing rest and peace to someone who has died. Christians bury the dead ones and the soul rests in peace in that grave until the judgment day arrives. On the Judgment day, the Lord will decide who goes where- Heaven or Hell. They believe that on the Judgment day the dead will rise again. Until that time, the soul has to remain inside that coffin. Hence the blessing Rest In Peace (until the judgement day)  Now, Hinduism does not have any concept such as that of the rising of dead ones. Hinduism believes in reincarnation. It says that the cycle of birth and death are governed by the Karma of individuals. The deceased individual would take another birth based upon the Karma of this life. So there is no rest and hence, the concept of RIP is not valid in Hinduism. Hinduism believes in Moksha that is liberation- Liberation from the endless cycles of bi...
Read more
Image
  From rented bicycles to traffic jams Born in the 70s but really speaking, I grew up in the 80s. Back then, having a bicycle was rare. We rented them, by the hour. We paid a few Rupees paise (damn I lived in the age of paisa !!) 50 paise for the hour was it ?? Hop on and the moment your feet touched the pedals, you knew you were in a race against the clock. That thrill of pedalling like mad, not because you were fit or competitive but because your 60 minutes were ticking away ? Priceless. Fast-forward to today :  Nobody rents bicycles. Instead, everyone has at least two cars, three bikes and maybe even a scooter for the maid.  Yet, we still complain about “No Parking.” Zen irony, isn’t it? The more we accumulate, the more space we lose. Funny how abundance creates problems that scarcity never had. The roads we cycled on were narrow, sometimes barely wide enough for a bullock cart and a bus to squeeze past each other. But we managed. Today, the roads are six...
Read more
Image
  Friendship is easy when the drinks are flowing. The real test is when the bills arrive Your struggles have a way of filtering your contact list better than any app. There is this very strange thing about friendship. When life is good, when you are winning, earning, laughing, your phone never stops buzzing. Everyone wants a piece of your sunshine. Drinks flow, pictures click, promises are made. You think you have built your tribe. Then life does the unexpected. You lose your job, relationships fray or success slips through your fingers. That’s when the crowd thins. The people who called themselves friends suddenly find new priorities. The ones who said “Call anytime, let’s catch up” disappear like a flicker. No calls. No “What happened?”.  They don’t try to understand.  They just… disappear. Your struggle doesn’t suit their story. So, the real test isn’t in your best days. It’s when the lights go out. When failure knocks. When you are broke, sick or simply not ...
Read more