We went to Napa for a day with friends, short and sweet getaway. The words I chose to write about have the syllables of the word “NAPA” in some form or the other.

WiNe: The older it gets the better. So are friends , you know them longer, you know them better.

fAmily: It may not just be spouse, kids and relatives it could be the entire universe. In Sanskrit they say “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” . We may differ in our appearances , social status , caste, creed, language, occupation but underlying existence and awareness doesn’t change. A pot of clay is no different than clay itself. You can mould it into different shapes but the substance is the same. While we pose here as family which I am so thankful for, one thing I realized is when we put ourselves outdoors with a bunch of friends the bonding , the intimacy amplifies like some kind of progressive utopia you want to hold on to even when at home.

Presence: After being in lockdown for so long we were absorbing the details around like never before. What the eye craves for , the mind pictures it and the intellect imprints in memory. Even plain things like people swimming in the pool, families walking up and down the stairs, empty dishes outside the hotel rooms, drinking coffee in the cafe as the world hustles around become musings. I was savoring them glad to be in company of each other and every other being with the underpinning reality of the masks a veil in disguise of protection and separation.

Awe: One incident stuck out in our entire stay there. There was this beautiful sculpture very close to our hotel where I was eager to go. So the first time I went it was just with guys , no stops , less talk, one picture at the most, reached the destination and back to hotel in 10 minutes. Next I and my husband went up there early in the morning with another couple , sweet talk, fresh air, a mini photo shoot probably 5 stops , round trip was almost 20 minutes. The third time we went to the same destination with all families , chatting , laughing, video shooting, more lingering , came back in almost 45 minutes. The point is our destination may perhaps be the same but the grass you tread, the flowers you see, the detours you take, impacts the outcome .. when you reach there, the sky could be blue, gray or crimson looking downward on your journey but don’t you miss to look upwards and onwards.