Of Lockdown Challenges, Of Being Me..

#sareespeak

#womenofsareespeak

#cotton

#SS/20/100/2020

Still in lockdown.
Lots of decisions. Running out of milk. Do we get milk when we go for a walk? Shall we shop together as there is a fairly long grocery list? Do we go to A as it’s smaller, easier to shop at or do we go to B as there are gales, cold blasts, probably rain expected and there is underground parking?
First world problems. Set that aside and move onto

Easter. A Four day break.
Great to reach out and send a text or make a call to anyone and everyone just to say Blessed Easter.
Eve of Good Friday, prepped lunch then the half went for a walk with me, his better half. (It feels so good to word it this way, small thrills as a result of a stay-at-home-overfried brain). The autumn landscape a stark contrast against cloudless blue skies and green grass. Lots of stepping aside, keeping our distance when seeing other fellow strollers or cyclists. Quick waves, hellos.
We have decided on some lockdown challenges, the two of us, a sprightly middle aged couple.
His challenge, well, I challenged him – to not shave until end of lockdown,
And mine, I challenged me – to not dye my hair until end of lockdown.
(I did say sometime way before lockdown, that I wanted to try the graying look, the only response I got from him was that he’d have to stop dying his hair too. It was probably a sweet gesture on his part, but more likely stemming from vanity).

Had a class on the evening of Good Friday.
I looked for a white saree in line with this month’s theme, pulled out a gorgeous creamy white, heavy, Benarasi silk with rust borders and pallu. Gifted by mum 20+ years ago. Pulled out the blouse, succedeed in getting it through the arms, but it wouldn’t button up past the fourth hook. Pulled it off. Looked through blouse basket for a matching blouse. Got a simple khadi cotton grey and cream striped blouse. In a crumpled mess. Ironed it, put it on, only to find, it was the most mismatched mismatch of all mismatches, against the Creamy silk saree.
So I dug out this starchy brown cotton. Draped it hurriedly as my class was on in 10 minutes. At that point, mismatches didn’t bother me.

Class over, calm, collected me asked a daughter to take a shot.
Daughter 1 didn’t want to leave her yellow room and took some horrible shots against her open cupboard and stuffed toys on the floor.
Daughter 2 took a quick shot against some further mismatched cushions in my family room, all the while chiding me for
a. Not dying my hair
b. Wearing a mismatched blouse
c. For not pleating lower pleats neatly.
Told her off, and decided to rant about defiance in this post.
But left it too long, so defiance has worn off.

Or maybe not really.
If I want to drape a saree, wear a blouse, be reasonably well presented, get a picture clicked and post this with my thoughts on Saree Speak, I shall.
If I choose to not colour my hair, so be it.
If I decide to wear a grey and cream with a brown and brick red rust orange or what-not, I shall.
If I don’t accessorise or wear make up,that’s fine too.
Why?
Because I am comfortable in my own skin,
I kind of like who I am,
and if I like me,
It would make me a better person, I think,
And you would probably like me too.
So that’s my defiant rant of the day.

And this is the photo from the shoot that caused the rant. Featured saree was gifted by a dear friend, decades ago. The top is khaki brown and it runs into an orangey rust bottom, with zigzag and korvai borders, and to ease the khakhi merging into the rust, there is a korvai bordered separation of orange, maroon,olive green, brick red stripes.
Appropriately Mismatched with the following
a. Cream and grey cotton blouse
b. Not-sure-if-I-have-on lipstick
c. In-its-natural-state hair.
Stay blessed and safe, be kind, have a beautiful Easter of loving and giving.

Oh yes, and I’ve added a Black and White shot too just to get in on the theme.