Yet Untitled 060 - Growth Spurt

Part Photo Dump, Part Holiday Dispatch, All Age-Anxiety

Dearest Yet Untitler,

I stole a little holiday with my family. The last time we were at the place we visited, my children were in a stroller. Coming back here made me realise how fast they’re growing.

At one level, this change disconcerts me - fills me with a hollow suggesting that with it I’m losing something; leaving something behind. On the other hand, it makes me stare in awe at this awesome movement of life - growth.

Welcome back, dearest Yet Untitler. Today, I’m sending you a photo-heavy instalment soaked in the theme of growth, because as I walked around with a relaxed mind on my holiday, taking pictures of friends met in person after the lockdown years, I realised that my kids aren’t the only ones who are growing. So am I. So are my friends. So is my family. So are our relationships.

Daisaku Ikeda speaks about growth in nature being imperceptible if you try to clock it each day, but more than apparent if you observe nature over longer periods of time. I photographed a lot of trees on this holiday, capturing them only in their preset moment of growth. They too, like me, are growing - but they don’t seem too bothered by this.

Perhaps I needed to draw a lesson from these lovely trees.

Nature grows towards the sun, its most fundamental source of influence.

What are Ananya and Aahana growing towards? I think through some of the things that influence them; about the predominant culture of their times - and I’m not comforted. But then I see them around some of the great people we meet on this trip. and I am comforted. I just have to keep putting them around these people, and their growth will be in the direction of the sun. I must trust this.

How well am I growing?

While we didn't discuss this explicitly, a few hours among the people I’m growing with told me a lot. They’re watching me. I’m watching them. It was clear that we gave each other two thumbs up all around!

So what if it was after a lot of alcohol? In vino veritas!

What am I growing towards?

I met someone who I had only known in the two dimensions of a computer screen for the past few years. We used this trip to manifest in 3D for each other! Paul helped me pick a direction for my growth. I saw in him a confidence, a conviction and a genuinity that I want to imbibe and never lose. I thought about this as I took his picture right after he had taken mine.

When Ananya’s and Aahana’s hair grows, they flick it back so fashionably that it makes me shudder about their next stage of growth. But man, is it something amazing to see or what?

Could they have done this when they were younger?

Go on. Ask them!

Thanks for listening!

Lots of love

V

PS. There’s another aspect of growth I want to mention - YU is 60 today!

I noticed that I’ve started storyboarding my instalments in my notebooks quite clearly before I start typing! I’ve come a long way from the floundering instalment writer I was when I started, and I have you to thank dearest YUer!

Go on, drop me a comment!