Breaking Bad | Flash Post 400

Button, I was in absolute bliss this morning.

Why?

Because I woke up after 10, feeling totally refreshed and in an excellent frame of mind. The acute migraine attack I had the previous day was gone and my morning cup of cappuccino tasted better than ever.

I am so happy for you.

Some habits we grow up with are often difficult to shed and we keep pursuing them till we suddenly wake up one morning and realise that there could be an alternative and perhaps a better one and all it needs is some tweaking.

Nah! I don’t get it.

Children are told that “early to bed and early to rise makes one healthy, wealthy and wise”. It’s taken me 3 score and 6 years to realise that no matter when I sleep, a good night’s rest lasting even 6 hours is all I need and timing is of least importance. Mothers must be telling their young ones to go to bed early and wake up early so they are up and ready for school in time.

What you are saying is that some of the habits ingrained in our young minds is a means to an end?

It’s like a bitter pill with a sugar coating to make us do the things we don’t like. Which child enjoys waking up at the crack of dawn, brushing her teeth, taking a cold shower, packing her school bag, drinking her glass of milk, getting into her school uniform and waiting at the street corner for the bus to pick her up at 7 so she can reach school on the dot of 7.30?

Which means that a young girl goes through this rigorous routine and goes through it again when she has children of her own. And who knows—maybe some of them, now grandmothers, wake up early to get her grandchildren ready for school. Imagine mothers who also hold jobs. It must be really tough.

And much worse for single mothers.

I am beginning to get it. Are there any more?

“A stitch in time saves nine” is the other one.

What’s that all about?

Elders put doubts into children’s minds that the best way to solve a problem is to solve it immediately or it could escalate to such levels that it could become insolvable. One fine day, I figured that if I pushed a problem away for the time being, it would most probably solve itself.

That’s wise.

Another one was “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”.

What’s not right about this one?

Again, I think mothers spout these lines to make their children eat fruit which is considered healthy. And an apple is the first fruit that comes to mind. Remember how we learnt our first alphabet: A is for apple? Here’s one more for you: “An early bird catches the worm.”

Meaning?

A person who arrives first is successful.

Is that so?

Not really. Wouldn’t it be better to watch others make the errors and learn from them?

What about dog habits? For instance walking them to keep them lean and mean? Or feeding them scraps?

Dost has a valid argument when he feeds our Labrador everything he eats. We have arguments almost everyday because I am against feeding her scraps as I feel she’ll add some extra kilos and he is all for it because he’s sure in his mind she is happy sharing his food. For him, the fact that she feels the love and being a part of the family is far more important than putting on some extra kilos. About the walking bit —since we’ve not been walking her because of the current situation, she’s actually become leaner and more active.

So much for habits.

I now tend to believe that habits hold us back. And the sooner we realise this, the better. As for me, the world suddenly seems like a huge playground—especially now, after COVID cleaned up the streets—where I can frolic and explore endless possibilities.

Just one last question: What exactly does breaking bad mean?

It means challenging certain norms.

18 Comments

pritam nadkarni June 23, 2020 at 7:00 am

Hi ma’am, I have an age old habit of not wearing any socks with my shoes. My mother gets very irritated because she feels that feet sweat and socks absorb the sweat but they make my feet sweat even more when i wear them..Very often I wear them and step out of the house to keep her happy and then take them off when I’m in the bus. I hope she doesn’t read this.

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- author June 24, 2020 at 8:03 pm
  
  Dear Pritam,
  
  I know of people who don’t wear socks or vests. I guess one does what one is comfortable doing. All of us have heard those advices that feet sweat and one must wear socks etc etc but it’s your life and if it makes you comfortable not wearing them, so be it.
  
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disha salgaonkar June 23, 2020 at 7:04 am

Unfortunately or fortunately my dog doesn’t get any scraps. My brother eats up everything on the table and sometimes we are lucky if we get a double serving. He is a BIG foodie.

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- author June 24, 2020 at 8:08 pm
  
  My dear Disha,
  
  Look at it as a huge compliment that your brother eats up everything on the table. Whoever does the cooking must be a great chef.
  
  Personally I don’t like the scrap habit but the love your pets feel when they participate with their families, be it eating scraps off the table or going out for a drive, must he a joyful moment for them and that’s very important.
  
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Kapil Saini June 23, 2020 at 7:08 am

I feel everything we were taught as kids helped us in many ways then. Parents find different ways to get their kids to listen I guess. I do the same. And then when they grow up, life teaches them lessons in different ways. It’s all about our own life experuences..

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- author June 24, 2020 at 8:20 pm
  
  My dear Kapil,
  
  Of course they did. Parents use these little tricks to get their children habituated to certain habits they feel are important. Once those kids grow up, they realise why parents inculcate these habits in them and follow the same routine where their own children are concerned. And it gets carried down the line.
  
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Reshma Chhabria June 28, 2020 at 10:57 am

When I was a kid, I remember my biggest nightmare was when my milk teeth would be ready to fall. My mother used to keep my tooth under my pillow and when I woke up in the morning the tooth would not be there and in its place there would be a one ruppee coin. I think this was a trick to lure me to pull my already half hanging tooth out! The thinks parents need to do to get their children to do certain things. Parenting is not easy.

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- author July 3, 2020 at 7:50 pm
  
  My dear Reshma,
  
  I think it’s playtime for mothers when their kids are growing up. That is the time when they sow the so-called “good habits” in their children’s minds. Some of us carry those habits with us to our graves while some of us also try out other things.
  
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Percy Dsouza June 28, 2020 at 11:06 am

My habit of waking up early and going to bed by 10 has remained with me since I was a child. And trust me, it has really worked well for me. I wake up at 6 so that’s 8 hours of good sleep. I feel rested and fresh and not like I want to go back to bed again. My most productive time of the day is from 8am-12noon when my brain is at its sharpest. I would definitely recommend this to all of you.

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- author July 3, 2020 at 7:54 pm
  
  My dear Percy,
  
  To each our own. I sleep late because that’s the time I write my posts or solve a sudoku. I find these activities relaxing and helpful for me to fall asleep.
  
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kinjal majgaonkar June 29, 2020 at 9:47 am

I AGREE FULLY WITH THE ‘PROBLEM’ PART OF YOUR POST MA’AM. WE SHOULD NOT INSTANTLY REACT TO ANYTHING BECAUSE THAT REACTION MAYBE COLOURED BY VARIOUS EMOTIONS WHICH MAY NOT ALLOW US TO TAKE AN OBJECTIVE CALL. WE SHOULD WAIT, THINK AND THEN DECIDE HOW WE WANT TO COPE WITH THE ISSUE AT HAND. IT HAS DEFINITELY WORKED FOR ME A HELL OF A LOT.

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- author July 3, 2020 at 7:59 pm
  
  My dear Kinjal,
  
  We all think differently. Some of us go with the flow because it suits us while others like going with the flow but also check out other options. The latter has never disappointed me.
  
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Ujwal Shah July 5, 2020 at 9:51 am

I lost my mother when was very young so it was my father who used to wake up at 5 every morning, get my brother and me ready for school, make our tiffins and drop us off in a public bus. Then after school, he would come and pick us up and bring us home. He also helped us with our homework and my grandmother would help prepare meals for us while he was away at work. It’s not only difficult on the children but equally difficult on the parents. They have to live our lives and their own lives too.

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- author July 6, 2020 at 2:20 pm
  
  My dear Ujwal,
  
  That’s so true. Parents often play their roles to such perfection that they forget they too have a life to live. A disgruntled parent may not be the best thing for a growing child.
  
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david d’costa July 5, 2020 at 9:57 am

This lockdown has mad me rethink so many of my old habits and routines. I’ve had to re-align my whole life to make way for other things. Like I need to spend time with the kids, I can’t just leave it all to my wife because she’s doing home chores as well. I also help out with the household work since we only had part timers who we have not called back to work yet. I also need to make time for my office work. Is anyone else struggling for more hours in a day like me?

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- author July 6, 2020 at 5:09 pm
  
  Dear David,
  
  I, too, have changed a lot of things that had become routine and rescheduled most activities to suit me. Some had been so entrenched within me that I actually had to shovel them out, and start all over again.. Everything had become so robotic that re-thinking them took some time. But I’m glad I did it.
  
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himanshi gaur July 5, 2020 at 10:01 am

Thankfully i haven’t been laid off like some of my other friends. So many people I know have lost their jobs because of this lockdown. It’s really tough on working parents because they have their hands full with their kids and housework and office work. It’s a nightmare!

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- author July 6, 2020 at 6:48 pm
  
  Dear Himanshu,
  
  Nothing’s a nightmare. Look forward to better times and they’ll be upon us soon. Remember that there are others out there who are jobless with families to support, old parents to care for and a bleak future staring at them. Aren’t we in a far better place with shelter over our heads, hot meals to tuck into and our loved ones by our side, safe and happy?
  
  Reply