Not many people know how my mom used to work and the hardships she faced, so I thought of sharing an important episode of her life on her birthday, which is today.

We used to live in Pune for few years before we shifted to Mumbai. My mom used to work in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), and used to travel from Pune to Mumbai every single day for work. Her alarm used to be set at 3:45 am every morning. She used to wake up, make food, pack food, get ready, and then dad used to go to drop her off at Pune railway station. Her Sinhagad Express used to leave at 6:05 am and the distance between my then house and the station was too much. After around four hours of travel, she used to reach Mumbai, at the CST railway station. Then from there, she used to walk to office.

After her office hours, she used to get in the 5:10 pm Deccan Queen Express that started from CST, and then again, after a four hours long journey, she used to reach Pune. Dad used to pick her up on his Caliber bike, and then after coming home, she used to start cooking dinner. And then, finally, she spent time with me and my brother.

I remember, in my first grade, I had created a breeding ground for lice in my hair. My mom used to oil, and religiously remove lice using the specially designed lice-comb after coming back from office. I was a kid, but this is one of the childhood memories I have and clearly remember.

Then after looking at my brother's homework, cleaning the mess in kitchen and the house, she used to finally sleep around 11:30 pm. 

You know how the "modern" girls are stereotyped now, right? Even I was someone who would be found passing her time rather than doing household chores. But since I've seen my mom's ways of keeping house clean and always looking after family, I can say that I'm certainly going in the same direction. I am seeing this change happening to me. It's beautiful...

This was one of the episodes I wanted to share, since none of you knew about it. I used to literally hold my mom's clothes to my heart and cry when I missed her. Gosh! It's heart melting! 

I'm glad we shifted to Mumbai and we got more time to spend with her. Now, she's a voluntarily retired person, and it's great to have her around. Nonetheless, she's still the same, hardworking lady, and I'm proud to have a mom like her.

I wish her a happy birthday, and pray to God that she lives for many more decades. For, I don't know a world without her, and I'm addicted to having her with me...

xoxo