Blessing Packet

Ma, little have I realized over the years that the "silly" little things you do could save me from situations. The other night, while I was anxiously packing my bag to take to work the next day, the first day of my new job in the vast busy city, you came to me and gave me a blessing packet. It has a tiny demure petal of a dried flower inside a teeny tiny coloured glossy envelope, and the picture of a saint outside. You got it from Pondicherry, didn't you, Ma? Pondicherry, the hometown of Pi and his Bengal tiger! Yes Ma, the same Pi, from the book you're now reading... are you surprised I mention him? He is as real and alive in my mind as the saint on the cover of the blessing packet! He exists in my mind, and dwells in my heart! This little petal from the land of his birth... I kept it intact in my bag.

But of course, the old bag gave way and I switched to a different one. I am sorry to say Ma, that I was not attentive enough to transfer the blessing packet along with all the other things. But the saving grace was that, I remembered it ten minutes into my getting in bed and jumped out. How could I remember it and not take it! Little do you know this, but you have your way, Ma, with the "silly" little things...

When I dug into my old bag and retrieved the blessing packet, it came out along with my chip of gold I live off of - my credit card! I cannot help but think of how hard it would have been when I went to lunch the next day without that 3" × 2" plastic- it being my first day at the new place in the vast busy city and all!

As you know Ma, my earlier day job was in this big corporation. I had established myself there. I was comfy and cosy. I had friends. I had the security that familiarity offers, to say the least. I lost all of it in a day ,with the big change. Me being a person who loves change and embraces it, I surprise myself now! You know, I jumped inside when I saw the same coffee machine in the kitchen in this new workplace as in the kitchen of the previous one! There was at least a connecting strand, tying me to my past and to familiarity! Not many people here talked to me the first day. There are many I still haven't met or know. Borrowing from them on the very first day would have been out of question.

It may all sound "silly" but it meant a lot to me. And without that blessing packet of yours Ma, I would have never got the credit card out that night! It may be the blessing packet, packed with the spirit and faith of Pi from his hometown, or it may not be the blessing packet at all, but you certainly saved me! I really do not know how many times I may have been blind to similar events.

Ma, you are my blessing packet, the big blessing packet, in flesh and blood.