The River Of Dreams

 I have a particular fondness for Billy Joel's songs. That's one reason why today's post has the same name as one of his songs. I don't know how popular it is, but it's got some great lyrics. As does Vienna. And Piano Man. Most of his songs, usually. 

I need to have a word or two with the person in charge of the weather. Mussoorie weather, that is. It's snowed again today, and it looks amazing. At the same time, it's bitterly cold and I'm well aware of it. What I don't like is the fact that the best snowfall occurs when I'm not there. I spend the entire year there and it just so happens that it snows exactly when I'm not there. Coincidence much? I have my doubts.

Either way, there's a really beautiful line by Ruskin Bond which has stuck with me for quite a few years now. I didn't understand it at first, but now I do. It went something like this, I think:
The plainsman looks to the hills for needs of his spirit, but the hillsman looks to the plains for means of a living.
Think about it. Whenever people visit hill stations, they always think of beautiful weather, a complete vacation and very pretty place. It's all well and good when you're visiting for a day or two, but trying living there year-round. Get your vegetables, your sweets, your clothes there. Most things are available-all you have to do is walk for 25 minutes to get them. 

It's not easy. It might seem like a lot of fun, but it's not always so. Sure, it's peaceful and picturesque, but it's not a piece of cake. Far from it. Anyway, shifting the focus from Mussoorie to Calcutta for the time being. Once again, the weather is changing more often than you can say "How do you do?" and it is really irksome, to say the least. You know, that's actually one of the better things about hill stations; no waterlogging. Can't say the same for every city in the plains. 

As it happens, Calcutta is still great. It's a very deceptive place, you know? It has its own pace, but it's like the pace of a giraffe. Not too many steps, but there's a lot of distance covered. The same goes for time. It seems really slow, until you realize it's not. If anything, it's quite a hectic pace. 

People often say that time heals everything. There's no doubt that it is true; it's also true that scars always remain. And the thing with scars is, you can't get rid of them no matter how much you try. They'll just stay there. What you can choose to do, is ignore them and move on. Time most definitely helps. It makes you think more optimistically, while helping you retain that sense of practicality you lacked earlier. 

I must do another post on birds someday. There are quite a few here, and the mynas have become surprisingly tame. They just saunter into the drawing room anytime we leave the balcony door open during the day. In fact, they like Mozart. I'm not joking here; I tried it out yesterday. The moment any other tune played, they began to move away. Smart-alecs, the lot of 'em. I think I've rambled on long enough for today; it's time I did something remotely related to my education. Stay safe, everyone. Adios!