The lifelong friend becomes more manageable through diversion and building more around the grief bubble
Two new friends and an older one have made the biggest difference.
Managing grief
Category: Manjula still with me
Eleven plus an Englishman and a dog go mad in Kerala
On MAnjula’s death anniversary, we came up with a great idea to celebrate her— even more — by going on holiday to one of her favourite places.
Kannur is where Manjula and I first went on holiday together after our engagement in 2015.
It’ll be a great adventure with MAnjula giggling from the antics of the loosely formed team.
It’s a challenge, anywhere, to bring together fragments of four families with two additions of an Englishman and his dog but this is India. It’ll be OK.
It’s a great way to thank Sowbaghya, Tanuja and Satish for the help they’ve been in so many ways, including setting up the new business.
It’s also an opportunity to spend fun time with Kaveri and her young auntie Rhadika.
We’ve got the go ahead from Kaveri’s mum, Satish has worked it out with the school and Jo will definitely have completed her term.
So we’re good to go…
Wonderful
So which amazing place is going to host this motley crew?
The days after, three years ago
Doing my duty…
When one suffers such loss that forms a trauma and it’s aftermath, it’s an extra challenge to focus on the positive.
It’s especially difficult at anniversary time. There’s a preoccupation with the loss, the guilt, a blaming.
In this month there’s also helpful reminders of good, our wedding ceremonies.
Some might wonder why I follow so ‘religiously’ the traditions. It’s simply my love and devotion for MAnjula.
The day afterwards brings out memories of when she was laid to rest on her bed, outside our house with the tell tale symbols of the smouldering wood informing the neighbourhood what was happening. Next we’d go to the industrial shed-oven aka crematorium and before that a puja by the side led by Manjula’s brother.
A kindly neighbour brought Bhagavad Gita to help emphasise our duty not to become too attached to our loved ones and to help their soul spirit move onto another body.
Here’s me doing precisely that…..
Do follow the link and check the video at the end where I’m at one of the most significant places on Srirangaptnam; visited on every cycle tour over the past ten years.
The evening before
Smileys appear on our street.
I’m reminded of how I’d felt the need to protect my broken heart — like this one in a bottle — while looking around me at the images of my beautiful MAnjula which trigger happy joyful memories of our wonderful but short time together.
Tomorrow we’ll share a meal with MAnjula and a few close friends.
This week
March is a month of significant memories.
It began with our wedding at the city corporation, followed a few days later with a celebration on Srirangaptnam.
Two years running she was admitted to intensive care and sadly and devastatingly died three years ago on the 23rd.
We do Pooja on that anniversary, help her on her way and remember fantastic times with a wonderful woman.
Here’s a video memory created by our good friend Tom, Manjula showing one of her many skills and most importantly her kindness of giving.
A visit to Kannur
I’m sitting with Lucie in our room, at Chera Rocks, which opens directly onto the beach.
It’s been another hot day which cools slightly as we pass 4 0’clock.
We have been visiting our wonderful friends Sally and Shabaz, before Eastenders Sally sadly returns to the U.K.
Together we’ve retraced Manjula and my steps during previous holidays, including Manjula’s deep desire 😉 to visit the drive-on-beach.
This morning Sally and I walked along the beaches to visit Rosie and Nazir of Kannur Beach House and share my photos of Manjula.
Manjula and I in Kannur to celebrated our engagement in 2015
It’s time for a last swim. We return to Mysore tomorrow.
We did it, followed by a shared shower, Lucie thinks it was all too much. She waits until carefully positioned next to cascade her water drops on my clothes and bag. Ha bloody ha …
Philosophical thoughts
India stimulates all sorts of reflections like …. What’s the purpose of the line?
a boundary, a border, between in and out? Here and there? Normal and abnormal? The limen … an important guide, the threshold, between one world and another.
If India is anything to go by, it may have no use, other than helpfully creating ‘purposeful’ work.
On both our trips to England, Manjula was amazed and intrigued at how the traffic stayed within the lines that marked the lanes.
Weddings, I’ve seen a few.
Thankfully it’s filling out and I recognise a couple of people, so correct day and place.
I’m in a new phase in addition to visiting places where I’ve already been with Manjula, like many of the central London attractions, I now find myself wishing she was with me in new situations.
These are critical events in connecting community.
It’s getting late and nothings happened yet. I haven’t planned this properly and should have eaten. I might beat a hasty retreat.
I’ll be back in the morning.
Tomorrow Lakshmi and Sunil tie the knot. Today at reception, only soft drinks, it’s gifts and photos.
Travelling around 2
Tom and Amy, aka the lovely couple, who Manjula and I adopted after the first of many visits to Mysore Bed and Breakfast.
Their apartment looks out onto the sea. What a fab location.
Brighton and Hove on the English south coast an hour from London.
Cherishable
Today’s cherishable sad and sweet memories are the times Manjula and I spent together.
Here
The writer Didion coined the term ‘vortex’ in her book ‘a year of magical thinking’ about the year after her husband died.
It helpfully describes when one is ambushed by trigger memories of good times spent together.
But I wasn’t ambushed, as I fully expected it.
These are sad and tearful yet happy treasured moments in central London. I know it so well yet it now has an other dimension.
Me and MYCycle 