Gratitude is important. Whether it is towards ourselves or others. It is always easy to forget the good and remember the bad. Why? I don’t know. Maybe because it’s easier to be sad? But I think that if we try our best to remember the good, the positive side of things, life becomes quite nice, don’t you think?
I’ve had so many uncanny incidents in my life where I cannot blame anyone really. I felt that disclaimers were made for people like me. Like I belonged to that 1% whom the brands don’t take guarantees for if their products don’t work. But, instead of sulking about these weird incidents, like the ones that directed me to take care of myself, I believe that I have to be grateful they happened.
For example:
We all go to the doctor to get some medication, right? But the doctors (in Kuwait) couldn’t diagnose the cause of my regular tummy aches for a long time. They would just give me temporary relief medications.
So, once when I came to India on a holiday, my mom decided to take me to the local doctor who told us that the medicines wouldn’t work because besides having a weak stomach (which would anyway throw up anything that it didn’t like), I had something called stomach spasms. And, it wasn’t caused by something I ate or drank. It was caused by my tendency to unconsciously suck my stomach in while walking! Was that even a thing?
Thankfully, when I walked at ease after that, my tummy aches vanished, though my stomach was still weak until I came to live in India. Now, I have reserved the ‘tummy sucking’ for photographs only.
Oh! This one you should hear! I woke up one morning and my mouth wouldn’t open at all. I couldn’t figure out why my jaw didn’t move. My mom was worried as this had happened in the past week but then I could open my mouth a little at least.
So, we went to the doctor. After spending time and money on the taxi and several tests, the doctor told us that nothing was wrong and that I had to only chew gum! We asked where we could buy the medicated gum. He confirmed that I could have any Wrigley’s chewing gum lying at home (in Kuwait). My mother was both relieved and bugged! Apparently, due to ‘10th grade exam stress’, I was clenching my teeth in my sleep all through the night (which we are, by the way, not supposed to do)! Due to this, my jaw would lock in place and hurt whenever I tried opening it in the mornings. And, that particular morning it just wouldn’t budge. Imagine not being able to drink, eat, wash or even open your mouth for ventilation.
Thankfully, my mom wasn’t that strict about getting high marks in the so-called life-and-death exam, so I didn’t wind up taking out my stress in some dangerous way.
One day my baby was drinking milk from a bottle and listening to my stories. If I got up, she would stop sucking on her bottle and make a sad sound. So, I stayed back and entertained her until she was done. Then, we spoke a little (with just me speaking, of course) until we fell asleep because all babies want to do is eat, poop and sleep. And we, moms, are anyways exhausted.
When I woke up, I went to the kitchen to get some water and my eyes opened wide with ‘OH! SHIT!’ on my lips. I had managed to burn to crisp all the other five baby bottles (and their attachments) which were in a big utensil full of water for sterilization purposes. I have burnt many things before and after this, but this is one incident that I will never ever forget. We had slept for at least a couple of hours, if not more.
Thankfully, the house didn’t catch fire. The only bottle that was saved from my evil clutches was the one my baby was using before we both fell asleep.
Copper T is an IUD which is T-shaped and inserted into the vagina to prevent pregnancy. It is said to be 99% effective in preventing pregnancy. And, as most of you know, I had a baby despite the ever-so-effective copper T. We don’t even know where the device vanished.
Despite my fright of having another baby, I am thankful to God for knowing that I needed a cute little boy in my life. He’s the sweetest son and brother I have ever come across (till date).
During my second pregnancy, everyone told me that if my first was a caesarean section, my second delivery would also definitely be a caesarean section. I had accepted that ‘myth’ though I dreaded another caesarean section with every fibre of my being. But, thanks to my encouraging gynaecologist, I was allowed to have a normal delivery. It was only when I left the hospital that I was told (by my husband) that my delivery was actually called a VBAC and an emergency team was ready on the side just in case my stitches from my first delivery (caesarean section) burst open. Yikes!!
Thankfully, my gynaecologist was good and nothing burst open. I don’t even want to imagine it! Also, I recovered quickly.
Yes, I know many mobile phones have a cracked screen due to the way they are handled but my mobile phones have NEVER ever broken or even cracked in all these years. They were never dirty either. Last year, while I was on a morning walk in the forest with a friend, I slipped on the loose sandstones on a slight slope and fell straight on my tailbone. Ouch! The pain I went through in the next few days was terrible. I continued to walk but also rested quite a bit after that.
Yet, in the forest, I had to get up and walk out. So while walking, I held my mobile phone in the air to click a picture of a beautiful tree only to suddenly notice a crack on my screen. Yes, I had a screen guard. Yes, the mobile phone had a hard back cover but some stubborn stone went and hit right in the gap between them both. Isn’t that annoying or what?
Still, I had to be thankful to God for letting me be one of those whose tailbone eventually stopped aching without having to visit a doctor (till date).
Of course, it wasn’t funny when I went through all these incidents but you cannot get through life by regretting the past, can you? I think it’s always better to just make a big book of incidents and laugh about them later in life (of course, only if they are not too bad). Sometimes, I also narrate some of these stories (with some masala) to my kids who enjoy the way I tell it! They also have to know that shit happens and they have to be grateful anyway, right?
Any uncanny incidents for which you feel blessed they happened? Let us know why, below!
Photos by Andrea Piacquadio, care.com, https://electricmommy.com/, Lucy Tyler, .
This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with Mads’ Cookhouse.
35 Comments
Haha all of us have these incidents in our life which are highly unusual, and yes I agree, it’s fun to share them with others. I’m glad you’ve taken a positive stance on each experience.
We all have our share of stories, especially uncanny stories . I loved reading your uncanny memories. You know, we all have our share of stories, and we keep collecting them to rejuvinate again.
You have so many uncanny stories, and all are from your experiences, right? We all have these stories, and I guess that’s the beauty of life, where we all gather our uncanny moments as stories and rejuvinate those with age..
These were really adventurous escapades making the reader dive into so many scenarios. Honestly I never indulged in serving or cleaning baby bottles as both my kids only had breastfeed. But I am relieved reading your escapades.
Wow! You’re blessed, Shifali!
oh my! that’s one adventurous life you are living! Such interesting anecdotes from your life, and i am glad it all turned out well for you and you have found a sense of gratitude and some humor in these incidents as you look back.
There have been a lot of uncanny incidents in my life too. But the locked jaw is really scary man. This reminds me of my friend who used to tell me that she was a jinxed one
You have always been a very strong person and I have always looked up to you! I guess we all have burnt baby bottles! We all are handling ghosts in one form or another but definitely grateful for this life!
Thank you, Mandira!
Cindy I really dont want to believe you have a tummy which you now need to suck for photography. Comeone you are a gorgeous stunning lady and its difficult to take eyes off from you when I see your pics all across the instagram and think—If I can even have this slim and trim figure like this lady and its an honest confession. By the way there are uncanny incidents in each one of our lives but the way you presented them with touch of humour without losing the track, that’s commandable. I really enjoyed reading this post of Cindy. Keep entertaining and sharing knowledge through your posts.
Thank you, Samata!
I have always believed that these incidents are more of a sign… to slow down. They are often a blessing in disguise. That locked jaw experience must have been surely painful. Can’t even imagine it.
It was. Terrible.
I too have lots of such uncanny moments in my life and I feel that all these moments some of them are scary but they make our lives more are more eventful and less and less boring….. Yes being grateful is the only way forward as we say we all learn from our mistakes and experiences.
I have been there too, Cindy. With crack on mobile screen guard as I had fallen many times on railway station bridge. Now I laugh. I still burn vessels and glad that Mr. Hubby does not say anything. Greatful to live and overcome the issue. I like the way you post it with gratitude.
Thank you, Neeta!
Oh my! Never heard about someone tucking in their tummy subconsciously or clenching their jaw so hard in sleep that it doesn’t open! Indeed perhaps a 1% chance! Though btw I also burnt a bottle or two of my first one! Completely forgot that I had put it on for boiling!!!
I think sterilizers were made for people like us! Hahaha!
The funny way of looking at incidents that happened in your life, But taking your tummy in while a long breadth caused stomach aches so the human system is unpredictable.
“I have reserved the ‘tummy sucking’ for photographs only.” Smart!
Locked-jaw? OMG, so scary, especially because I think most of us have a habit of clenching our teeth when we’re stressed out. I’ll have to take care of not doing it for long durations now. Phew!
The baby bottle episode had me going, “Bach gaye!”
The copper T experience led me to your previous posts about your second pregnancy and then the delivery of your son. And I must say my admiration for you has gone up a notch because of how honest and inspiring both the posts were.
Loved reading all these incidents and how you’ve learned to be grateful despite it all
We all have been there too! I want to start with stomach aches, it was always a puzzle of why and what to do. During my first years of parenting, i was so worried and concern about this. And as life goes by life will throw challenges at us no matter what. Being strong headed and having gratitude is a must
You beautifully illustrate the power of gratitude and resilience in the face of unexpected challenges and uncanny incidents. Instead of dwelling on the negative aspects of these experiences, you choose to focus on the lessons learned and the silver linings that emerged from each situation.
I can’t get over your mouth not opening in the morning. Recently, I left the gas switch on, didn’t realise that it was on low, went for an hour until my brother smelt the gas. That was scary. And then my accident in 1994, I couldn’t go on the road for years, but I learnt how to drive after that as well. I guess, we have it in us to be grateful, despite the odds.
Wow, this post really hits home! It’s so true that we often forget to count our blessings and focus on the good stuff. Reading this made me think about all those random things that happen and how they actually shape us. It’s like they say, life’s a rollercoaster, might as well enjoy the ride, bumps and all!
I think incidents like these prepare one for bigger things in life. I can recall some of them in my life too. Also I love how you could now laugh at them.
As I read, I found myself nodding along, thinking, yep, been there too. Cindy, my blog’s name itsekf is like a mirror for all the wild and messy experiences life tosses at me. 😅
I have heard that kids clenching their teeth at night might mean they’ve got worms. I am not entirely sure about this theory, though.
Like yours, my daughter’s tummy ache has been a real puzzle for us too. We’ve run all the tests twice, and the doctor thinks it could be stressful. Anyway, I’m thinking of checking in with a gastroenterologist in India for a second opinion.
We all know God’s got a plan. Maybe that’s why your little cuamp came into your family picture. Sending good vibes and blessings to both of your kids.
Oh, I’ve so many such uncanny incidents in my kitty. One is similar to yours, burning the baby bottles, we bought the bottle sterilizer after that but the burning still continues just that no more baby bottles. Your storytelling is so engaging and it’s refreshing to see someone embrace life’s unexpected moments with such positivity.
Thank you, Neha!
Those were quite a few adventurous and singularly interesting escapades you had Cindy!
Most of these problems were coping mechanisms for anxiety and I encounter them frequently in my clinical practice, but from a non-medical person’s point of view, they sure were narrow escapes and cause enough to be grateful about, the fact that they were more scares than anything chronic and life-threatening calls for celebration and gratitude.
Oh! Really? It’s good to know I’m not alone!
Although I feel bad that you had to go through all this, in a way your blog post lets me feel “Okay, so I’m not the only jinxed one…” My new mobile phone suddenly turned ‘violet’ and conked out. It wasn’t exactly cheap also, so I was pretty upset when it happened. And that too in the middle of the pandemic. ( which meant I couldn’t buy a new one easily either. )
As for weird aches and pains, I’m almost 99.9 percent sure that no one can beat my record. 😛
Awww, Aishwariya, tight hugs!
I’ve had several incidents… a scary/funny one is, when I was in college I accidentally sat on a pressure cooker in which my mum had just cooked kaali dal(it takes a good dozen or more whistles). She had kept it on a low bench to cool. I was wearing nylon track pants… leaving the rest to your imagination! 🥵
some of your incidents are 😱😱😱 Cindy. That jaw locking has happened to someone else I know… but to an adult.
There’s also a serious thingy called bell’s palsy but that’s a medical condition.
The feeding bottles incident?… in L606?😮.
No, it was in the HSR house I think. Ouch, sitting on a pressure cooker, ouch! Once my hand fell into a utensil full of freshly cooked food kept to cool off on the ground, with that shock of having a burned hand full of bubbles, I temporarily stopped talking apparently. I was around 4 maybe.
For me, there have been alot of uncanny incidents that I hated but eventually embraced it as blessings.
Glad to know that everyone experiences this and it’s normal.