7 shades of Minki ✨

Chapter Two • Learning to Enjoy Life

May 2026

May taught me something I had almost forgotten.

Life doesn’t always need a reason to be beautiful.

There were cafés I’d wanted to visit, homemade meals shared with people I love, weddings, family celebrations, weekends that passed too quickly, little recipes that made me smile, and a growing habit of showing up for myself at the gym.

Some days were exciting.

Some days were wonderfully ordinary.

I realised that happiness isn’t something waiting at the finish line.

It’s hidden in conversations that last longer than expected, in cooking together, in trying new places, in laughing over simple things, and in making time for the people who make life feel lighter.

Perhaps enjoying life is also a skill.

And maybe…

I’m finally learning it.

Chapter One • Homecoming

21 April – Early May 2026

The last few weeks have felt like life finding its rhythm again.

Ivan came home, and somehow the house felt different. A little fuller. A little softer.

I travelled back from Pune, and normal life slowly returned. But “normal” wasn’t boring.

There were dinners with family, cafés with Uddu, cooking for him, being cared for in return, birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and countless conversations.

Somewhere in between, I started going to the gym.

Not because life became easier.

Because I wanted to become stronger.

There were little disappointments too. Losing my phone for a while. Feeling low. Then a coffee, an apple pie, and someone’s quiet effort reminding me that care often comes in the smallest ways.

Looking back, I don’t remember every restaurant or every meal.

I remember how these days felt.

DAY 14–22

Chapter One • Homecoming

21 April – Early May 2026

The last few weeks have felt like life finding its rhythm again.

Ivan came home, and somehow the house felt different. A little fuller. A little softer.

I travelled back from Pune, and normal life slowly returned. But “normal” wasn’t boring.

There were dinners with family, cafés with Uddu, cooking for him, being cared for in return, birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and countless conversations.

Somewhere in between, I started going to the gym.

Not because life became easier.

Because I wanted to become stronger.

There were little disappointments too. Losing my phone for a while. Feeling low. Then a coffee, an apple pie, and someone’s quiet effort reminding me that care often comes in the smallest ways.

Looking back, I don’t remember every restaurant or every meal.

I remember how these days felt.

Busy.

Warm.

Loved.

Alive.

Sometimes happiness doesn’t arrive as one big moment.

It quietly collects itself through ordinary days.

18–19 April 2026

Night

These two days felt… full in very different ways.

On one day, it was all about family.

Chinky Di’s birthday… celebrated in the hospital itself.

A different kind of celebration.

Not grand, not planned… but deeply meaningful.

Watching her… now a mother… holding her baby.

Something about that moment felt complete.

Life changing, quietly… right in front of my eyes.

There was so much emotion in the room.

Happiness… relief… a sense of something new beginning.

I also noticed Maa and Papa.

The way they looked at her…

the way they smiled while the cake was being cut.

Those small expressions… they stay.

Later, Papa had to leave.

We went to drop him… figuring out the pickup point, a little confusion, a little rush.

But eventually, it all settled.

A day that felt both full… and slightly scattered.

And then came the next day.

Lighter.

I stepped out to meet an old friend.

We went to Artisan Café.

Spent time painting… for the baby.

After a long time, I sat with colors again.

It felt different.

Calm. Focused. Almost meditative.

Sometimes, creating something with your hands…

brings you back to yourself.

The day felt easy.

Uncomplicated.

Two days.

One filled with emotion and transitions.

One filled with stillness and creation.

And somewhere between both…

life continues to unfold.

16–17 April 2026

Night

The last two days felt slower… but still not completely light.

Most of the time went around the hospital again.

Same surroundings… same waiting… same thoughts repeating in different ways.

Nothing very new happened…

but sometimes it’s not about new things.

It’s about staying through what’s already there.

Time felt stretched again.

And then, in between all of this…

a small shift.

We went out to get shirts for Papa.

He was leaving the other eve for Nagpur

Simple task… choosing, trying, deciding.

But moments like these feel different when everything else around is uncertain.

There was something normal about it.

Something grounding.

Like life reminding…

that not everything pauses.

People still leave,

things still move,

days still pass.

And maybe that’s how balance happens.

A little heaviness…

a little normalcy…

both existing together.

15 April 2025

Hospital

Night

Today was not a usual day.

Just hours spent in the hospital…

watching things unfold that you don’t really feel prepared for.

Di’s health fluctuating…

blood pressure… heart… arteries…

tests, scans, contrast… one after another.

It felt heavy.

Seeing someone you love in that state…

it does something inside you.

At the same time,

the baby is okay… developing… safe.

And that contrast stays with you.

One side worry…

one side relief.

Time feels strange in places like this.

Slow… stretched… almost unclear.

You don’t know what to think,

what to feel,

what to expect next.

Just sitting there…

being present… waiting.

Money… suddenly feels very real.

How much it matters.

How much it decides.

And somewhere in between all of this…

patience.

It’s being tested quietly.

Deeply.

There’s nothing much to do…

just stay, observe, hope.

And trust that things will settle.

For now…

that has to be enough.

12–14 April 2026

"14 April 26" is 🌻💥🧿

Pune

The last three days… felt like life moving in very different directions at once.

On one day, it was simple.

Visited relatives… an evening at Lokman nagar / Jain Colony i.e. on 12th Sunday eve ✨

Dinner, conversations, familiar warmth.

Dahi bada, stuffed dhokla, paneer, dal makhani…

ending with gulab jamun and custard.

Nothing extraordinary.

Just a full, comforting kind of day.

The next day was quieter.

Preparations… packing… a visit to the parlour.

Getting ready for something ahead @ Nagpur

Met a friend. Spent some easy time post selfcare.

Again, nothing big.

Just life moving in its usual pace.

And then came a day that changed the rhythm completely.

An unexpected call.

A sudden flight.

Indore to Pune… within hours. Akaaa 14 April 2026 💥

Everything felt fast… almost unreal.

And then, at 5:41…

a baby was born.🤌🏼👶🏼🙈

A new life… just like that.

In the middle of urgency, tension, and movement…

something so pure arrived.

And it makes you think.

How quickly things can change.

How life doesn’t ask before it shifts.

In a few hours, everything can rearrange itself.

There were moments of gratitude…

for access, for timing, for the ability to reach, to act.

And also a quiet realization…

how much circumstances, money, and timing can shape outcomes.

The doctors explained things… risks that could have been.

What was prevented… what was managed in time.

(my mind got blown seeing placenta for real for the 1st time)

It stayed with me.

And somewhere in between all this…

there were thoughts.

About life.

About control.

About something beyond us.

Maybe there is a force that moves things in ways we don’t fully understand.

Maybe everything doesn’t need to be figured out.

I also met someone who spoke differently…Urf Pappdu Bhai 🤑

about money, about thinking right, about seeing good even in complexity.💸💭

It left a question behind.

Am I thinking small?

Or just thinking safe?

There’s a desire to do more.

To become more.

To not feel stuck in the same loops.

And at the same time…

a reminder keeps coming back.

Actions matter.

Intentions matter.

Somewhere, things return in ways we don’t immediately see.

Good or otherwise.

These three days didn’t give answers.

But they left many thoughts.

And maybe… that’s where something begins.🔰

And life continues…🧬

in its own unpredictable way. 💭

🛌 April 11, 2926 Sat/8:39 PM

Saturday felt like a day of small movements… one thing leading into another.

Work continued as usual… and somewhere in between, I finally began with packing. Not completely done, but at least started.

There were also small, unexpected things… like getting a limited edition Maggi with a bowl.

Strange how little things can bring a quiet kind of happiness.

Later in the day, I stepped out and met friends.

Good conversations… easy laughter… nothing forced.

We went out to a place I had been wanting to try.

Laphing Cuisine.

Open setting… warm lights… a comfortable kind of space.

Food felt like the highlight of the evening.

Waffles… crisp and soft together.

A well-made toast… simple, but satisfying.

Some meals don’t just fill you… they complete the day.

It went on till around 11:30 at night.

A proper foodie ending.

Came back with that slight tiredness… but a good one.

There’s also a thought of trying new places more often now.

Not every plan needs to be big… sometimes just stepping out is enough.

10 April 2026

Night

Today was a normal day.

Work, routine… nothing unusual.

And yet, I felt a little off.

A little lazy. A little scattered.

But somewhere in between, I stepped out.

I went to a place I had been wanting to visit for a long time.

Copper kettle 🤗.

Open roof, soft evening, good food.

Pizza, grilled pineapple… simple things, but they felt nice.

Some places don’t do much.

They just give you space to feel a little better.

I had a good time.

Came back to the same pending things.

Packing still not done.

A wedding in a few days.

The surroundings still feel a bit messy.

Maybe the mind too.

But not everything has to be fixed in one day.

Some parts move forward,

some stay where they are for a while.

Tomorrow is there.

Let’s see.

8–9 April 2026

Night

The last two days felt… full in a quiet way.

On one day, I found myself spending more time with my mother.

Simple conversations, small things.

I also thought about taking care of myself a little more… small grooming, small steps. Got my laser done!

Later in the day, I went out to a farmhouse.

There were two cows there - "Bansi and Hansi." 🐄

And a little calf… calm, unaware, just being.

Something about that space felt peaceful.

Uncomplicated.

I came back feeling lighter.

The next day was different.

I met someone I’ve been talking to.

And I met his mother.

We sat, talked, shared things.

It wasn’t loud or overwhelming… just steady.

Some conversations stay with you.

Not because they are big,

but because they make you see things a little differently.

These two days didn’t change anything drastically.

But somewhere,

they added something quiet inside me.

And I think that matters.

7 April 2026

10:30 pm

🏡

LET'S BEGIN!

Today, someone said something simple to me.

“If not that, then something better is waiting for you.”

If not DU then something better due is about to 💥🤌🏼

And for the first time in a long while, I didn’t resist that thought.

I let it stay🫰🏼

Maybe life is not about what didn’t happen.

Maybe it’s about what is quietly aligning.

The day felt normal. Work, conversations, small things.

But somewhere inside, something still felt slightly off…

like a leftover feeling from yesterday.

Not heavy. Just there.

It’s strange how the past doesn’t always return as a person.

Sometimes it comes back as a feeling you thought you had outgrown.

I didn’t react then.

But I felt it later.

And maybe that’s okay.

Three months into the year…🕖 and life hasn’t paused once.

Maybe it never does.⏳

Maybe we just learn to move with it.💪🏼

So this is me, beginning something new.

Not perfectly. Not completely healed.

But aware.

Day 1.

Or maybe Day 7.

Either way, I’m here ♥️