Chaos to Calm

A Journey Of 52 Weeks

SIX WORDS TO SUMMARIZE 2024
Abundance Growth Resilience
Gratitude Letting go serene.

Sacred Chaos and Unfettered Lessons: A Year with Senthimala, Aunt Selvi, and Xammi

The warm scent of filter coffee wafted through the bustling café in Mango Meadows, where the year-end crowd buzzed with nostalgia and resolutions. At a corner table, Senthimala, or Sam as her friends called her, sat fiddling with her new journal. Across from her, Aunt Selvi adjusted her saree with practiced precision, her sharp eyes scanning the room for opportunities to deliver her trademark observational wit. Beside them sat Xammi Xamman, Sam’s long-time confidante, who was draped in her usual bohemian flair—layers of colorful beads and a stole embroidered with symbols that might have been mystical… or just decorative.

“Another year gone, Sam,” Aunt Selvi began, settling into her chair with an air of authority. “How does it feel to have survived the Year of Abundance?”

Sam snorted softly. “If abundance means being overwhelmed, then yes, I’m thriving.” She leaned back with a wry smile. “Started the year with journaling. Thought I’d be recording profound thoughts. Instead, it’s mostly notes like ‘Ran out of milk, survived anyway.’“

Xammi chuckled, her bracelets jingling like wind chimes. “Journaling’s an act of surrender, not perfection. Speaking of acts, didn’t you moderate a panel this year? Something about sacred times?”

“Ah, yes,” Sam said, her expression brightening. “It was a debate on religious sacred times. With half the kids these days arguing for sunrise rituals, the other half claiming we’d all be saved by fasting apps. it seems to be an appropriate thing to do.”

Selvi laughed, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Let me guess—someone quoted the Vedas, and someone else Googled a counterpoint mid-debate?”

“Not really Selvi-athe, we had people of different religion telling what sacred time meant to their religion and what it meant to them personally.”

” I coffee breaks as sacred times,” the voice of course was from Doris Aunt Selvi’s niece en route to work.

Xammi nodded sagely. “Sacred rituals are everywhere if you look. Take my portal-opening meditation this year. One participant tried so hard to channel divine energy, they ended up pulling a muscle.”

Sam shook her head, chuckling. “Only you, Xammi. But really, this year wasn’t all fun and debates. There was… Mark and Patty.”

Selvi’s brows knit together. “Ah, yes. They turned up when you weren’t there, didn’t they? You

“Yes,” Sam said, her tone somber. “I had planned a retreat but lost the courage to see it through. Their visit was supposed to be supportive, but it just felt like a slap. Took me a while to process, but I’ve finally accepted that my marriage is over.”

Xammi reached over, resting her hand gently on Sam’s. “Endings are seeds, Sam. They hold beginnings. And you’ve begun to see that, haven’t you?”

Sam nodded, a faint smile creeping onto her face. “It wasn’t easy, but I’ve started letting go. Toxic relationships, unmet expectations… even my own guilt. I’ve learned to be kinder to myself.”

Selvi leaned forward, her tone lighter now. “Kindness is all well and good, but did you manage to keep up with your mental bank and gratitude lists?”

“Oh, yes,” Sam said, brightening. “I kept up with both. Even managed a vision board! And—believe it or not—I watched movies without pausing every ten minutes to overthink my life.”

“Now that’s abundance!” Selvi declared, raising her coffee cup.

“And there was more,” Sam continued. “Yashika threw me a surprise birthday party. I was expecting a quiet day and ended up with cake overload. And Mahabalipuram—an unexpected trip, but it was so healing.”

“Sounds like you found joy amidst the chaos,” Xammi said. “But what about your creative side? Did you keep up with your journaling and challenges?”

Sam laughed. “Oh, I did. Finished the Inktober52 challenge, did some creative journaling… even managed to read consistently. And then there were my workshops—inner child healing, multiple intelligence, and legacy planning. Those were real milestones.”

“But there were challenges too, weren’t there?” Selvi asked, her tone softening.

Sam sighed. “Yes. Falling sick with renal and hepatic issues was tough. And then Dennis’s fracture and surgery—it was all so overwhelming. But my daughters, my school friends Uncle Anthony all stood by me. For the first time in years, I felt we were all truly connected.”

Selvi nodded thoughtfully. “Family does have a way of showing up when it matters. But tell me, how did you manage TASSO? It must have been tough managing your demanding mother-in-law visitors coming to see her and you having to play the house-elf?”

“I was,” Sam admitted. “Severe reactions, feeling stuck halfway… but I’m learning to navigate it. I’ve realized adapting to new realities is a skill I didn’t know I had.”

Xammi smiled warmly. “And that’s the real lesson, isn’t it? Adapting, letting go, and finding gratitude even in the mess. That’s true abundance.”

As the three women sat together, the café’s noise faded into the background. The year may have been chaotic, but in the company of those who understood and celebrated her journey, Sam realized she had navigated it with grace, humor, and unfettered resilience.

“To a year well-lived,” Selvi said, raising her coffee cup again.

“And to the next one,” Xammi added, her bracelets chiming as she lifted her turmeric latte.

Sam smiled, lifting her cup in unison. “To abundance, chaos, and everything in between.”

This has been written as a part of #BlogchatterWrapUpParty by Blogchatter.