A Swiss woman settles in India –10
By Simone Toni Weibel
Are you sensitive to weather changes? I am. I can feel it in my bones, when the snow is supposed to fall soon, or the sky opens its locks for the rain to pour down. I can get into a strange melancholic mood as well, before that happens. As soon, as the thunderstorm starts or the white little snowflakes fall, I’m informed from my moods and body aching. Even here in India I can feel the winter coming. Although the weather is nice, no sweating anymore, I get a little bit melancholic and tired. What to do? Sports and healthy food, plenty of water drinking and talking to friends would help. There’s just one thing – I have to do it.
Last week, feeling a bit needy due to the mentioned facts, I was talking to both of my kids on the phone. I have an unusual relationship with them. I never was a helicopter mom. I never considered my kids to be my possession. I feel more like they decided to appear in this world through my body and grew up under my and their dad`s guidance. I consider them to be unique and packed with their own stories to experience and problems to resolve. I just give them advice from my learnings and unconditional love. They are very independent. Both have tons of friends; they are polite and smart and they are even blessed with good looks. The best thing is, that they are very happy and healthy and they love each other like no one does.
I guess it is because of their independence and awareness regarding individuality and freedom, that they were able to give me their blessing to leave Switzerland for India without any doubt. I know that some people would think badly about me, because they think I abandoned my breed but, honestly, I don’t care. I gave my all and I`m still there but now my time has come to experience another chapter in life. I bravely follow my guts and life responds generously to me until now.
My son, he’s fifteen years old, will visit me after Christmas. We are both very excited. I plan to show him Dehradun. He loves to trade with second hand clothes at home and I guess, he will fly back with overflowing suitcases. For that it will be nice for him to explore the markets over here. Also, we might travel a little bit on my motorbike. He was in India with me before Corona happened and he enjoyed it a lot. Unfortunately, we had to leave after three weeks because of the lockdown. We made our way out the very last day before Delhi airport shut down and it was quite an adventure.
My daughter is twenty years old, now, and in her last year of a four-year education as a graphic designer. She is very talented and I’m so happy to see her designs and ideas. She is very social and her friends love to get advice from her. Her happy and kind nature is a blessing to me. She had already moved out as soon as she went eighteen. She lives with two friends of hers and they are doing good, but we didn’t see each other very often anymore, which loosens the relationship up. We shared our thoughts about that fact on the phone and decided to engage ourselves more to restrengthen our bond.
At the end, you can’t force relationships. But if there is love, then you can feed it. I feel very blessed, that my kids are the way they are. I also have to say “thank you” to my former husband, who always gave and gives his best, too, to make that happen.
(Simone Toni Weibel (47) is an independent artist, teacher and writer from Switzerland who has settled down in Dehradun.)
