Being jet-lagged has its advantages. You find you are no longer a night owl, but a lark, though I doubt even larks wake at such an unearthly hour as 2 a.m. Now that you are awake and there is nothing better to do, you go out to stand on the terrace and savor the cool night air, as also the sights. There is a pale moon in the sky sitting pretty in a ring (sorry, no picture!). Around her, someone seems to have upset a huge bowl of curd. Nope, not fluffy cotton, they definitely are lumps of thick curd. The moon is unfazed. She knows the wind will have to do the job of cleaning it up one way or another.

The dog who had woken up to find her Mom slip out the door has taken a  snap decision to follow rather than snore on in the pretext of keeping the sleeping Dad company. This is departure from the routine she is accustomed to, she notes, and has immense potential. Anything could happen. Any minute, the night could change from boring tranquility to a mad, wild chase. And when it did, the dog didn’t want to miss out. So she sticks close.

With time on my hands I decide to put the washed clothes on the clothes line. So what if the sun is still hours away from shining on them? The clothes can bask in the moonlight in the meantime. Some tidying up of the room. Some folding of clothes. Then, hunger pangs hit. You have not fed me lunch, it clamors, forgetting we are in a different time zone now. I offer tea to pacify and it grudgingly settles down.

A walk, a morning walk. Why wait till evening like I usually do? I am awake and fresh as could be. I put on my shoes. And this is where the luck of being jet-lagged hits me. I actually get to see the sky lightening. In the east I can spot where the sky has lit the fire to make its morning cuppa. To the north and south, the sky remains impassively gray, neutral and noncommittal (like some people!) to the excitement of east. The western sky though responds, rejoicing in and reflecting the changes in the east.

By the time my walk is done, the sky on the whole has lit up considerably. The northern sky unwinds enough to reveal a portal, a patch of blue sky can be seen beyond. The south sky is still skeptical of all the hullabaloo and wants no part of it. It’s all going to fizzle out when it starts to rain, as it will soon enough, it seems to say.

Watching the gradual transformation of the sky to the east has been mesmerizing. And exhilarating. A fascinating experience. I resolve to get up at dawn and walk in the mornings from now on. But let’s face it. It is so not going to happen. In a few days I’ll be back to being the night owl. Till then though, I am not missing a single day of my chance to become healthy, wealthy and wise as the proverb says. 😉

©Shail Mohan 2017