GNO!

One thing that still keeps the girl in me alive is the GNO nights that we have every once in a month or two or earlier if anybody’s birthday was up. We have managed to form a group of 8 girls who are lucky enough to have husbands who let us fly away from them and the brood, on some designated nights and let us have some girl fun.  We’ve managed to keep up with this tradition for the last 2 years now.

It all happened one day when, a new girl came into town. She was a people person, she needed to know everybody around her to feel complete. She took up the task of calling everyone in the neighborhood. Some of us responded while some didn’t. We then got together with families to know each other.  It was in one such gathering that, this suggestion of us girls going out every once in a while was born. We all jumped at it. It had been ages since we moms had thought beyond our husbands and kids.  It was time to reclaim our girlhood back. Some, could sure name this as a mid life crisis. Whatever the term, we got lucky to go out sooner than expected, as one of us was turning 16, and it was time to celebrate!

  We are missing one in this picture!!!

All of us are in the same boat of life, well qualified professionals during the day, and perfect wives and mom’s by night trying hard to make it work for our families, setting up food on the table on time, making sure the kids are growing up into responsible people, that, they are well placed in their school with respect to acquiring knowledge, keeping a decently clean home which I tell you is an impossible task. We’ve also been blessed with husbands who feel that its necessary for us to meet up so we can get some sanity and chulbul fun back in our lives. (Or,  it could be the other way too. The husbands are looking to have a break from each of us :-) so theyyy can get some sanity back in their lives!) Either way, it works out great for us girls.

Last night was one such night  when we went out to have fun. Eating out was just an excuse. Most of our hubbys’ thought it was crazy that we had decided to go out on a night when there was so much snow around. We ventured out nonetheless. Most of the times, its also the logistics that play a role in picking a date. The date, that works for most of us.

These nights are so fun that almost all times we don’t feel like coming back home. I remember one such effort last year. After we had finished our dinner at a restaurant, we didn’t want to leave. We just saved ourselves from literally, being kicked out of the restaurant. We then decided to go to another diner where we could have some late night coffee. We ended up ordering things on the menu we didn’t intend eating or drinking. Even this place couldn’t entertain us much longer, they needed to close too! Dejected, we had gone back to our homes planning that next time we meet, it’ll have to be a PJ night.  We're still struggling to keep up to this plan :-(

During the initial GNO meets, we tried to keep off from talking about our families. But, how could that be possible?!..We were all die hard MOM’s and  WIVES. Our blood oozed out Mommyism and Wiv-fism. So, try as hard as we could, we were unable to resist what our minds wanted to talk. Each of us had a story to tell about our kids and ‘the hubby’ and the words would start to flow. Soon, we realized our folly and gave up on this resolution and let ourselves talk our minds out.  You know, the mind and body should be in sync to get that balance and enjoy what we want to. In the process, we had found a way to let go of our families..to be able to talk nonsense and have girly fun we were out to achieve.

Last night was one such again. The topics rolled out from here and there and came to rest on … our inner selves, our personalities and what runs this?  Take a guess, on what we decided, that made us behave the way we were?!

Our zodiac signs!!

It was one of the girls b’day who again turned 16 for the n’th time. After we made her feel special and embarrassed her enough with some loud announcements in a crowded restaurant,  we let ourselves slip into this talk of zodiac signs and how they rule our beings.

                You see the embarrassment on her face?

One of them tuned out to be a Gemini…who bore the brunt of being one. A software professional by career, a loving mom of 2 and a doting wife to a loving husband, and as much as I know her, she juggles multiple tasks with such ease, making us feel like it was nothing.

She had no clue, the characteristics, her zodiac symbol had bestowed upon her and some of us enlightened her with it.  Instead of letting her know, that the two faced  or dual natured Gemini, is able to see both side of a situation, somebody who could possess opposing thoughts simultaneously…and still have the ability to reconcile with them perfectly, ..we made her realize that she has a split personality, that maybe, it would mean bi-polar too! thanks to her zodiac symbol :-)

Suddenly, she realizes the way she has to be and behave is not ruled by her own personality but, by what somebody, who doesn’t even know her, wrote how she, a Gemini, is supposed to be. 

Turning point of her life..”to ignore all this!”..she made a mental remark.

We did have a lot of fun using her as the target and she took it all as playfully as we did, all in a stride…just like a Gemini would do. We did have one more person we targeted too. She’s flying high nowadays!!! The only problem to this being..there are no road ways or traffic signals for such flights yet. :-)

If I needed to describe each of the 8 girls in our circle, I would do it like this:

Starting with the b’day girl. Her name starts with an “S”.  A career minded professional who cannot imagine herself without it and is hard working enough to be an achiever. Life is tough for this girl but she somehow manages it like a piece of cake. She loves to travel and has other extra curricular activities too. The important among them being, unable to see beyond everybody’s welfare. That’s one of the priorities in her life.

The next one’s name starts with an “L”. She is an epitome of liveliness and cheer. So chirpy, she can bring life into a group of glumly sitting people in a jiffy. She was also crowned, the baby of our group, a title she so adores because,as we keep celebrating sweet 16’s every year, youthfulness is one thing that starts to become extinct. I’m sure, even if she were to celebrate sweet 16 for the 70th time in her life, she would live up to this reputation of being vivacious and chulbuli! She loves to fly in the air..literally!  Give her an event and she can spark it up..with her activities and ideas, of which she has no dearth. She so lives up to the reputation of her zodiac symbol “Aries”.

The next one’s name starts with a “D”. This girl who looks so simple and down to earth, yet, carries this majestic aura on her. She exudes elegance with every movement. She’s the girl one turns too, to get the ball rolling when an event is planned. She has a way with words, and she’s one girl that is difficult to offend, proved from last night’s extravaganza of her traits that all of us unearthed for her:-).   Love her sense of humor, the comical way with which she recounts difficult situations that she has been in. A professional, who is able to balance home and work like a breeze..makes me want to look for a hole to hide my face in shame.

The more I talk of this girl whose name starts with a “R”, the less it would seem. She’s a mom every kid would desire to have and a neighbor everybody would covet. Loving, caring and giving comes so naturally to her. A nephrologist by profession, making friends comes so easy to her. She’s a true personification of an '”Aries” and she does full justice to the zodiac she belongs to. She’s also a doctor that every patient would desire to go to. At ease with accepting her short comings, yet, so confident that she could do anything that she puts her mind to.

This friend of mine, oozes of Libra personality. Her name starts with an “L”. Its difficult to spot her without her ubiquitous smile.  I/We have pulled each other’s leg as friends during arguments and conversations, but, I don’t remember any one of us, actually pulling anything funny on “L” anytime. She’s such a sweet personality. She’s always so tactful in presenting her point..never gives a chance at offending anybody. If I were to describe her, in a few words, they would be: gentle, smiley, reliable, helpful and looks soooo graceful in a saree!!! (Confessions of a secret admirer :-) )

This girl’s name starts with a “V”. She can be a ferocious party animal and can show her reverence to religious activities with a fervor even greater.  The karma points that she earned volunteering at a nearby ashram has earned her blessings from all the pundits who were here, that,  puja’s are being done on the behalf of her family in some big temples in India. She had gone out of the way. last summer, in taking care of the pundits from India, when they were in town, for a Yagna! She always takes me by surprise at what she can be capable of when she puts her mind to it.

Our group would be incomplete without “N”.  Dealing with a tiny tot and a kindergartener, she’s also juggling work and home, reason why, we get to see less of her.  A very pleasant personality to be with.  Love of music and Photography are some of the things that ties me to her. Our taste’s in music is similar! This is something I found very difficult to match with people nowadays because there are so many variations of music available. She’s a very good photographer and loves it.  I’ve seen some of the shots she composed during one of our GNO meet and they were so great. Another thing I loved doing with her..is cycling! Good stamina and a perfect partner who will push you enough to get out your best.

Its not like we girls didn’t have any stressful moments among us. Especially, when events have to be planned out and personal tastes, difference of opinions  and inconsistent schedules kick in, situations can really get ugly and they did! But, we’ve been able to brush off those moments and this act has only gotten us to bond stronger with each other.

I think, another factor that plays a key role in this is the involvement of our families. Our kids are around the same age so we are able to share their antics and achievements with each other. Our hubby’s get along well with each other, being around the same stage in their lives.  I’ve also seen the hubby’s gloat at the fact that we wives are able to enjoy each others company and come up with creative events, when we do, (thanks to “L”)  and they love it.

Its very important I think, to have a group that you can trust.   It also gives the kids a feeling that they belong to a bigger community, especially when we do not have any other close families of our own, around.  I hope this ritual of a Girls Night Out will continue for a long long time and I’m so happy to be part of this.