Best laid plans

For me the last days of every year are perhaps the most memorable days of the year. Last two years, we had spent the Christmas and New Year in the States, with daughter, son-in-law and grandson. That feeling and joy of spending the time together with family and loved ones could not be experienced this year. However, the fact remains that I consider the month of December as one of my favorite time of the year.

While I was working, there were some casual leaves that had to be availed of, as otherwise it would lapse. I used to spend time planning vacations clubbing my casual leave with the national holidays when I would get the new year calender. And when the year comes to a close, I will be explaining to my family why I could not make those short vacations and racking my brains for finding a plausible reasons for not taking the casual leave.

Reasons for not taking the leave came easily to me but the funniest was always the one that I liked to keep the leave to the last minute. There were others in the office who thought exactly like me. They did not take the leave till the last possible minute and announced their plans to take leave at the eleventh hour. While at the beginning of my career, I was at the bottom at the office hierarchy and naturally I was persuaded not to take leave as my immediate higher up wanted to enjoy his leave. But when I got promoted to higher grades, my luck as far as taking leave at the year end, remained more or less same. It was my juniors who wanted to take the leave and as I was afraid of their ire , I was invariably the one who managed the show during the last few days of the year. Later on I found that I need not hunt for reasons for not taking the leave, as office amended the rules of casual leave and one could accumulate the unveiled portion of their casual leave of a particular year, for a maximum period of three years. This arrangement saved my casual leave, but it did not save my face in the family.

I was determined to make good the lost opportunities of vacation after my retirement. Here also, something or the other, always crops up in the way of my taking vacations. The irony is that it is not confined to year end plans, but applicable for the whole year. I am required to find someone to look after my house whenever I plan any vacation and more so persuade my sister to take care of my aged mother who loathes any changes to her routine. Security considerations demand that I keep someone to look after the house in my absence as I had lost valuables, more of sentimental value when we were away the year before last. That time sister had agreed to take care of my mother after some dramatic scenes and moral persuasions.

Now I find a silver lining, as the Government have come out with a bill whereby children are required to look after their aged parents in their hour of need. The Act even provides stiff penalty if children are found wanting in this area. Maybe if the Act also amended to take care of situations where the parents require attention for short time when the regular care giver needs some respite and vacation, I would be merrier.