F is for all that's 'Familiar'

About a year back we invested in a new house. We were super excited because it was twice as large as our current one, was situated right behind the kids' school and to their complete delight it came with a personal plunge pool in the balcony. Quite a dreamhouse! It is now ready for possession but none of us want to go. Once in a while the kids remember the pool and ask 'When are we moving?' but then they happily go back to their friends and forget about it.

Whoever said familiarity breeds contempt pretty much misunderstood the concept. To me, as I believe to a lot of us, familiarity spells comfort and friendship and security.


Though not a true blue extrovert, I have made some good friends. Friends who call me up if they don't see me around for a few days, who keep my letters safe if I'm not around to receive them, who help me out with every imaginable thing from sharing parenting troubles to accompanying me on coffee dates when I need a breather. (Muah to all you guys)!


I like the smiles I exchange with familiar faces in the elevator every day even though all of them are not my friends.


I like it when the usually surly building guard strikes up a conversation.


I like knowing that four rounds of my apartment building make a kilometre when I take my evening walk  (yeah I'm stuck up like that!).


I like being welcomed by the coolest freshest breeze as soon as I enter our building compound.


I like keeping count of the huge yellow Hibiscus that bloom with great regularity in the garden, even though it isn't my personal garden.


Most of all I love the street outside my apartment building. Crammed in about half a kilometer are vegetable vendors, a fishmonger, a stationery shop, general merchants, fruit sellers, a cobbler, snack shops, medical stores, a scooter repair shop and even a library. Oh I almost forgot to add.. an auto stand and a bus stop, two tiny temples, a mosque and some small time tailors (who handle fancy dress costumes for the kids and all of my alteration work as I put on and shed weight routinely!!)


And yet it's not too crowded since we're almost at a dead end.


Can it get any better? (Umm... still wondering if I missed out anything!)


I like it when I'm greeted by a smile at each of these shops. I enjoy the bits of conversation I exchange. If I miss going to the guava guy, I know he'll come looking for me to my flat with the right mix of raw and ripe ones just the way we like them (raw ones for The Husband, ripe ones for me).



Apologise for the poor picture quality.. it was clicked in a hurry.
You can see the library flanked by the snack store
Tell me why I should want to move?

And contrary to that saying, familiarity makes my day, everyday!


For more fantastic entries go to  ABC Wednesday



Also linking to Marathon Bloggers 'A story for every picture, a picture for every story' 
for the prompt 'Street'

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