Tiny Love Stories: ‘It's Our Secret'
At 24, I took my father to dinner. As our food arrived, he mumbled, 'Don't tell anyone … it's our secret.' He smiled conspiratorially, slicing into the red meat that, as a Hindu, he wasn't allowed to eat. 'I have to tell you something,' I said slowly. 'I will never marry a woman.' Tears blurred my vision, my sexuality finally open. 'You only have one life,' he replied. 'You don't owe anyone any explanations.' Later, while parting, he kissed my forehead like he did when I was a child. Twenty-four years later, I still touch that spot when I feel lost. — Anil Classen
Falling for 'It'
I've never been a 'pet person.' Then I found the neighbor's cat lying lethargically in the backyard, not trying to slink into my kitchen as usual. 'It' became 'he' as I anxiously texted friends and tried to contact his owners. Turns out, they were on holiday and he was healthy and fed, just lonely. I now have my morning coffee outside with my new friend. He meows at me as I point to the water bowl I recently purchased, warning him about the dangers of dehydration. I guess my feelings of love, respect and responsibility are not limited to humans. — Krishna Sruthi Vydyula
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
5 hours ago
- New York Times
Masaoki Sen, a Kamikaze Volunteer Who Later Promoted Peace, Dies at 102
Masaoki Sen, who volunteered to be a kamikaze pilot during World War II but survived the war and became the master of an ancient tea ceremony school and a vocal proponent of peace, died on Thursday in Kyoto, Japan. He was 102. His death was announced by the Urasenke school, which did not provide a cause. Mr. Sen was best known for serving as the 15th-generation grand master of the Urasenke, one of the three main schools of Japan's tea ceremony. After inheriting the role from his father in 1964, he used it as a platform to promote peace, often while speaking of his own experiences during the war. Traveling the world to engage in a sort of tea-ceremony diplomacy, Mr. Sen used the ancient art, whose roots lie in Zen Buddhism, to call for an end to all wars. He was known for the phrase 'peacefulness through a bowl of tea.' Following Japanese traditions, he went by several names during his lifetime. As grand master of the Urasenke, he was called Soshitsu Sen XV, a title that evoked his school's lineage back to Rikyu Sen, a philosopher of the tea ceremony who taught it to medieval warlords. After retiring in 2002, Mr. Sen took the name Genshitsu Sen, a move that allowed his eldest son, Masayuki, to become the next Soshitsu. In a statement released by the Urasenke, the son said Mr. Sen had weakened physically after injuring his hip in a fall three months ago. When his breathing stopped suddenly, efforts were not made to prolong his life, in accordance with Mr. Sen's wishes. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Associated Press
5 hours ago
- Associated Press
India celebrates Independence Day, in photos
India celebrates the day the country gained independence after the partition of British India in 1947. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Moving moments: How to make moving with kids less stressful
Just bought a house in a coveted school district? Yay for your child's education! Moving to be closer to family and friends? Hooray for that built-in village every parent needs! Moving away from family and friends? Awesome! Boundaries are important too. Downsizing and making a pretty penny off your old house? Less clutter and better finances, here you come! Upsizing and taking on a big payment? Here's to big spaces for big dreams! Whatever your reason for moving, it will inevitably be stressful. When you add kids to the equation, you are bound to get a case of mid-move regrets. To learn how to make the process a little smoother, we turned to newly minted realtor and mom of two, Katherine Amos, who grew up moving frequently because of her dad's military career and in adulthood because of her husband's career. Amos has done moves with a newborn, moves with two kids, multi-state moves and moves across town. 'Oh my gosh, my 4-year-old son has already moved seven times,' Amos said as she counted through her most recent moves. Here are Amos' tried and true tips for moving as a family. Planning and Prepping 'Start preparing way in advance of your move,' Amos said. 'If you've got months before the moving truck comes, there's still a ton you can do to get ready without actually packing a box.' Start by decluttering, Amos advised. Now is a great time to get rid of things you don't use so you don't end up packing and unpacking unwanted things. Amos also likes to prepare in advance by finding free/cheap boxes on Facebook Marketplace and using resources like local mom Facebook groups to get personal recommendations for moving companies. Packing and Organizing When you are ready to start putting possessions in those free boxes, Amos recommends labeling and color-coding each box. It doesn't have to be super complicated or overly detailed. Amos uses colored index cards (one color per room) to indicate the room and provide a general list of the contents. 'It's a huge help to know what's in the box and where it's going,' she said. 'It makes unpacking so much easier, quicker and safer. You don't want kids going through boxes containing kitchen knives trying to find their sippy cups.' When packing and labeling, Amos sets aside essentials that she puts in a 'first night' box. She takes this box with her in the car on moving day and unpacks it first. As the name suggests, it contains everything she needs to get through the first night in a new place, even if she doesn't unpack any other boxes. Its content will differ for each family, but it should have things like sheets, medicine, pajamas, paper products, diapers, etc. Get Your Kids Involved Explaining a move to a child is daunting. They have no choice in the matter, they do not necessarily understand its effect on their life and all their stuff is in boxes that they can't access. To help children adapt more quickly, Amos suggests letting your little ones 'help' as much as possible. (Any parent who has ever done a project with a kid who wants to 'help' understands the use of quotation marks.) 'Even if it takes a little longer, let your kids help pack their toys and things,' she said. 'This really helped my son feel included in the move and he then wanted to help unpack and decide where his things should go.' Amos also let her child 'pick' their room. (Again, any parent who has given their child decision-making power knows why 'pick' is in quotation marks.) 'We walked through the house a few times with our son and explained where things would be as we walked,' Amos said. 'I said: 'This room is Mommy and Daddy's, this is going to be the playroom, this is where we will eat breakfast and this is where you will brush your teeth.' Once we got to the regular bedrooms, we let our oldest choose the room he wanted. It made him feel like it was his room very quickly.' If you can't walk through the house with your child a few times, Amos suggests using the real estate listing photos to familiarize them with the new place. Moving Daze Move-in days are inherently stressful, inconvenient and long. While no amount of preparation will completely solve this, Amos says thinking about what to unpack first and setting up a 'safe space' for your kids to be while the movers are there, will help things go smoothly. 'When you've got boxes and people coming in and out of your house, you don't want your kids in the way or in danger,' Amos said. 'We designate a room where kids will be and keep everything else out of it. (Make sure you communicate this to whoever is helping you move.) We set up a floor picnic and have lots of activities in that space to help make the day for the kids and distract them from the stress.' With the kids in their safe space, Amos suggests setting up their rooms first. 'Even if you're not fully unpacked yet, go ahead and set up your child's crib/bed, some of their clothes, and all of their comfort things like their favorite stuffed animals and toys,' she said. 'Having their rooms set up will help settle them back into their routines and make things seem more normal.' Don't Pack Expectations You've set up your kids' spaces, maintained their routines as much as possible and included them as much as you could. Now all that is left to do is manage your own expectations. 'A move that looks easy and organized on social media probably wasn't in real life,' Amos said. 'So, if your kids get a bit more screen time than usual, or only want to eat snacks that day, or don't sleep well, it will be OK. They are in a new environment and even adults take some time to adjust after a move. 'As someone that's moved so many times as both a child and as a parent, I understand how stressful it can be. I became a realtor because I want to relieve some of that stress for families and help make moving what it should be: fun and exciting – and OK, a little stressful too.' To learn more about Katherine Amos, visit This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Moving moments – Get through moving day with less stress Solve the daily Crossword
