Wednesday 4 April 2012

Decelerando!

I contemplate over the few decelerandos that I have encountered in my life. Some events are like those lingering decelerandos, that break the pace of my regular routine,  fill it with special moments, then fade away, leaving me feeling content.

Think of Mozart. Or Beethoven. Or even Eighties rock for that matter. That last bit of a catchy piece or a trippy rhythm, which finishes off with a slackening in the tempo, never goes unnoticed. "Decelerando" in Spanish or 'rallentando' in Italian, is a term used in western classical music to describe a gradual decrease in speed of music.

I recently came across this term, which aptly describes a "lazy deceleration of the tempo that seems to have less certainty and drama..."

It is usually unexpected and fills you with momentary anticipation, an eargasm, as it leads you to an almost perfect finish to a foot-tapping melody.

12th Grade. Each day was defined by coaching classes, books, examinations, tension and stress. It was drab with nothing to look forward except a mountain of homework and fat textbooks that always seem to smirk at me.Life was a blur. There were moments when I felt suffocated; stress would choke me. I would wake up at 3 A.M feeling restless; crease lines on my forehead refusing to disappear. Board Examinations seemed far away. I could hardly wait for them to get over and enjoy the sweet taste of freedom.

They ended of course. It was only a matter of time. And then came summer with its shocks and surprises.I don’t want to count the shocks. Well, the surprises were awesome decelerandos! A sudden, unexpected week long getaway to Thailand was the biggest surprise of them all! The beaches of Pattaya, Tom Yum Soup, underwater sea walks, Alcazar, para sailing, swimming, shopping at Bangkok, etcetera!

Time passed slowly in Thailand, though technically speaking, it’s one and a half hours ahead of IST.
That week was the highlight of summer. A break in the monotony of our lives; I realized it had been ages since I had spent quality time with my family. Light-hearted conversations, lazing around, contentment and fun;  they were moments that made you slow down, pause  and savor those small joys, pleasures and opportunities, that are hard to come by. 

This decelerendo did lead to a good finish. We returned home with great memories ,  a truckload of stuff we purchased at  Platinum Mall in Bangkok, photographs and videos. A much deserved, refreshing and satisfactory break!

Now, that’s one helluva decelerando.


5 comments:

  1. Anjali,

    Thanks ever so much for visiting my blog and for your lovely comments. :) My heart and thoughts are with you and your family as you travel your uncle's path with him. I can certainly relate to decelerando, having been a string person for much of my life - violin, viola. Now it's drumming - see my post today "D is for Drumming." :) It is lovely to meet you!

    Peace, strength, love and light,
    Betty

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  2. Very nicely done! I loved the parallels. Yes, life's easy to decipher when in a decelerando than when its a speedy blur!

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  3. I know how stress feels like choking at 3 am ~ It's always wonderful when it passes.
    :)
    Kate
    Follow & A to Z Visiting: http://whemkateblogs.blogspot.com

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  4. Sweet! Decelerandos are important when you're speeding. A sudden stop always leads to injury. It's important to stop and smell the roses at a deceleranding space - especially when life suddenly seems too overwhelmingly fast.

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  5. Thanks for visiting my blog! :)

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