Me Time
Break from the grind to clear your mind
Growing up, I loved television. For many of us Gen Xers, we probably share similar memories of shows like “That’s Incredible”, “Different Strokes,” “Perfect Strangers,” and “Cheers.” However, in my life, there was one show that made a lasting impression for all the wrong reasons — All My Children. I grew up in a household with a single non-remote controlled 19” color Sony Trinitron. And although I watched a LOT of television, my older sister ruled the television from 2 pm to 3 pm Monday thru Friday during every vacation, which caused me to miss 15-year-old reruns of Underdog.
And if things were not bad enough, I had to endure through a commercial which I thought was even more asinine than the show itself in what seemed like every commercial break. A woman complaining of all the responsibilities of a modern mother looks to the sky and said four words — “Calgon, take me away!” and she was magically whisked away to her bathroom. Seriously?!?!?! I was missing Shoeshine Boy turn into Underdog and saving Polly Purebread for a bubble bath commercial???
Fast forward many, many, many years — and now I sheepishly admit that the bubble bath commercial has some truth to it. With three kids having just completed a year and a half of virtual schooling while my wife and I run our respective businesses, there have been many times in the past year where both of us have wanted to temporarily disappear from the stress and madness of home, work, family and, every other commitment under the sun. The Calgon commercial really hit the nail on the head — we all need me-time. For some, it will be a bubble bath, and for others, a nice walk in the park. Often, I will go out for a jog. There are probably as many things to do during me-time as there are people in this world.
Me-time is generally an act done in solitude, but often it may not be. Suppose the objective of me-time is to relax and recharge yourself mentally or emotionally. In that case, a game of pick-up basketball, talking with an old friend, or having a nice meal with loved ones can be just as effective in temporarily taking your mind off of the problem at hand and reinvigorating yourself to tackle it in the not-so-distant future. During the past 15 months, I discovered (or rediscovered) activities that did just that — running (well, actually slow jogging), cooking, and reading. Also, eating together and playing in the yard as a family also became me-time. And then there was this realization a few months into the pandemic that going to my mandir (Hindu place of worship) was the quintessential me-time.
In one location, I can experience the solitude of observing silence before the sacred images and then hear the warmth caused by the cacophony of hundreds of people in the lobby greeting friends and loved ones. It is in the mandir that I can gain focus on my inner spirituality to give me perspective on the chaos that surrounds me. It is there that so many childhood memories were made, and I get an opportunity to watch my kids make their own. It is where I have an opportunity to volunteer and help society, only to ultimately understand that by doing so, I may be gaining more internally than the person I am helping externally. At the mandir, I hear stories and learn about history only to surprise myself when I lean on them to make a decision that impacts my family and me.
Houses of worship are a thousand things to a thousand people — just like me-time. They are places of worship, religion, study, culture, history, art, community, family, self-reflection, oneness. These reasons are important in their own right, but combined, they make for a powerful and uplifting place. During the pandemic, my mandir was closed like so many other public places, and when my mandir finally opened up for activities a few weeks back, I knew that I would never again take it for granted. The mandir is one of my foundational me-time places. The mandir is a home.
Siddharth Dubal, J.D.
Legal Recruiter
