She wakes up to the sound of the rattling pails of water, a monotone that is all too familiar, dusts her self off her blanket, cleanses and decorates the entrance to her home with kolam and deeply inhales the pre-dawn air.
He dries off his body and cleanses his mind with his recital of the morning hymns ringing in his heart and soul.
The threesome, however, sleep as if they never have a care.
It is the beginning of yet another day. He thinks, "Where is the hand that shall wake me up, wrap me in warmth and bring me some food and lead me to my day?" Just as this innocent thought breaks through to reveal the inner child in him, the fogs of responsibility close in - a tunnel around the light of day forms and leads to one single exit - other end of the day.
She wonders "What will Today bring for me, what shall I make that is new?"
He mulls over - "Whom shall I meet, and how shall I perform more work than yesterday?"
They silently congeal the dreams, aspirations, longings, love, affection and yearning for free time; and let it all settle down the gentle and deep ravine of the unconscious mind - from where it can never break free and flow into a river of action.
Focus! They now have work to do.
In a few seconds, their day ends - they never knew how it all passed so fast. Cutting, Cooking, Caring, Cycling, Walking, Climbing, Wringing, Drying, Picking, Sorting, Searching, Talking, Arguing, Doubting, Clearing, Cleaning... and now Closing shop.
No time for sitting down, no time for conversation - it's never been clear to them when they will ever sit together and share their ideas in the calm space of nothingness interspersed with the sounds of a lazy slurp of tea or coffee.
Time passes, weeks, months, years and decades. The three birds have flown, spread their wings, lightened the future of their new families with their hard work and honesty, sincerity and dedication, purposefulness and erudition, love and affection.
As they now recollect a lifetime of effort, playing with their grandchildren in the midst of a culture they don't understand, where attention flies faster than time; as they attempt to savor the rewards of relaxation well beyond what they were "expected" to achieve with the means at their disposal; they silently wonder, "where have our childhood and youth gone?"