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A holiday need not be spent worrying if you've locked the door or turned off the gas. Proper planning will go a long way in avoiding tension
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PLANNING AHEAD Try and make a checklist to avoid last-minute goof ups Photo: K.K. MUSTAFAH
Whether you're off on a vacation or ambling down the road to smell the roses, there's this nagging feeling of having left the front door open, the tap on, the gas not disconnected, can all wreck your peace of mind. Visions of your home sweet home going up in flames, the hot red iron devouring the unsuspecting shirt greedily before moving on the mattress, or the neighbourhood cat family breeding in your kitchen al ruin that perfect holiday.
An unexpected office meeting or an instant holiday is a perfect situation for this pattern to emerge.
"I always forget my toothbrush," says S.M. Das, a bank employee. He has company. "My wife forgets our home keys," he adds with a laugh. So at times they have made a backdoor entry into their house.
The railway station is one place where you'll find tense faces. Not that they don't trust the good old Railways, but they're worrying about that front door that has possibly been left open.
Open fridge
When you meet a beaming Vasantha, you wouldn't suspect she has left the fridge door open as she goes off to a small family get-together in the neighbouring State. "I will be back in five days," she says reassuringly.
A. Mohan Reddy and his wife Parvathy, who were visiting their son at Coonoor, almost missed their train thanks to forgotten keys. Forgetfulness can mean paying for the same ticket twice. Says a wise soul running a small business on the platform: "Some passengers are so busy buying things they leave their tickets here." Some people are so keyed up they leave some pieces of their luggage too.
"We find two to three bags daily," says a sub-inspector of the Railway Protection Force at a major railway station. One such experience that sent shivers down his spine: "One day, I got a call that a bag had something in it which was ticking. I rushed to the platform and swung the bomb detectors into action only to find an alarm clock ticking inside."
Careful planning
But not everyone forgets. Says Shanthi, who works in the Postal Department: "Switching lights and fans off is routine and I plan for holidays well in advance."
Adds Lalitha, a network marketing executive: "I have a bag where I keep all the things I need, so I rarely overlook anything."
Cecile and Sophie, primary school teachers from France, who were visiting Udhagamandalam, said they were careful to pack items so that they were easily accessible, especially the medicine case.
But Shanthi says some people have the habit of worrying. "Even if we tell them to stop worrying, they don't."
Vijayalakshmi Prabhakaran, a mother of two, says: "I make sure when we are going out that I switch off the lights and fans, the gas, the iron and then recheck." She believes that the habit of forgetting shows that a person has not been trained to plan and take on responsibility. Kids should learn that picnics and holidays mean more than just fun, it means shouldering a share of the responsibilities. "My daughter is responsible for locking the doors and the water bottles have to be put in the van by my son."
PUJA S. NAVIN
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