The Magic Potion That I Drank

I am Sujatha, and this is the story of how I accidentally drank a magic potion that changed my life!

One evening, as usual, I walked in from work. The youngest was glued to the plasma screen, and the elder one was busy on the iPhone.

"Do you not want to go out and play? It’s such a lovely evening," I asked.

"Ok, Mom, let’s go!" shouted the kids.

"What do you mean ‘let us’? I am tired, stressed, and need a break… Let me change and have a cuppa… you boys go!" I commanded.

"Oh, Mom!" they complained, slumping back to their gadgets.

I was exhausted and fed up. The kids were stuck to smartphones and gadgets all summer, except for the few hours I sent them to expensive summer camps and classes. With both parents holding busy jobs, summer holidays often became a nightmare—except for the few days we took a trip to some exotic locale. We would return with vacation photos to show off on Facebook, bodies tired out even more, just to catch up with the mounting work waiting for us.

The Magic Potion

After stepping out of the shower, I sipped my cuppa. It felt good, but a dull headache was developing. Dinner and chores were next. Even with full-time help, there was always pending work—at home and at work.

When will this change? When will I have time to hang out with my kids, play with them, or just fool around at home? My mind said, never. My heart said, now.

For a moment, I let my heart rule my mind. I stepped out, picked up a badminton racket, and shouted, "Who’s in for a game?"

"Meee!" shouted both boys, racing for the other rackets. They headed onto the porch and started playing. Suddenly, I felt refreshed—the headache disappeared along with my tension. All I cared about was scoring the next point, showing my eldest that my younger son and I were good too.

Soon, daddy’s car arrived.

"What’s all this?" he asked, confused.

"Come join us, Dad! Mom and bro are singling me out," said the eldest.

"Is that so? Let’s see them do that now," said Dad. He disappeared for two minutes and returned in tracks. The game heated up… teams changed… parents versus kids… We won a point and hugged each other. It felt so nice… why had we stopped giving hugs to each other?

The game reached championship point. I hit the winning shot, and my husband lifted me up, swirling me around in celebration. Panting, he put me down, sparks flying, and whispered, "Let’s take that up later tonight, shall we?"

Forty-five minutes had passed, and my whole world had transformed. We laughed more, talked more, and connected. Hubby hadn’t opened his laptop, the kids hadn’t turned on the TV. After showering, we all gathered around the table, enjoying fruit and light banter.

"What do we do for dinner?" I asked.

"Let’s cook together!" the boys suggested. We took stock of the pantry, decided the menu, and started cooking. Seeing hubby and the boys take charge of the kitchen, I tried to recollect the last time he helped. The dinner we made together was something everyone was proud of. After months, the whole family huddled together in spontaneous prayer and thanksgiving.

In the bedroom, the magic from the game continued. We felt like two young lovebirds again, instead of two tired bodies weighed down by the responsibilities of work and parenting.

I lay content in the cool night, wondering… how did this magical evening happen? Was it the magical cuppa I drank? Or simply stepping out with a racket instead of my phone? I hadn’t checked messages from work or friends all evening.

I realized that all those evenings spent behind my phone had only brought tiredness, stress, and distance from my family. Today, I felt connected—with myself and with them.

Reconnecting with family is about disconnecting from technology and reconnecting through sports, conversations, food, and love—spending time doing things I love with people I love.

I’ve found the magic potion, and I’m ready to drink it every day… are you?