Here’s a situation that I heard all about this morning. Please read through and tell me what your advise would be?

Ganga is a 20 year old and she has a 4 year old son. When her husband had left her she was 2 months pregnant. Since then she has been staying with her parents.

She blames her parents for marrying her off to a boy she didn’t even have a chance to meet. When she came back to them after he left, she says they didn’t let her abort the child she didn’t want. And now she says they constantly complain about her son and her being a burden.

She nows wants to leave her parents and marry a boy she has met. He is still studying and is expected to finish in two months and get a job. That puts his age at about 21-22. He is a Teluguite and she is a Nepali. They plan to speak to his parents but intend to marry even if they don’t agree. The boy wants to marry her and adopt her son too.

Do you have any advise for Ganga? What do you think she should do? Should she think of her son before herself? Should she consider how young the boy is when making her decision? After all he’s still studying and is yet to get a job. Or should she just go ahead, because after all if it doesn’t work out she will be back to being single/divorced and that where she is right now. So she has nothing to lose but gets the bonus of a father for her son.

What do you think – should she marry or should she wait to assess further?

The last two weeks had me in a daze as I felt lost in my mind and just didn’t seem to be able to find a way out. Ever been here?

My directional or route map in these circumstances are books. Actually books are my escape route always and all the time. To me books are a way to escape reality for a bit and go into fantasy as the plot unfolds and the characters live out their lives. The story feels like am watching a movie only I seem to be in it while it runs. I pick up books based on how am feeling and over the last two weeks I read three feel good books – Shadow of the Moon, the Bride and P.S. I Love You.

Shadow Of The Moon by M.M. Kaye is set in pre-independence India around the time of the first mutiny. Winter de Ballesteros who was born in India but sent off to England after her parents die, comes back to be married. Her guardian on her return journey is Captain Alex Randall, and there starts their love story. Of course they do not realize it until much later and by then Winter is married to Commissioner Conway Barton. Around all of this the mutiny of 1857 is slowly unfolding and despite Alex’s efforts, suddenly Alex and Winter find themselves in the middle of it. The historical bits are well researched and as Kaye was born in India, she has added the real Indian touch. A good book but not as good as Kaye’s ‘Far Pavilions.’

The Bride by Julie Garwood is set in Medieval Scotland. Jamie by order of King Henry must marry Alec Kincaid of Scotland (who has been similarly ordered by King Edgar). The story revolves round Jamie and Alec getting to know each other and falling in love despite the different cultures and customs. There is also mystery as Alec’s first wife had been killed and now Jamie is a target. The story is interesting and gripping and again the history has been well researched and woven in. A good light read.

Cecelia Ahern’s P.S. I Love You is a modern day story set in Ireland unlike the previous two. The story is about Holly who has lost her husband and soul mate Gerry. Holly is devastated and can’t seem to snap out but just before her 30th Birthday she receives a bundle of notes from Gerry that gently guide her towards a new life. With help from Gerry, friends and family, Holly starts off on a journey of finding herself and a new life. This book is also a movie of the same name but I recommend reading the book first.

These books certainly helped me get out of the mind maze but even otherwise I think they are a good read. So what do you do when you’re lost?

Photo Credit: Amazon

P.S. – If you like the book and want to buy it; the pictures link to the book’s Amazon page and the text link leads to IndiaPlaza for those in India. : )