A Day in the Park - most remembered

A Day in the Park

Tringggg...Tringgg...

The alarm clock which I set for 6 am just went off. It didn't startle me from my sleep. This is my just another usual day where I am awake at 4 am and will be rolling in my bed, until the alarm at 6 am which I set goes off. Many times, I felt that , why don't I get up and read a book or write a book or go for a walk. But, I still lay in my bed, as I strongly feel and pat myself that

'Hey... lucky guy! you still have an extra hour or two to relax'. I enjoy myself doing so, but it's not that it never occurred to me that I am a loner or I have no consistent work to do, as I am a retiree now. We should accept ageing with grace. The more you resist anything, it will trouble you more. Just for a minute, I dwelled on my past and a panoramic view of my busy life and my family appeared in front of me. I just gave a hearty smile and took a deep breath. Yes, they are still in my heart and forever will be in my heart.

The first thing I do after I wake up is, I go to her , take her into my arms and caress her. Her soft touch and warmth are still fresh in my memories. I said, 'Morning Honey!' and put back her picture on the table. She left me five years ago and went to God's abode. From then onwards, I stay alone but I am not a loner as she is always with me....in my heart ... wherever I go.

I woke up and peeped through the window. It's still dark outside and can see a few lights on, in the neighbourhood. When I opened the window, a cool breeze kissed my face and said

'Hello!' to me. 'What a pleasant morning!' I said to myself. I went into the kitchen and prepared a cup of black coffee for myself. I am not able to kick this old habit of having my bed-coffee, which I got accustomed to from my teenage.

'Mr John, you better quit smoking and avoid bedtime black coffee. Brush your teeth at least twice a day. All your teeth have stains....' my Dentist's words are just lingering in my ears.

I just shook my head in order to put away those thoughts. To my heart's content, I enjoyed my coffee.I changed into my track suit, put on my trainers, locked the door and headed towards the nearby park. Since, a little over five decades, I have this regular habit of coming for walk in the park and also take a stroll in the evenings.

Peel Park is a huge one with massive trees, shrubs, creepers and rich in greenery. Many benches are there for all to perch on them. Play areas for children, a lovely boulevard with huge trees on either side of the path. It's the best place for all age groups in my town. A small pond is there with loads of fish in it and a few swans. It really takes you to a different world and an ideal place to relax. I love the fresh smell emanating from the wet grass and gives a pleasant and soothing feeling to one and all who come for a walk or chit-chat with their buddies. Some elderly and youth clubs are there like Yoga, Tai Chi and Laughter therapy clubs. I preferred to join "Tai Chi' where through stretches, the 'Qi' or life energy flows smoothly and powerfully and rejuvenates the body.

Even though I can afford a splashy smartphone, I love to use only a basic model to video call my children once a day and I don't carry it when I go to the park and also don't wear earphones to listen to music while walking, as I am more eager to spend time in chit-chatting with my friends.

By the time I reached the front gate, my dear buddies Sam and Mohammad are sitting on a bench and are waiting for me. 'Morning John!' both said in unison and I too wished them giving a big smile. I  sat beside them and started chatting about the previous night's News stories. When Peter came, we all got up and started walking at our pace, simultaneously chatting whatever we wanted to share with one another.

Daily we walk for 2 km at a stretch and relax on the bench there for another half an hour and walk back to join the 'Tai Chi' group. But, Today is a holiday for 'Tai chi'. As we were waking , we were too involved in our talk and failed to notice a few teenagers who were jogging behind us becoming restless to overtake us.Then, Peter turned back and ushered us to give them way. We moved to one side and they jogged past us.

They were all in their teens or early twenty's with a good muscular built which shows they are fitness freaks. When we were still at the midway of the stretch, they already finished their full stretch jog and were returning in opposite directions towards us. This time, I got a chance to observe them. Sweat was dripping down from  their bodies. Again, They looked at us and nodded their heads disapprovingly, as if we are very sluggish. They just wore jogging shorts and were bare-chested. They have a waist belt across their waists, which carries a small water bottle and a sophisticated smartphone with noise cancelling ear phones . They were restless as their jogging speed slowed down because of us and were in a hurry to jog away at a faster pace. Thankfully, with ageing our maturity also grew by leaps and bounds and we became thick skinned.. We didn't bother about their scornful looks and started walking again while chitchatting mindfully.

But believe me, this time with a good intention of not blocking their way even unknowingly. We finished our 4 km walk and all of us perched on a bench. Those guys went for another stretch and this time returned walking, might be because it was a  rigorous exercise and they got exhausted. They bid bye to one another and two of them went away. The other two laid down on the ground under the shade of the tree. As it was already 9 AM and bright sunlight was there, they covered their faces with napkins and were listening to some music.

We four were indulged in discussing all the topics ranging from Corona's resurgence, disturbances in Asia, Australian Open Tennis. There was no end to it. A few minutes later, we heard a deep cracking sound and when we looked, we saw the tree was vertically splitting and was falling onto the ground. The two guys were unaware of it, as their faces were covered with napkins and also were wearing earphones. We tried to alert them by shouting but it was futile. So, without hesitation, in a fraction of a second all four of us stood up, gained all the strength and ran towards them. Two of us held one boy and  the other two held the other boy, lifted them up and walked as far away as we could from the tree.

When we held them, they immediately opened their eyes, unaware of what's happening and tried to release themselves from our grip. In a few seconds, as soon as we reached the safe spot, the tree fell down with loud noise. They stood up and were shocked to see how the ground split , where the tree had fallen. They were frozen with fear for a while. Later, they came back to their normal senses and thanked us profusely for saving their lives.

One of them said ' We are indebted to you the whole of our lives. Saying Thank you is just not enough.' I can see lot of repentance in his face. The other one also stood looking at us with respect and gratitude. We just laughed and hugged the two boys and told them to be alert next time as unforeseen circumstances may happen anytime. We walked out of the park and agreed to meet in the library followed by lunch.

I returned home with great contentment of helping someone.

I have to go home, have my shower and breakfast then go out to catch up with my buddies at the Library.....