Affection

"We have come together a long way", she remarked. He agreed. From childhood to the present, at the cusp of her matrimony, her calling, her desire, all were to materialize soon. We did have a jolly good time, didn't we, he asked. She nodded approvingly indicating that good times were always with good company. She did not believe in partying out, of jars filled with beer, glasses flowing with alcohol, music generating high decibels. Her's was a simple motive. Of giggles and squeaks, of good-natured bantering, of discussing sitcoms and the characters it entailed. Such was the definition of time well spent. It included too, her time spent with family. Just being in the present. Just being there...

"You will be going to a whole new world", he said. There won't be soul-sisters at beck and call. They will be asleep when you are awake. "You will have to deal with new found silence. And that will be a good thing." He had gone though the same rigour too. Suddenly, noise around him was muted. He could hear the bird chirp, the wind hustle. He gave into this wonderful peace. "Some might call it drone", he cautioned. "But, don't mind them. This will be a break. This is your time away from it all. Enjoy the silence. It does not fall into someone's lap this easily." Absence of noise, even in it's presence can be wonderful!

"How did it feel when you gave it all up? To return to simpler times and people. Do you miss it?"

"I do, more than ever. Because, I was able to perceive sound as an entity there. So there was a clear demarcation when it was present and when it was absent. Here it takes more effort. I have to struggle to know when to switch-off. It is a lot harder. But, then again, it feels nice to come back to one of your own. This is where I belong now." She tried to come to terms with it all. All through one's life, man searches for stillness. But no one really knows how to achieve it. Perhaps it's all relative. One need not go to Mansarovar to experience stillness. One can experience it in the darkness of the night, in bed, just before dozing off. Just need to be gracious enough to accept it.

"I don't really know what to expect. This contrasts with the excitement, vigour this new phase in my life would bring." She seemed confused. Her large, round eyes exemplifying the fact. "You are definitely entitled to it! All I am saying is, don't get caught up in the physical world, trying to please everybody. You can have your own approach to it all. Try and switch-off every now and then. You will notice that time appears to be on roller-skates there. Take a walk, breathe in the cold crisp air. Try to slow it down. You will notice yourself relaxing." This is not yoga or meditation, he was quick to add. "Sometimes, to handle responsibilities, you need to first underplay them. Soak it in, don't act instinctively. Let it engulf you. You will see yourself handling it better."

It is very hard, he added. "I still am struggling to come to terms with slowing things down. Looking at a proposition from multiple angles becomes your Art of War. I might take a lifetime to find my Art of War or even put it to full use. But, I do know that failing to react instinctively to responsibilities often got me out of icky situations and enabled me to approach it better." Hopefully, it earned me some admiration, some respect, he drifted off...

"You never craved attention, anyway. So, I can understand this bubble you generate. It is like your stage. Your theater without any act." That is some analogy, he joked and gave her a hug. It was time...she would be leaving soon. Bouncing ideas off each other would rarefy. Space for intellectual thought will be shared with someone else. Hopefully, she will find time to get away from it all every now and then....