What seems to be ordinary, slowly wastes you away,
gets you away from your essence, the nature of your true self.
As he was getting things ready for breakfast,
these and many more thoughts cascaded in his mind, powerfully and in torrents,
to the point that he began to feel helpless and rather annoyed. While looking
away thoughtfully at the view from his kitchen window, the frying pan with a
couple of eggs in it, let him know that if he didn’t remove them from the pan,
they would get awfully burnt. And it was in that moment, like a flash of
thoughts, that he sprang up from the chair, put the couple of eggs and two
slices of toast in a container, filled up his white thermos with hot, sugarless
coffee with milk and went to his room. Considering the lack of material
belongings that he had, he rapidly got hold of some clothes, personal hygiene
items, his laptop, tablet and phone and almost erratically stuffed his backpack
with them. Immediately, he took his minivan keys and as he was walking down the
stairs, he could not help but feeling exhilaration and excitement at what he
was doing. Up to a certain extent a decision that, to many of his friends and
relatives, would be so unlike his nature.
He opened the door of his minivan and started
driving away, without destination. He was leaving, and all he could see in that
moment was that: leaving. As some song with an 80s beat filled in, he felt a
sense of freedom. Definitely a heavy burden was lifted off his shoulder. None
of this would have happened if he had carried out his regular day, and he
didn’t regret it. What for? In the end, he was doing something that deep
inside, or perhaps not so deep, he wanted to do: leave it all behind.
Deep on the road and surrounded by trees on each
side, he reflected on his lack of fear and anticipation on what was to come. Under
other circumstances, it would have overpowered him. But not this time. High in
the open sky, the sun was shining, and the breeze caressed his face while
messing up his curly brown hair a bit as he was driving. A little up ahead he
noticed a clearance and decided to pull over. He got out of the car, briefly
examined the surroundings, and took some of the food he had already packed up
before. Sitting down on a rock by a pond, he could feel that the air was
fresher and the only sound to be heard was that of the nature itself. The
feeling of peace in that moment, could not be compared to anything else he had
experienced before. It was tranquil and filled with power at the same time, it
was liberating and reconciling. Being part of something that could be sensed,
smelled, and felt and at the same time being softly pulled inside that feeling
was simply priceless. Why on earth are we so blind inside and all that we
realize and acknowledge is concrete and shallowness? He thought he could do
without the rest of the world, that he could spread his wings to new horizons
and experience whatever else he had never had before. In the end, there was
nothing else right then and there that he could have asked for.
He took off his clothes carefully, looking around
to make sure that he was the only person around. An action he thought was
ludicrous taking into consideration that he was basically in the middle of
nowhere. A beautiful nowhere. He folded his clothes while smirking at the fact
the was going to go for a dip and that there was nobody else to be seen. Just
him and a huge number of tall evergreens and other kinds of trees that were as
guardians of the place. He treaded his way through the pebbled ground in
direction to the shore. The sensation was not only rough but also exciting
since it was something he had probably done once or twice in his childhood. He
tipped his toes into the water while trying to keep his balance. The water
slipping through his wiggling toes felt a bit cold, but he didn’t care. Slowly,
he continued walking a little further. The water felt fresh as it caressed his
body, it felt like silk, it felt refreshing. He breathed in and submerged his
body in it. As he spread his arms in the water, he could hear the muffled
bubbling sound it made. Musical water, welcoming him in its realm of calmness.
Sticking out his head out of the water, he heard
the music of nature around him, as if it had been perfectly orchestrated with
the chirping of birds and the whispering breeze as the green leaves of the
trees danced in unison. What a magnificent feeling and thing to be witness of.
He looked up at the sky, his body resting in a blanket of water and a feeling
of belonging took over him. He was part of that moment, of everything
surrounded him, nothing else, nothing less. He was part of something that
although unfamiliar he did know it. It seemed contradicting and yet logical, he
thought.
After taking in the most of that wonderful moment
and swimming in circles here and there, he slowly swam back to the shore and
sat again at the rock by the lake while soaking up the sun and all around him.
He became aware that in that moment, all was left behind and that he didn’t
need anything or anybody else. A little later, after the sun had dried off the
last drops of water in his body, he put his clothes back on and continued in
direction of his minivan. He looked up ahead the road and saw nothing, just
trees to the sides and the white stripes marked up on the road inviting him to continue.
He smiled as he pushed away his hair from his forehead. There was no plan to
stick to, just the welcoming invitation of life to carry on, to keep on getting
that connection he felt at the lake and to try the hardest to make it stronger,
and perhaps everlasting.
He got in his car and looked at the spot he had
just been at. He smiled at it once more as if saying goodbye and giving thanks
for letting him be part of it. A few minutes later, he played some music to
boost even more his spirits and drove off, leaving a trail of dust behind him.
A new world unfolded before him, a feeling of being in control took over and
alongside the most important feeling of them all: freedom.
End.
Comments
Post a Comment
Please feel free to write your feedback