It was Sunday and I found myself in a grocery store, a short distance from church. As usual, I greeted this man with the warmest of greetings. Like me, he and his two young kids follow the Sunday ritual; church then the grocery store. I do not have a name to his face but we always exchange a few words and a warm greeting.
Amongst the bustle of people in the store, two young girls entered; the elder being around 6 and the smaller one, around 2 years. As they entered the little one bumped into someone and fell to the ground having lost her balance. People around her looked into each others eyes exchanging glances; searching for signs of claimant to the post of guardian of the young one. But as we were doing so, the elder sister picked the young one up and told her, "It will be ok". The two of them went about their business, as people started to smile and ruffle the little one's top. I asked the elder sister if they were ok and she replied in the affirmative, whimpers still emanating from the little one; the elder sister trying all that she could to cajole her younger sister. And then they left the store.
I then saw a lot of children at this other place; smiles on their faces, dark questions lurking in the twilight; like dormant volcanos on a mid summers dawn, waiting to erupt, waiting to be heard.
While on the road I came across some more little children at the back of a car. So I decided to wave to them and they returned the gesture through beaming faces; the smiles getting bigger with every subsequent gesture.
And then I got to where I was heading ? Well... err not yet.
Amongst the bustle of people in the store, two young girls entered; the elder being around 6 and the smaller one, around 2 years. As they entered the little one bumped into someone and fell to the ground having lost her balance. People around her looked into each others eyes exchanging glances; searching for signs of claimant to the post of guardian of the young one. But as we were doing so, the elder sister picked the young one up and told her, "It will be ok". The two of them went about their business, as people started to smile and ruffle the little one's top. I asked the elder sister if they were ok and she replied in the affirmative, whimpers still emanating from the little one; the elder sister trying all that she could to cajole her younger sister. And then they left the store.
I then saw a lot of children at this other place; smiles on their faces, dark questions lurking in the twilight; like dormant volcanos on a mid summers dawn, waiting to erupt, waiting to be heard.
While on the road I came across some more little children at the back of a car. So I decided to wave to them and they returned the gesture through beaming faces; the smiles getting bigger with every subsequent gesture.
And then I got to where I was heading ? Well... err not yet.
8 comments:
I dont exactly but your post gave me a feel good factor... and it also very much reminded me of this picture.
checked out the pic... its an amazing one :-)
i think i got the gist :)..i also saw the pic posted by nonstopgoli, i swear i can't remember last time i saw any adult that relaxed!
well the post is about the third paragraph.... all other paragraphs revolve around it...
children should be children..... otherwise some of them will break...
Good use of metaphor nice one well written simply loved uuuuuuuuuuuuuu
thanks :-)
just to restate things... the children in the third paragraph are children i.e. ppl before their teens...
I wasn't trying to refer to grown ups there...
nice blog :)
Alistair, now this is for the post one before, the comment link has disappreared..
"The reason is simple. With them there is no obligation." I wonder if it is obligation, I think it is the feeling of guilt. Guilt of not acknowledging. Because I guess naturally most of us have the tendency to delay things. Waiting for tomorrow to do things, and when all of sudden you realize that things have ceased to exist, you feel guilty.
Post a Comment