Good Night...!

It was a long day and involved quite a lot of junk intake making me guilty of having my dinner when I got back home fortunately on time. I wasn’t used to jogging on the road during nights in all these years, maybe I only enjoyed getting up and running looking at the emerging Sun as the day too emerged and looked new as against a dull night when energy levels were much lower. Today however, I had to work out before my body would be further fed with any more food and I took up the task. ‘I’ll be back in 30mins’ I exclaimed, not really sure if I was going to complete the whole journey of 3.5 - 4Km that I often do in the mornings.

As I stepped out, it was windy, mute and pleasant evening and jogging was kind of just a sailing on the legs. I stuck to the regular route to the nature park knowing that there would still be light poles inside. Once I enter this nature park, whenever it is, I feel a strange welcome that tells me I’m a prince entering a wonderland, a special habitat that was waiting to see me. It’s been nearly 4 years since I first saw this park and the more I drooped away from here the more I missed it. I was only glad I made the decision of once again renting a flat in this locality after a hiatus of 2 years! Unlike those earlier entries when the park shined gloriously under the Sunlight, now it looked dark and haunting under the moon, but welcoming nevertheless. I got inside and stared all those trees and branches, those specially tailored leaves, leafy paths, flow of water on the way and warmth. There were remote noises of some vehicles outside that couldn’t make it to the deeper areas of the park.

It all looked black in the distance and dark green nearby. They stood silent, unmoved and no wind blew. I saw clear sky when I had started which had now given way for some floating dark clouds that I disliked. As I got further deep into the park, into an area that’s more thick and dense, closed by tall trees and scary branches there were sounds of nocturnal insects presenting a scene right out of a horror movie. And like no horror movie got me scared ever, the park would be the last thing to do so I thought with a smile and sped through it to reach an area where I often took a break. I stretch and perform some regular exercises then rest on the wooden bench for a slight meditation.

I utter or hear the word ‘Om’, I don’t know if it’s because I’m religious. It doesn’t even matter. I say ‘Om’ once again as long as it pleases and soothes. I see a lady somewhere up there in the middle of those trees sitting on a rock with a little river flowing by her side and a peacock on her back as she’s holding a sitar and playing it to my hymns of ‘Om’. There’s also a sea in the background with Sun rising behind her making it all look orange and yellow. She slowly plucks the strings and plays softly, mildly and soothingly to the hymns. I see that she’s smiling at me like always and then she tells me, ‘Son, I’m here. Don’t worry’. However, I can’t see her clearly in the dark night and I can’t concentrate enough to meditate well and I don’t try hard either. Let me not go into any kind of trance, I like this present. I open my eyes and look at my surroundings and breathe the fresh air, love the muteness and enjoy its deserted feel.

My stretching exercises are done and I once again get on to running. I pass through the park which is more of a jungle now and take my route back on a different path. As I run, I don’t stay quiet and calm. I speak out, I don’t just smell the fragrance but drink it, absorb it and I scream at the skies with innumerable questions. Once my friend asked me, ‘what do you think when you’re running?’ and I thought it was an easy question until I started to dwell into it further. I’m thinking when I’m running, I told him. But it wasn’t a great answer. What do you think, he would probe further. But there’s no one answer to it or a fixed pattern of thoughts that happen when I’m running. It’s a flow of unending series of questions that I throw UP to someone who’s patiently listening or so I insist. I run further and questions grow in numbers and this game is played until almost I’m at the end of the park where the road is laid. Just when I’m about to arrive, I see some bright reflection on the top UP there that says something incomprehensible to me and discloses something that has all the answers to all questions I had asked for the day. The image covers its face with this little thing and it becomes clear to my eyes at that point and I know what it was showing me – a mirror!

I read all the answers that I asked for and only I understand. It’s not for anyone else but just for me and mine. By then, I’m out of the park, on the road and without signaling I wave at the image which must be somewhere inside and would show up when I’m here next time. I wave with content and a smile and thank the image and also thank myself for having made this decision of coming over to this heavenly place.

I’m back on the road to my house having burnt some unwanted calories and having gained some really wanted cleansing for my soul. While I get near to my house, the mosque stands lit under the same moon and I utter a little ‘salam’ coz that’s all I know. He must understand it and it shouldn’t matter I tell myself and open the gate of the apartment.

My breathing is normal and I’ve returned to my mundane routine, but only after bathing my inner ‘self’! Good Night world!