Editor’s Note: A morning walk is good for both our body and mind. What starts out as a simple walk at times turns out into a memorable experience! Akila Mani has had a beautiful encounter with a flight of butterflies and she has kindly shared it us. Hope you enjoy it.
Stepping out of the house on a weekday morning for a brisk walk can be invigorating and energising, and I have recently re-discovered this truth after a long gap and regret having missed it for so long. Today, after finishing off my kitchen chores and urging my husband to finish his soon, I quickly changed into my jogging tracks and tees, tied off my hair in a high ponytail, and grabbed my sneakers. My husband joined me soon and we were happily off on our new trail for a brisk morning walk. My daughters had been to a nearby park recently and had quipped my curiosity with the unending banter of its inmates, the butterflies. They had even taken snaps of them for my elder daughter’s science project.
I wondered how they manage to discover such new places which I fail to notice! and my DH gently reminded me that I fail to notice him even at a close range. I vehemently protested saying it was because I had not expected to see him at a certain place and certain time and had not recognized him. And then it struck me, because I expect to see a certain person / thing in a certain place I fail to notice something else that is present while children are not expecting to see something, they are curious and open to seeing what is present!!
We walked on and were soon away from traffic and in the park when my husband pointed out the board inviting everyone to take a look and the beautiful butterflies. I had seen this place a couple of times but had assumed it as an enclosed flower garden. We saw a few elderly going and many standing outside doing various forms of exercise. My husband convinced me that it would be a better idea to finish our walk and check out the garden on our way back.
Along the way, I kept wondering how I had failed to see the prominent signboard. I felt a little foolish as my husband knew the exact location when my kids mentioned it while I had been clueless. The brisk walk, warm breeze and the wonderful sight of so many health conscious people soon took my mind off the feeling and I continued on.
On our way back, we stepped into the butterfly garden to be welcomed by a bunch of colorful butterflies of small and medium sizes. Yellow, blue, red butterflies dotted the lush greenery in the enclosure. A big black one landed on a shrub close to me and I was surprised to see the beautiful blue pattern on its wings. We stood looking around and in one corner I saw couple of butterflies on the outside (probably escaped from the enclosure) hovering close to the mesh fence and the ones on the inside were also hovering there. It looked as if they were talking to each other across the fence. I wondered what they would say! They were close but yet so far. It reminded me of the feeling I get every time I call my parents. Their voice in my ears makes me feel so close, but when I end the call I feel they are so far away from me. Now with the advancement in technology, many of us can see our dear ones on skype and chat (though my parents don’t use the internet) but that too is something similar to what the butterflies were doing; again, close yet far.
Soon it was time to leave. I wondered what made me compare the butterflies to human feelings. Guess it is to do with the fact that I am going to meet my parents in a few months and also the fact that I will miss my DH when I visit my parents as he will join us two weeks later. I am totally excited about seeing my parents, but I am already starting to miss my DH. Funny how the mind works!
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