Every Night Stroller's Dream
I, for one, am a huge fan of post-dinner walks.
Taking a long walk, breathing in clean air (whatever is left in our cities), soaking in the day's occurrences and briefly sulking for what could have been is my way of blowing off steam and going to bed with a clear mind.
It's that part of my day which is cathartic by all means – irrespective of who am I taking that walk with! It's that time of the day when the city is laid bare in front of my eyes. I finally get to see the 'human', softer side of the city – vulnerable and calm at the same time.
The night is much less profane than the day, giving our mind ample wriggle space to think about things that we truly hold close to us. The somewhat deserted roads, shadows of the street lights, the occasional howling of the dogs – all this and more, together, put up a landscape that makes you live in that moment. For a pensive walker like me, just the soft moonlight does the trick of transporting me to someplace where 'I' can 'be'.
In my 30-minute walking ritual, I live a fleeting but totally thrilling solitude.
Although I feel alive in the day, with all the agglomerative forces in full throttle and the complete chaos of coexistence, it's during these walks that I 'really' feel like 'living' and not just 'existing'. Another thing that I cherish about these walks is bickering and snickering with my husband. It's another thing that we spend almost all our time together, but there's something of an edge to our conversations while taking a stroll on our terrace.
During the lockdown, I have come to enjoy this time of my day even more. Those 30 minutes translate to a conglomeration of mirror moments – I assess what I see in the mirror and reflect on how can I make what I see look more soulful and course-correct if needed.
More or less, I like to think of these walks as a coping mechanism – a booster shot that lets me start my next day as a clean slate, without a piece of overwhelming baggage. It's difficult to decide though – whether I possess the time in that duration or the passing seconds possess me?