The kind of peace that probably takes a lifetime to build :)
I went to the park, just like i usually do... There were children running around... There were students sitting with books, pretending to study but mostly watching people....There were a few office employees with laptops... And then there were elderly people, walking slowly, sitting and stalking...
For the past few days, I had been noticing an old couple.
They always arrived around the time I was getting ready to leave. They never walked for long. Just a few minutes. Then they would sit on the bench, open their flask, sip hot water together, and quietly watch the children play...
Sometimes they laughed at something only the two of them seemed to understand.....
Today, I sat nearer to them...
I was working on my laptop when they looked at me and the old man asked if I was an employee... We started talking. There was something so genuine in their smiles.
I asked them if they come to the park every day. She said, Our house is just beside the park. We come here every evening.
I don't know why, but I kept asking questions. Usually, I don't do that. But today, just wanted to listen.
I asked them what they used to do before retirement....They told me they had both worked in the forensic department as government employees.
Then, very carefully, I asked their age. He laughed softly and said, "I am 82. Shee is 77"
For a moment, just looked at them. Not because of their age. But because of the way they looked at each other smiling...
So I asked them one last question, What is the secret of staying together for so many years?
He looked at her and smiled. "Sitting together and talking together," he said.
At first, I thought the answer was too simple. Then she started explaining that
There were years when they lived in different cities because of transfers. Sometimes they were hundreds of kilometers apart. But there was never a single day when they didn't speak to each other. Every day, they shared everything..How their day went...What happened at work...What made them happy...What made them angry...What they ate...What they felt...
Everything.
That's how we have lived together for almost fifty years she said.
I don't know why, but that sentence hit me harder than anything else.
I didn't know what to say, just sat there for a moment, quietly. Before left, they asked me about my whereabouts, and we spoke a little more. Then smiled, said goodbye, and walked away, carrying that conversation with meee. And during that walk, I kept thinking about them.
We spend so much of our lives chasing bigger things more money, more success, more achievements, more recognition. But today, while watching two old people sitting on a bench, sharing hot water and talking about nothing in particular, I felt like maybe the biggest achievement in life is much simpler than that.
Maybe it is finding someone who still wants to sit beside you even after 50 Years💌
Someone who still wants to tell you how their day was.
Someone who still wants to listen to yours. And honestly, I don't think it matters whether you have a thousand crores in your bank account or just hundred rupees in your pocket. At the end of the day, this kind of peace which probably takes a lifetime to build.
And yes, as I sit here writing this, I realize that my eyes have become wet🥹💌
