A few days back I was asked ‘So how do you feel, now that you are spending the last few days here?’.
I replied ‘I don’t know. I am still here!’
She looked at me and said ‘What’s the visual on your mind? Will you show it to me?’
I said ‘Let me try!’.
I tried visualizing. Slowly images started emerging in my mind’s eye.
I had just woken up. I found myself lying on the beach. I got up and could see the sea waves crashing nearby. I looked around and saw unfamiliar faces going about doing their chores.
I felt a bit out of place. I took small measured steps, and amazingly found that i was leaving footprints. It was fun and i made more footprints. I soon realized that there were others like me who were playing around too. There was this sense of bonhomie. I started walking with them.
Somewhere along the line we decided to create a mix of footprints – something which none of us could create alone. We said ‘What the heck! Let us try it out’. We ourselves were amazed with the different patterns of footprints we were creating.
Someone then came up with the bright idea ‘Can we not mould the sand with our hands?’. I replied ‘Yes, that’s a brilliant idea! Let us do it’. Soon we were creating patterns on the sand with twigs of trees and making sand sculptures. Sometimes we wanted to create something and landed up creating something else. At times we just started creating and landed up making something beautiful.
We kept on walking!
There were times when we looked back and realized that our footprints, patterns, and structures were being washed away by the sea. Those were the times when i said ‘Aah! I wish that were not to be. But then, what the heck! I am standing here now and what am i doing here? Let me create something new here. The waves over time will anyways remove our creations.’
And so we started again with renewed vigor. There were times when some felt tired and left. There were stretches when new faces joined in and said ‘Can i leave my footprints along with, and meshed, with yours?’. We said ‘Sure! We would love that. Come along.’
And so time passed by. We embedded our footprints on the sand with full awareness that someday our footprints would be washed away.
But all the while there were these invisible connections that were getting built between us. Connections we were not aware of, but which brought us back to the sand every morning – to play and leave more footprints.
Today as i see the sun setting, I see the footprints and feel happy that some of them have been there for long and hope some of them stay there for long. I see those who are with me and am reminded of those who were with me too. I feel aware of the invisible connections that have got built with my co-explorers. I feel surprised, there never was any conscious attempts at building these connections. But some where while playing, creating, and jumping on the sand what you did became as important as who you did it with.
When the sun sets today, the beach and the sea i see now won’t be visible anymore. When the sun rises tomorrow, i am not sure where i will wake up.
But i do know that the invisible connections I have built would stay with me. I am thankful for that!
I hope that sometime ahead i can create more footprints with some of my co-explorers and experience the joy of those invisible connections again.
-
Sourav
