Like Tuesday, I also had today (Thursday) free for the holiday. The thing is, I didn’t know too many others who had today off, so I decided to have an “Anne day.” I slept in until 9.00, lounged around my flat and leisurely got dressed, went to the gym in Bandra, showered, and then flip-flopped across the street to a trendy little café where I sat and read this week’s TIME magazine nearly cover to cover.
I sat outside on the café’s patio in the shade of some palmy fronds (probably the only Western person who has done so in the history of the place….I despise air conditioning), ordered eggs Benedict, which I hadn’t eaten in about five years, and drank an iced latte blended to a frappe with a scoop of ice cream. Although I’d already had an amazing and relaxing morning, I decided to move on to get a facial at an acquaintance’s salon.
By mid-afternoon I was on my way back to my flat. I was just about to turn the corner inside my neighbourhood when I saw this little brown puppy coming up from behind me. Suddenly he became visibly happy: wagging his tail, running, and pouncing in my direction. But instead of running directly towards me he stopped and crawled under a car which sat parked between us. Confused, I tried to coax him out.
But then, as I squatted near the car, made some kissing noises and started speaking Swedish baby-talk to him, three little noses made their way towards my hand from the shade of the automobile. I had discovered three puppies, all apparently living under this car!
I think people had mistreated them, since they were a little frightened of me. But I coaxed them out, ran upstairs to get my camera and go through the fridge, came back and attempted to feed them last night’s leftovers, which they wouldn’t touch. It was difficult to get a shot of them all at once since they would not sit still.
But they were so playful and sweet, and reminded me what it must be like to have so much energy and see the world through such fresh eyes. I was happy to have discovered them, I suppose, because I think it’s the first time I’ve seen puppies since… I cannot remember. (I tried not to think about that they were probably rabid and carrying lots of unique diseases…just avoided getting my hands or body too close….)
As I watched them at play I thought about how to a puppy, a new day is a big adventure. They discover new things and play and experience life to its fullest. I thought, that’s how I should experience life here in India (figuratively, of course)…tumbling around, running up to new things, chasing after things that interest me, sniffing around for good stuff and barking up trees after the bandicoot.
In retrospect, perhaps the puppies taught me a lesson. Perhaps I shouldn’t focus so much on my work and on the poverty in India, but make more time for my own happiness. Here, for 15 minutes, I got to feel like a kid again: laughing and playing on the lawn with these curious little creatures.
N.B. This version is a draft…my computer crashed and did not save the better version…will be reworked next week
No comments:
Post a Comment