Ever wondered how some openings in the walls that allow light to come in can be so interesting? Yes it does help you to look at the world present on the other side of the wall , with you yourself remaining undiscovered. Or it helps you to enjoy the beautiful scene of every season without yourself being exposed to the harshness of nature.
What do I mean by that? Imagine you can enjoy a good view of rain pouring for hours, without getting wet. Of course a simple umbrella would help you do the same. But can you sip a warm cup of hot chocolate or read good book while holding an umbrella sitting in the rain? I guess not. Unless you have more arms.
But with windows, you can! Now I would rather be on the other side of the window , be in the rain and have fun than sit inside and read a book or two. It feels boring. But , I do enjoy hearing a good story.
Again , over time things change. Not a big admirer of change though , but would love to see how things unfold when encountered with changes in life.
Well, it has been about a year since we all shifted to a new workplace. I was seated farthest from the window. But the window was big enough to see almost everything from the nearest parking lot to far away mountains. From the sunny summer to dark cloudy winter things kept on changing over time. The walls around the window started getting damp from rain water seeping in. Spiders started to spread their web all around the window pane. Almost everything about that window changed.
One event remained constant. That one silent person who sat adjacent to the window. Everyday I would see the same person come and sit there with a book. Not just any book , really fat book! I have huge respect for people who can read alot of books. It requires a lot of patience. Atleast I feel so. I did try my best to read a book or two but couldn’t force myself past the first chapter.
One fine day I came in early to catch up on some pending work. I saw a figure sitting facing towards the window with sun rays directly hitting the person. Nature’s own reading lamp. The whole room was so dark, it almost felt like a divine presence with golden lining along the sitting figure.
I walked up to my workspace, I could see a book . I understood who it was. I also managed to catch a glimpse of what book it was. Not that I had any idea about the content, but I wanted to talk anyway.
“Good morning ” I greeted.
the chair slowly turned towards me and the eyes looked up for the first time and I could hear.. ” Good morning” in a very soft voice.
“New book”? I asked while letting my bag off of my shoulder.
“Yes , I just started this…”
I felt bad to interrupt, but before I could stop myself i ended up asking another question ” you read a lot books?”
Again , I saw the eyes lifting itself from those pages and stared at me in a questioning manner.
“Yes I love reading books.. I keep reading alot of books”
“Ohh…Im sure those books are really interesting. Well sorry to interrupt , ill get back to my work and let you get back to your reading.” I said and openend my laptop.
I saw the chair turn away towards the window. I looked at the golden lining from the sun rays around the seated figure once again with a book held on the lap. I got up and turned on the lights.
I regret doing that, but also needed to work. There were days where I did not want to turn on the lights. I did not want to disturb by asking silly question about the book or about the weather outside or about random food. It was addicting to see someone sitting at the same place everyday and read hundreds of pages with same patience.
I really wanted to know what went on in the minds of those people who read books, really lengthy books. Does it feel like meditation? Does it feel good to loose yourself in a world that will not exist in reality? Does it feel good to imagine everything according to their own perfection? Does perfection matter in situations like this? Or whatever you think is deemed as perfect? which may or may not be replicated in reality? Do they ever think how it would be if things they read in book happen in reality? How will they react? Will they react how they imagined they would? Or rather they would avoid the situation so that the perfect imagination that they created remained as it is in their head? Or rather they would lock themselves up in a room and keep reading till the world ends
Well these were some of the questions I wanted to ask. But I would rather not disturb a meditating person, or a person reading a book. Nevertheless the urge to interact became stronger overtime.
One fine day I saw a really famous book on the table which I did read. I almost dragged myself to the end. I won’t lie, I did enjoy reading it and imagining the whole story. But then again beyond one point it became boring and wanted to experience things in real life. I did love to watch the series which was made based on the book.
I walked up to the window and stood beside the chair. I kept looking through the window. Again I asked, “Hey this book you are reading, is it for the first time?” I realised this was a very stupid question to ask and specially when someone is in the middle of their reading session. I dared not to turn around expecting a reply.
“Yes , actually I never read this book” came a reply in a very soft voice.
I turned back to see a wide smile across the face and with the eyes looking at me. Not at the book, not at the view outside the window, but at me. I was surprised. I almost moved away from the window to check. I saw the eyes following me. I sat on the table and asked, ” Do you feel that the series makers made any justice ?”
“I did not read that much yet to make a comment” came a reply.
“OHHHH! then you are in for a surprise” I said. I would have said something better. Something more intellectual which would make sense to a avid book reader. But nope, I got excited like a small kid who just got to know how chocolate tastes like.
“I liked the series though” came a reply
Aagain , I got excited and ended up saying ” So , are you a die hard fan of this series??”
“Kind of ” a reply came with a soft smile spreading across the face.
I laughed and said ” Again I am sorry to disturb… you carry on.” I left. As usual the chair turned towards the window.
Something is really special about the seat adjacent to the window. Makes me stare at it even when noone is there. the sunrays lit up the table and the seat. There’s always a jacket hung over the seat. I guess that’s the warmest jacket in the world. It gets sunbathed everyday from morning till evening.
Days passed , months passed to be precise. I saw alot of books change. But the same seating posture,same window pane,same chair, same jacket, same sound of chair creeking when turned. It seemed very monotonous. I loved it. I loved the area beside the window. One thing that bothers me is the small changes that came with it. Its as if a very perfect rhythm being destroyed by the slightest changes. Did these imperfections make me love it? Couldn’t tell.
Although I wanted to interact more and understand what is going on in that head that meditates, reads for a long time everyday.
I saw alot of books on the table , on the armrest of the chai, on the lap. All of them were highly intellectual,complex, fictional, romantic. But very rarely it was a common book that I read too.
Finally one day I walked in and saw a book I read too. It was romantic novel. I got so excited, I asked directly ” Hey , another book!! Do you like it ?” Well normally I wouldn’t ask like this bluntly , but i could see that the book was already halfway finished.
The eyes raised again and i heard a reply ” Yea this is new , I just started “
I stood in front of the window, looking at the mountains. I asked again ” What is it about?” knowing very well what it was about!
A reply came ” Its a romantic novel , about a boy and girl and till now its showing the red flags about the boy, how he treats the girl and how the girl falls for the guy. This book does show a lot of red flags about the whole relationship.”
I saw the eyes again get back to the pages as soon as the sentence ended.
I turned away from the window and asked “Did you ever fall for someone?” ” Do you love someone?”
With such a risky question being asked, I felt uncomfortable. I thought I shouldn’t have asked. But the curiosity was killing me from inside. I wanted to know.
I finally saw the greatest view I could have seen till then. She slowly lifted her head, I could see a big smile spread across her sunkissed face. As she lifted her head she looked at me and started nodding and as she did, her messy bun became undone revealing a very long stretch of hair which seemed to shimmer gold by the soft touch of sun rays.
Point Life 