LOVE IS
IN THE AIR ....
The
entire world is out to celebrate 14th Feb, i.e., The Valentine’s Day, a day to
cherish love & affection towards their better halves. Gift shops are
overflowing with love-y dove-y stuff. Guys & girls are throwing their money
around to impress their partners. The whole globe is being painted red (pun
intended). Oh yes, the season of love....
But as
I sit in my room, I realise that love is eternal, it is everlasting, it knows no boundaries,
& it is definitely not restricted to a single day or month in a year.
For me,
true love is what my parents had, one soul shared by two bodies. Today, even
after 4 years of her death, my father is still very much in love with his
beloved wife. She is always in his mind, being sorely missed, with each tick of
time.
"There
flowed a love, that couldn't be seen, but only felt."
Ah..... My mother
radiated love. She was the source of love in this family. The never-ending
supply we could all draw from. She balanced us all out evenly. I usually
wonder, how did she do it? Never complaining, doing all the household chores,
paying enough attention to dad so he doesn't feel neglected,
taking care of us & also doing her job. All of these things made her
perfect in my book. She did all of it & yet lived her life to fullest. But
when she went, that never ending supply depleted all of a sudden & I
realised that it had a huge impact on my dad too.
“Leaving Earth. No Weight. Heavy
Heart."
He became a walking
dead, no, not in that zombie-like way, his body is present here, but his soul,
the life in that body was lost at the very same moment, when she took her last
breath. I see him today, his shoulders have sagged, the shine in his eyes is
replaced by dark circles, I see the face of a man who has been robbed off
everything by the cruel fate.
And at this moment, I
actually understand the meaning of - Your life can be wonderful even in a trash
can if you have the right person to share it with or you can live in a
huge bungalow with every possible luxury at the tip of your fingers, but
if you don't have your soul with you, you'll be in ruins.
That's how I see, that
he has given up on life. He isn't living, he is just existing... counting his
days.
"The woods are
lovely, dark & deep,
But I've promises to
keep,
& mile to go before
I sleep,
& miles to go
before I sleep... "
- Robert Frost
I think that's what he
is doing, keeping his promises before he goes to the eternal sleep, his
promises to his children. And the funny part is, no one is to blame except for
the unexpected circumstances. But at-least, I know that true love exists
in real life too, no matter how much it hurts him now, at-least it gave him
fond memories to carry with himself, at-least he got to experience what actual
love is, which many people get deprived of.
"I'm nothing special, of this I'm sure. I'm a common man with common thoughts & I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me & my name will be soon forgotten, but I've loved another with all my heart & soul, To me, this has always been enough...."
- Nicholas Sparks
Their love wasn't for a single day in a year, He never showered her with romantic gifts yet she was impressed by him because what they had is beyond the comprehension of our generation. Their love was reflected on how she doted on him when he came back from work, how they went for little strolls after dinner, how they quietly talked late at nights, how he always managed to bring a smile on her face by just doing a small gesture.
They were normal. They
were no Romeo-Juliet. But what they shared, an all en-compassing love.... was extraordinary,
it was exceptional & I personally think that it can give competition to
love stories like Romeo & Juliet.
P.S – A very happy
Valentine’s Day & I hope you all find your soul mate & get your happily
ever after.
