Nature by the Winter

Aayushi Shandilya
Banasthali Vidyapith, Rajasthan,

It was an icy cold winter evening.
I was sitting numb on the bench of a park, that is at ten minutes distance from my house.
I don’t remember whether that bench was in the middle, side or corner of the park, but all I could remember is, it was peace everywhere.
Everything was so silent that I could hear the gentle winds crossing me, the fluffy snowflakes falling on the ground covered with the crunchy dried leaves and sound of leaves falling from the tall holly tree.
I don’t remember whether there were people except me in that park or not as I was completely into the nature.
I started turning all my feelings into a vivid imagery of what nature must be looking like right now, in my head.
“Ah! Everything’s so peaceful at the moment!”, I murmured

Breaking the peace of the surrounding, some sounds could be heard around. Firstly, in a faded manner and then gradually becoming clear as someone was walking and approaching me. the sound of the dried leaves getting crushed was soon clear enough for me to guess, it was a man’s walk towards me.
I sat still, ignoring all the disturbance, when someone tapped from behind.
I replied “you could sit and talk.”
Very quietly he came and sat beside me.
“Hey”, he said.
“Hi”, I replied.
“Are you alone here”, he asked.
“I come here every evening, to feel the nature, talk to it about how it feels human are and tell how important it is for our survival”, I answered.
“So how’s your life going?” He tried to keep the conversation going. Seemed like he’s not seen nature in the same way I do and thus seemed uninterested in that.
“Everything’s going well. No complaints, no exclaims. It’s good.” I gave approval to his initiative and asked, “How’s your life going?”
And then he started with how his relationship became the reason for all his problems and that he ended it a few minutes ago outside the park and went on telling about all his worldly problems. It seemed as if he was finding someone to open up to and I came in his way and he chose me for that.

“It’s okay”, was all I was able to reply back after his story narration. I guess he felt awkward and may have felt like I didn’t listen to his thing. And he stood up and was about to leave.
However I managed to get his right hand, and made him again sit there.
“Have you ever been completely into nature?”, I asked.
–Silence–
“Have you ever closed your eyes and felt your surrounding? Be it rush, complete silence or a low murmuring around?”, I asked again.
–Silence–
“Try this with me”, I said.
“Close your eyes, leave aside all the other things in the mind. Make yourself comfortable. Get your mind at peace. Activate all your senses. Feel everything happening around you. Hear every leaf falling on the ground. Feel the winds that’s touching you. Can you feel something? “
” I could feel the nature. That nature which I haven’t seen this way in all these years. I could feel everything. I could feel optimism. I could feel the pessimism getting defeated. I could feel a cheerful environment like spring despite this bitter cold. Above all I could feel you more. Closer to my heart. Getting me out of the dark towards the light.”
“Now open your eyes, I said
Do you see any changes in the environment?”
“Yes, I could hear the chirping of the birds than the murmuring of people”, he said.
“Whenever you find it’s getting difficult, come here! make yourself  comfortable and at peace. And every evening you’ll find me here”, I said as I walked towards the gate of the park unfolding my white cane, finding my way to it through the cane.

He was in a state of shock knowing that I was blind. I felt that from his hesitant voice. And asked me how was I able to describe nature so vividly and in such descriptive way when I can’t see things
“Some things can only be felt and not seen and we don’t need eyes to feel. The way you see things are differently narrated than the way you feel things”, I answered as I made my way out of the park.