In this land
of rising sun even if I try I can’t sleep after five in the morning. Every
morning brings new aspirations. Sun shines on my window pane and the fresh
morning air whispers in my ears. I tie up my shoe laces and making sure that my
foot steps are light enough not to wake up the neighbors, I am all set for a
walk.
Cool morning
air gently sways over the green paddy field. Siberian cranes who forgot their
way back home wake up even earlier. Old granny shrunk with age who can hardly
stand erect to see my face wishes me “ Ohayou Gojaimasu”. She is already busy with
her little garden. Under the big round hat is her wrinkled beautiful face that
has witnessed the changing seasons for almost a century. She is at work. I
should not divert her for long and I moved ahead. The other grandma working in her
field was eager to talk to me and remarked that I woke up quite early. I thought
she was sarcastic. How could my young bones sleep when yours are already at
work? “Youth is not about age, it is about spirit” said the women. I only had a
smile to give her back. With every bit of walk and talk, with every now and
then, I admit this land has something to teach me. The morning sun, cool breeze
and fresh thoughts of old people of this city rejuvenate me from within.
It is not
age that keeps you young. It’s the spirit within. “I can’t dress in bright
colors anymore. I am over the hills”. Such stereotype still is a part of my society.
Age limits people from doing what they have always opted. My Japanese language
sensei, she is 73 now. But, aging just stopped for her. Wrinkles and grey hair
are not the signs of aging in this case rather they are of her experiences and
wisdom. I compare her enthusiasm with that of teenagers. Many things can start
at late ages as not everything can be done in young life. Life is a
rollercoaster. There are ups and downs. In many cases, in young age, people are
occupied with family responsibilities and there are so many things that we
might have wanted to do but couldn’t. Viewing with an eye of optimism, old
stage is often more favorable to start up new things. Age is never a bar for
those with strong will. It is never too late to learn to swim, dance or a new
language. My Sensei is a forward looking person who thinks there are many
things yet to learn and do. She has this quest and a strong reason to enjoy
later stage of life. I have never told her but she is one of my role model. She
is there to teach me Japanese language but unintentionally reveals secrets that
a celebrated philosopher might have missed out in his speech on life.
To keep
myself occupied I teach English Language to a lady in her mid 60s.As Japanese
lack the English accent , pronouncing some words is a hard nut to crack, but
she puts her full heart to pronounce words in a native style. Every time she
learns a new word, I learn a new lesson.The vibes of these positive energies that surrounds me in this city reminds me of my own grandmother. My grandmother who is a part of a different world now, used to sit in the balcony and wait for someone to come and talk to her. I knew she loved to be surrounded by people around while counting last days of life. Her hands would still rise to bless us but she could not work in garden any more. She was an inspirational person who always advised us to toil as she did all her life. Many more grandmothers in my country must be doing the same. I feel nostalgic.
