List five things you do for fun.
The narrative revolves around a man reflecting on his life after retiring from a three-decade-long job. On his last day, he maintains his routine but feels a significant void and emotional turmoil as he departs from his colleagues. Post-retirement, he struggles with feelings of irrelevance and isolation, haunted by nostalgia for his past engagement. Yet, a transformative moment occurs when he observes birds constructing a nest, inspiring him to seek positivity and purpose. He resolves to engage in activities he loves, like writing, reading, and photography, ultimately finding joy and fulfilment in his newfound freedom and creativity.
It was his last day at work. After thirty years, his routine was going to be disturbed. The daily cycle of rising up in the morning, getting prepared, and going to his workplace had become engraved on his psyche. This cycle was going to stop abruptly.
He routinely got up early in the morning. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a fact was hovering over that it was his last day in the workplace. From tomorrow onwards, he would be alien to this place where he used to sit, work and laugh with his colleagues while doing the work.
He has been punctual all through his service period. That day too, he reached his workplace on time, at ten. He was never late, and he was not late on his final day of work as well. He gently caressed his chair. The helper had yet not arrived, but he never grumbled about it. Picking up the duster, he cleaned the table, adjusted the papers and sat quietly.
“Good morning”, a ringing voice broke his chain. One of his colleagues was standing in front of his table, smiling as he would do daily. He raised his head, nodded, and smilingly responded in his familiar tone and style, “Good day”. The time was slipping. Soon the place was filled up with people. Men and women from different parts of the city used to come here daily to work.
That day too, he worked as usual, without thinking it was his last day. By the evening, he cleared his table and, as always, disposed of every paper. Colleagues wanted to give him a customary farewell party, but he had politely but firmly refused it. He did not like this ritual.
At the end of the work hour, each of his colleagues gathered. They sat around him making a semicircle. There was no formal party. It was an informal gathering on a cup of tea with one of their colleagues who was saying adieu to them and the workplace. They would miss them, as almost every one of them said. After the gathering was over, he became emotional. Shaking hands with everyone he came out and started back to his residence.
Back home, no one said anything to him. It was a normal day for them but for him, it was like a void. He was feeling a big vacuum inside. Feeling like something very dear to him had been snatched away was overpowering. Indifferent about his mental condition, his spouse opened the door of a small house which he constructed with great difficulty during the past quinquennium or a little more. He lived in the house with his spouse.
He quietly gulped tea and went upstairs, sitting quietly in a small room he used to call a study. Things became vibrant before his eyes. His past quietly came to him. It appeared a recent happening when he joined his maiden job and now, was a superannuated senior citizen. “Dinner is ready”, his spouse’s voice fell in his ear. He got up quietly, went downstairs, and sat at the dining table. After dinner, he stood up and silently went to bed. His spouse was a bit upset about his behaviour but said nothing.
Days went by. He was still not capable of coming out of his shell. His mind was engrossed in thoughts of his hay days. He would think about them and their glamour when people swarmed him. Everyone wanted to show their affinity and declare him their “friend”. To show their intimacy with him they often visit his residence and used to have dinner either at home or in any decent restaurant. All those had volatilized, leaving no traces. His telephone, which used to ring often and rarely fell silent, now seemed completely dead. This led him to dejection and a sense of deprivation.
Days after his superannuation, his mind had not settled yet. He couldn’t reconcile with the changed situation. Unconsciously he started confabulating himself. He started talking to himself, often silently, sometimes aloud. Evidently, with each passing day, he was slipping into a deep dark trench of negativity. A deep negative feeling that he had lost relevance had started overpowering him. It was not only derogatory but dangerous for him as well.
He was not a gregarious person but loved solitude. Simple to the extent of dumbness, he doesn’t like obsequious and selfishness. He had some good qualities, like creating crafts, and was good at sketching. Occasionally, he would create things like paper crafts on festive occasions and try to decorate his home. Besides this, he was fond of reading and good at photography. He had many things which he was capable of doing and pursue. One of all was writing, but he was doing nothing except diving deep into regressive thoughts and wasting his time and life.
Even the darkest clouds have a silver line. Thickening clouds cause thunder and roar. His life was also passing through a transition. In the absence of any guiding force, he had to overcome it by himself. It was difficult and getting worse as his slide towards negativity was getting swift. It had to be stopped.
Nature took up the task of teaching a lesson and tried to give him a helping hand. One pleasant morning, while sitting on his terrace, he saw a couple of lovely birds trying to build a nest for themselves. The pair of birds attracted his attention. As a nature lover, he began to admire them and observed as they collected hay and pieces of grass, carefully arranging them into a basket. The thing that affected him the most was that even after a gush of air that blew their half-prepared nest, the birds did not deter. They started collecting raw materials for their nest and reconstructing it de novo.
“If tiny birds can do it, why can’t I?” he murmured to himself. He lifted his head and looked around. It was a fresh crisp morning. The sky was clear with herons flying in a “V”- shaped formation. The chirping of birds unheard to him till recently, appeared as a symphony of music. He felt fresh. “What a foolish thought I was engrossed in!” He said to himself. His mind had diverted from negativity towards a constructive thought flow. “Why was I wasting my time on unproductive thoughts,” he said to himself aloud. Continuing his self-conversation, he resolved, “I can do something that can please me and keep me engaged. I shall read, write and spend time with nature.”
As has been described above, he has some very good qualities. Reading books, writing, photography, crafts and wandering in nature are but a few of his likes. Some activities are his favourites, some are hobbies, and some are more than hobbies. These can give him purpose and pleasure. “I can spend hours doing what pleases me and pursuing things which are close to my heart,” he said to himself and continued aloud, “I was uselessly entangled in a phase that wasted so much of my time.” Making a fist and waving in the air he firmly said, “Now no more.”
Suddenly he felt a change in himself. He had become rejuvenated by the thought of positive change. After having morning tea, he went to a local park. He now reads, writes, takes pictures and creates crafts at his will. He has learned that the mundane world is nothing more than a pavonine soap bubble that is short-lived. He now does his cherished works and enjoys his final creation, his pictures and reading a rewarding book. He now tells his stories to others and copiously thanks Mother Nature for the support and encouragement she gave to him.
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