Today was a public holiday in my city. This means that no schools or offices were open, which in turn means a quieter and more peaceful city. Ideal for walking and, above all, for sightseeing. While temperatures can reach 40 degrees Celsius in the midday hours, this spring offers what only this time of year can bring: flowers, delicious smells of nature and that spectacular glow, which I personally associate with hope....
Normally my days are typical. Grey, boring, full of routine and little colour. So from the moment I open my eyes in the morning, until I lie down in bed once again. This is how a day off is appreciated more and more. Not only because I will indeed be able to sleep a little longer, and not have to face the indifference of the concrete jungle, but because there is an underrated beauty in solitude that, let's be honest, feels too good on many occasions....
Under normal circumstances, if the word ‘lonely’, ‘alone’, ‘solitude’ is used, it automatically triggers a small alarm. Partly because we have learned to fear this state of life. We have romanticised certain concepts too much. But this is not a philosophy class or anything like that. It is a brief account of what my Wednesday morning and evening have been like. A sense of harmony that, to be terribly honest, I haven't felt for many, many years. I like to walk aimlessly and let all my thoughts and anxieties surface and leave my head for a few hours.
‘Just do it!’, remember that famous Nike slogan? I have no way of checking, but there's no need to, I'm convinced it was made by a woman. And above all, one who has been a mother and knows what it feels like to have responsibilities and the world on top of her. This is how life returns to that elemental state. Where it is the journey that is the goal of pleasure and not something else. In that sense, I'm beginning to understand the mentality of people who love running or hiking; it just feels too good, you know?
Just a local park, in a random city, is an insignificant experience. I think what really stands out is how far away we live and reconnect with ourselves. Our existences are absorbed in a depressing habit that at the end of the day, not much is going to leave and where regrets are the only things that often come out of those years of sacrifices ‘for a better life’. Haha, I'm not saying it's not worth the effort. But that mentality of giving up and not knowing what's most important in our lives is something I don't know how much joy it can bring me. In the meantime, walking in the park makes me feel inspired and calm. Happy in my solitude but never alone.
All photographs and content used in this post are my own. Therefore, they have been used under my permission and are my property.
