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 I
work in an office which has spotty cell phone coverage. It just
gives me a regular excuse to step out and enjoy the day outside
the confines of my cold office. A few minutes in the sun does
marvels rejuvenating me. I enjoy stepping outside to smell the
fresh cut grass, the bright sunshine and people watching! It is
such pleasure to be outdoors and I am an outdoor person.
Right outside my building are two big urns
filled with plants. Those urns held a hibiscus plant and a small
cluster of rather poor looking flowering plants half dead and
boring. It is one of those things I see every time I step out of
my office and just put it out of mind.
One morning, around 10 a.m., I stepped out
for a quick break and there I saw it. The urns filled with
brightly colored bougainvillea flowers, so pretty and
eye-catching. Before I can think anything else, memories flooded
me. Memories from childhood, memories I never knew were stored
in my mind. Memories of days bygone, memories of days when
summer vacations were the best days of the year.
The urns filled with those pretty
bougainvillea flowers brought back memories of the days when I
spent playing under the trellis overflowing with bougainvilleas
that my grandmother lovingly nurtured. I remembered the unique
smell of the bougainvillea leaves when rubbed between the
fingers, a smell pungent and something I loved.
I have forgotten when was the last time I
crushed the leaves of the bougainvillea and enjoyed the smell so
much. And it was the first thing I did when I saw the plant. As
the smell of the crushed bougainvillea leaf swept in, I was back
in Trichy, running around with my best friends, playing games
and laughing. The memories came gushing, simple things like
dissecting the flowers, separating the pink bracts from the
actual white flower just for the fun of it, the biology classes
where I learned that the flower was actually the white portion
and not the pretty pink ones.
As we grow older we forget the small
pleasures in life so stop and smell the flowers and, believe me,
it is worth it. The trip to the past, into the memories is
indeed special and it brings into your day a special smile and
cheer.
- V
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