Pushing 50: A Walk To Remember

 

The Bird Park?

Hah!

When I heard the word, the first thing that hit me was the thought of being under the sun. Exactly! The blazing, hot sun! And the sweat and the prickly scalp underneath the head scarf, the blotchy make up and the wet armpits. I have no issues with birds. I love bird-watching. It’s the sun that depresses me. Have it my way, I’ll opt for National Geographic anytime! However, in contradictory to my anxiety of being under the sun, I agreed to go. Anyway, it was Syabil’s 4^th birthday and I had missed 3 of his birthday parties consecutively. So I went. 

Much to my pleasure, it was not as bad as I had anticipated it. It was fun. Rated 4 ½ star. The birds are majestically stunning. The bird show was fairly entertaining and if you managed to properly listen to what the trainer had to say, it was indeed educational. *the trainer’s English enunciation was appalling but hey…not just about anyone can teach a bird Arithmetic, right? Kudos to Mr. Bird Trainer!* The long walk from point A to point B and then to Point C and to another point and another one after that, surprisingly didn’t dampen my spirit. Even the itchy armpit and the blotched eye makeup didn’t bother me at all. The sun? What can I say… All in all it was a joyful outing of which I had to admit, I badly needed. I’ve been cooped-up in the house for much too long I honestly thought I would melt under the sun. But I didn’t and the bird park was simply amazing with its fantastic green landscape with the trees and plants and birds all playing the same important role in beautifying the whole area. 

 As I watched those adorable kids running about giggling, laughing, whining or even bawling I couldn’t help but felt a pang of envy towards their easy going, hassle-free simple life. *and it made me thought of my Mia back in Ipoh and how terribly I’m missing her eye-catching smiles and her small baby voice.* Unlike us, the adults, we are forever uptight and edgy. We move about daily with our adults’ mind being constantly nagged by endless unsettled matter. We always have either something to do or something to cloud our minds with. We pout. We complain. We grumble. Sadly enough we all lead our own pathetic complicated lives. Most of us, if not all, have even forgotten how to smile. 

Later on that day I escaped to a scheduled balcony to enjoy a long-overdue-much-needed ciggy. As I watched the sky my eyes caught an eagle flying through the horizon. It glided swiftly and freely across the big blue sky. I swear I could hear the wind rustling in my ears and the breeze brushing against my skin. It was just a SUPER-WOW moment. And that, brought a smile to my face.

Dear Bird Park, I’m glad I came…