WHEN LIFE GIVES US A HAND

 

 

Although at the beginning of the pandemic spending a few hours at home alone had been a refreshing experience, after several months of being isolated I began to feel the need to be with others. Unfortunately, at my age large numbers of others were reluctant to leave their homes for fear of contagion. As a result, I began to feel that life had become a sequence of days without meaning. The idea of not being able to enjoy talks with my friends gradually became a thorn in my solitude. Then one day I reacted. I remembered that in almost every difficult circumstance I had to face I had always found a suitable solution; I said to myself that there was no reason for this time to be different. Since the virus was still alive and well, and solitude looked like a long road with no end in sight, I decided that my only option was to organize my days in order to have very little idle time. The morning hours were easy to organize as I usually walk Max, the dog, and then I write until lunch. The puzzle turned out to be the afternoon when reading a book doesn't last more than two hours and the rest is free time. Since I only watch movies at night, TV was not an option. Although it’s true that I live on the beach, because of my strict upbringing I only enjoy it on weekends; or perhaps I still haven't adjusted to being retired. Finally, one Tuesday afternoon, fed up with the political news and the threats of the coronavirus, I decided to go to the beach with a book. I opened the umbrella and, after placing the beach chair in the shade, I set out to enjoy the afternoon.  Suddenly something caught my eye, and I saw a woman with dark glasses and a mask walk towards me as she greeted someone by waving her arms. I turned around to see to whom she was saying hello to so effusively, but I saw no one. It was when I looked at her again that I realized that the woman was none other than my friend S. Needless to say, after years of not seeing her, running into her on the beach filled my heart with joy. I don't remember why we had stopped seeing each other; what I can say is that such an encounter convinced me once again that life always has an ace up its sleeve. After greeting each other, S sat under the umbrella and began telling me about her life in all those years in which we had been apart. Then it was my turn to talk about my life, and as I did, a warm feeling of joy gradually pervaded my soul. Hours went by quickly that afternoon on the beach; and as they did, the feeling of emptiness that had tormented me earlier dissipated. After S left once again I thanked life for giving me a hand.