[About this story: I was hospitalised, recovering from surgery. A recognition of beauty shone a light on my day, and I smiled at the meaning. A two-minute read.]
Double glazing shut out the traffic noise.
I was grateful for that big, low window and the view
it afforded. Never before had I considered a busy highway a view, but from my hospital room, it was a splendid view. Vehicles
of every imaginable design hurrying, passing slow-pokes that either couldn’t
rush or couldn’t be bothered rushing. Buses, wide-loads, motor cycles and push
bikes, all claiming their bit of space amongst the throng of ordinary
commuters. Push and shove, to and fro.
A swathe of gum trees lining the far side of the
four-lane road satisfied my need for some sort of greenery. Nature, and its
healing calmness.
I drew the blind closed, pushed the door almost shut,
and settled down for a nap. Painkillers were doing their thing.
A knock on the door announced the doctor, accompanied
by a nurse.
“I’m sorry to disturb your siesta,” said the doctor,
matter-of-factly.
He was an odd little man, both in manner and aesthetics.
A broad toothy grin, that I appreciated, was topped with a salt and pepper
three-day stubble moustache, the rest of his face clean shaven. The combination never altered.
His manner could be condescending. Rarely did he wait
for me to finish asking a question or making a comment; he would cut me off as
if my question would simply be a standard numbered question from a text book
that his previous patient might have asked. His response rarely answered my
half uttered questions. I launched into a question, abbreviating and rushing,
trying to complete my words, but time did not appear to be the issue. He’d cut me off
anyway, reciting the answer to question 35, or whatever, from his memorised
medical manual.
“I like your tie,” was my cheery response to his
greeting.
“That’s good,” he replied. “That means you’re not
thinking about yourself.”
There is always good amongst the bad, beauty in the
unattractive. It wasn’t a new concept for me. It is a deep and established part
of my be-ing, an everyday awareness.
Beauty is a gift, everywhere.
I liked his response to my comment about his tie. We
were at least on the same wavelength in that regard.
In the dimness of the closed-up room, his pearl-white
and bright-red diagonally striped tie almost shone iridescently. Slightly
gaudy, but immensely cheery, the colourful tie lifted the little man’s
demeanour, leaving me with a glow of something I couldn’t quite put a name to, as he disappeared without answering my dismembered queries.
And I slept soundly.
Beauty is everywhere
and in everything.
Open your heart to the beauty
- truly open your heart,
and your pain will subside.
 |
| Photography by Gaye Drady |
