domingo, 6 de março de 2011

A chance to observe


Unreal as it was, this was not uncommon in her life. The moment she realized she was once again in this position: trapped in a broken body, no movement in any of her members.

What sort of twisted accident had once again reduced her to this vegetative state? Flora watched as people walked by her, but she did not move. She was stuck in time and space, unable to move, unable to speak.

Since it was not the first time this occurred to her, she resolved to not be alarmed and started to observe the movements around her. Sight, hearing and thought were the only abilities she seemed to still contain and she wished to use them to her advantage. It was a chance to observe others as she knew others observed her. She would see the best in this situation. She would play “The Glad Game”.

To her left she could see young children. The park where her bizarre condition had appeared was frequented by many a parent with young children. She watched as two young girls dressed in matching yellow outfits shared smiles while circling the half grown jasmine tree. The flowers in full bloom and the giggles the girls could not keep inside were captivating in such a way that she wondered if she had ever felt as happy as this little girls seemed to be in that moment.

She could listen to a car in the distance, threatening the beautiful balance the silence had created around her. She disliked the disturbance, but her eyes followed the noise none the less.

Her sight was met with a young man driving a red sports car. He seemed to be showing off his youth and money. Many people seemed to pay him attention, but she did not believe it of any consequence since a much more interesting sight could be observed behind him.

Hummingbirds were following a young woman. She carried a beautifully handcrafted hummingbird feeder but the birds did not seem to understand that she was going to stop eventually, so they kept trying to reach it.

Some hummingbirds stood mid air, their wings none stop. Some hummingbirds flew with quick speed. Some rested for a while on the trees around them. But they did not rest. They followed her.

Once the young lady found the perfect spot for her little treasure, she placed the hummingbird feeder under the branches of an old willow tree. The birds seemed to rejoice in a beautiful dance in the air. They moved to all sides and suddenly stopped.

They took their turn in drinking the sugary water she had provided. The girl observed for a while and left. For a few minutes the life of those hummingbirds revolved around that expectation, and suddenly it was done and gone.

The beautiful moment was lost, no one but the girl who had experienced it and the static figure watching from a distance had noticed the dancing birds. But Flora had not missed the meaning of it all. Enjoy all moments of your life.

She had, upon this bizarre circumstance, observed two beautiful occurrences. She would not have noticed them on a regular day. Yet, her strange sickness had brought her here. And she was glad.

Like her first "episode", Flora could once again feel her hands. It was the first proof that the odd episode was coming to an end. She soon would be able to express in words her inability to move, and help would soon follow.

She was glad she had observed things around her. As a true “Pollyanna”, she had played “The Glad Game”. And she would continue to do so, she hoped, now that a long period of tests and hospital rest awaited her. 

----- <3 ---------- 

Great book "Pollyanna". It was my favorite book growing up : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollyanna

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