Second Wind

What strategies do you use to increase comfort in your daily life?

The canopy of the umbrella folded as Dev pulled its runner before
entering the narrow corridor. A few drops of rain had made their way
down on the back of the olive-coloured shirt that Dev was wearing.

The metal door gate of the house as well as the wooden door was open
for people to come in. The eldest son of the family had returned from
the hospital after suffering a heart attack and people wanted to meet
him.

Dev entered the drawing room where a few people were already present.
He recognised Mahesh, one of his childhood friends among them and
pulled a chair to sit next to him.

“When did you come?” Dev asked, picking up a glass of water from the
tray the maid of the household had brought.

“It might have been 15 or 20 minutes,” replied Mahesh.

“Did you meet Harsh? How is he?”

“He is stable now, a bit weak though. He was sleeping when I came.”

Dev looked around and caught a glance of Dev’s mother who came to
speak to the maid. She smiled when she saw Dev but did not speak
anything and Dev smiled back, then she walked away to another room.

“Looks like his family is still in the process of understanding what
is going on,” Dev spoke

“Well, it is never easy for a parent to accept such things happening
to their children, no matter what their age is,” responded Mahesh

“Once in a while, when I went by his shop. I told him he was overdoing
it, with all the stress and work”

“All of a sudden when his father passed away, all the responsibilities
of the sweet shop fell on his shoulder. All his life he followed his
father but now when things come on his shoulder, I don’t think he
could deal with it.”

“His sweet shop was doing quite well but with a mind which knows
little or no calmness and peace, everything good starts to fall apart.
It is an important lesson in life that my father taught me early on in
life.”

“Everything everyday can go smoothly as long as you do not lose the
smooth composure of mind.”

Dev looked around; some people seemed to have gone inside to meet Harsh.

“I think he has woken up. Let’s go inside,” he spoke.

Dev and Mahesh walked to the room they passed through a hall which had
pictures of Harsh’s family on the walls. Everyone looked happy in
them.

‘Looks like a very different family in contrast to what can be
presently seen. I wish the house finds this happiness once again’ Dev
thought.

They entered the room and saw Harsh sitting on the bed with his back
resting against a pillow on the headboard. His wife and a few other
people were sitting along with him. Everyone decided to go to the
drawing room, allowing the friends to have a time of their own.

“Well, it seems you are the first one to visit the hospital as a
patient among us. Don’t tell me you have started feeling old already,”
said Mahesh sitting down on a chair beside the bed.

Harsh laughed, “We certainly aren’t getting any younger. But it feels
like I am getting a long due rest now.”

“Unless you have planned to receive more of this kind of rest in
In the future, I would suggest you lighten up a bit. The shop isn’t the only
thing that has to keep going well,” said Dev

“I knew another lecture was on the way, that is why I asked the others
to keep it brief,” laughed Harsh

Mahesh clicked a picture of Harsh, “For a while I had thought you had
forgotten how to laugh, good to see you back to your old self.”

“Give me the phone, let’s click a photo with all three of us together.
The visit to the hospital made me realise everything I would have lost
if I didn’t come back,” said Harsh.

The three of them clicked a picture which later went to the wall of
happiness in the hall and for many good years the pictures kept
adding.

Written by Anuran Chatterji

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