After my evening nap, we traditionally set out for an evening walk.
\nThe benefits are undeniable.
\nMy \u2013 a dose of fresh air.
\nE \u2013 an outburst of youthful maximalism.
\nMan \u2013 a way to justify to myself that here, instead of a gym (which I currently can\u2019t find the time to attend, not even with a flashlight), I\u2019m getting my exercise.<\/p>\n
On one of the forest paths, we encounter
\nan elderly gentleman.
\nHe\u2019s pushing a bike, fully loaded with mushrooms and berries.
\nAs we pass by, the old man smiles kindly:
\n\u201cThe whole family is heading into the forest, and here I am, the rascal, carting all the mushrooms and berries away,\u201d he says in a pleasant voice.<\/p>\n
I smile:
\n\u201cNot the whole family. We still have a sister and a brother\u2014so they\u2019ll be searching for mushrooms and berries for a long time,\u201d I laugh.<\/p>\n
We pass each other.
\nBut as we walk away, I hear a crack from the old man\u2019s bike. He stops and watches us with his eyes.
\nAnd then.
\nI feel such a full sigh of admiration:<\/p>\n
\u201cOh my! So young, and God has already blessed you with three children\u2026 :)))))\u201d<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t turn around.
\nI don\u2019t want to ruin the moment.
\nI just keep walking, smiling.<\/p>\n
Did I stumble upon some magical berry while wandering the forest?
\nDid I kick an enchanted mushroom?
\nDid I sniff a meadow flower smeared with the elixir of youth?<\/p>\n
The first thing I do when I get home is glance at the hallway mirror.
\nNo. The berries I ate in the forest weren\u2019t magical.
\nThe mushroom I brushed past wasn\u2019t enchanted.
\nThe meadow flower wasn\u2019t smeared with the elixir of youth.
\nThe miracle clearly hasn\u2019t happened.<\/p>\n
I left at 37.
\nI returned exactly the same age\u2014the mirror shows it.<\/p>\n
And yet, not long ago,
\njust one day in the past week,
\nI started my car at work.
\nWaiting for the sun-heated cabin to cool a bit,
\nI\u2019m visited by a guest.
\nOr rather, a \u201cforeigner.\u201d
\nSince an older lady had stepped onto our entry steps, I almost certainly assumed she would open the passenger door to ask something.
\nI was wrong.
\n\u201cGet out of here!\u201d she shouted angrily.
\nPerhaps my shocked expression was so unexpected that she added:
\n\u201cYou\u2019re polluting the air, and I can\u2019t stand that noise!\u201d<\/p>\n
After a bit of talking\u2014well, more like \u201cshouting\u201d\u2014she slams the passenger door.
\nAnd returns to her perch on the step.
\nI drive out of the work lot, unable to find a single word.
\nMaybe that\u2019s for the best?<\/p>\n
This evening\u2019s tea toast\u2014
\nTo NON-ANGRY OLD AGE.<\/p>\n
One that
\nleads along winding forest paths,
\nbounces along on bikes loaded with old berries and mushrooms,
\nand sprinkles good mood everywhere.
\nFor free.<\/p>\n
If mine will be like that,
\nI\u2019m not afraid of aging.
\nI\u2019ll go berry- and mushroom-picking.
\nAnd pushing through the forest with full baskets,
\nI\u2019ll talk to passersby and spread good feelings.
\nLeft and right.
\nUp and down.<\/p>\n
Mua,
\nV.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-17688","istorija","type-istorija","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/viktorijos.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/istorija\/17688","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/viktorijos.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/istorija"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/viktorijos.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/istorija"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/viktorijos.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17688"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}