About the hours spent outdoors
On a winter morning in late December, I woke up to the sunlight in my bedroom. Living in a part of the world where winter means either snowy days or rainy, if not then cloudy. Clear skies are a very rare sight. Having seen the sun after weeks, I woke up instantly and sat in the corner of the room which maximized my exposure to these bright scorching rays. I had returned from a trip a day earlier, despite this, I took my phone and messaged the first people in my mind, to go for a hike. Meanwhile, I dressed in my sports-wear and went for a walk outside. The heat I felt in my room was a deception, outside was as cold as yesterday, but at least the sun was out.
The sun’s light had brought in me a sense of happiness, joy and excitement. I didn’t do anything but walk around in the vicinity of my home, taking in all the cold winds and the beautiful sun. Listening to the downtown traffic I just walked uninterruptedly, blessing the goodness the day brought with it.
My happiness didn’t last very long, the clouds were back and the sun was shadowed for the rest of the day. Lucky for me, that I stepped out of my home as quickly as I could of waking up and I could steal some minutes for myself in the bright sunny hour. Before Vancouver, I have lived in places where sunlight was abundant but rains were scarce, I used to behave the same every time it rained. I would run out and just dance and play in the rain.
On another occasion this year, when the city was in lockdown as a defense mechanism against Covid-19. I had stepped out for some chores which involved going farther than usual distance. The simple act of walking to places, collecting mail from the post-office was so therapeutic. Back in 2019, I would have hated to go to a post office but this time it was a privilege. The amount of time I spend outdoors, walking, jogging, cycling, shopping forms the biggest part of my life. Some holidays, if I decide to stay in, end of the day, my state of mind rots. I wonder what it is about the outdoors, seeing new human faces, inhaling fresh oxygen, feeling the rawness of the weather on your skin, dressing up or it is just me. Such a basic act, yet the biggest privilege.
