“This is a great workout. No wonder you are so slim..”
When you stay on the third floor of a housing society that
has no lifts, you are no stranger to such compliments. Sweating it out in the
gym or a stringent diet chart gets no credit, instead the endless row of stairs
leading up to your flat grabs all the attention.
Its great to gaze down at the habitation from the much
envied height, one also feels relatively closer to the Almighty (distance wise).
The sun ensures that summers roast you since you are closest
to the hot ball while the winters spare none in the city. But there are
advantages too. Morning walks are no more a struggle during winters. Three
rounds of ‘go up and down the stairs’ , the happy hormones are released and you
feel joyful and fit. Also , my five year old neighbour is forever excited to
slide down the railings of the stairs. Its his favourite game.
The other day a distant and indeed, a very difficult
relative expressed an ardent desire to visit us. I received the entire clan at
the society gate. They were visibly happy to see me and I am an expert at masking
emotions. When near the stairs, I informed the five member group that it’s a long
distance up and our heavenly abode is on the third floor . While four members
acknowledged the facts with a smile, the fifth relative (whose mission in life
is to see everybody married) was aghast.
‘Oh no, I cant climb.. It’s a long way up.. My joints ache..
No no no no..’
The emphatic ‘No’ made it quite clear that my beloved aunty
was not getting much time to increase our stress levels, this time around. Back
at the society gate, we bid each other ‘adieus’ and now, I was also deeply and
truly happy to see them going.
Gratitude is a wonderful emotion and I am grateful to be
residing on the third floor of an apartment without a lift and with narrow stairs that
make the climbing up process even more cumbersome. So, a cup of tea ? Third
floor ? Anyone ? ;)
