Teesri Manzil ;)

 “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 ? ;)