July 29, 2009

  • Xanga Teen Writing Contest: AasthaKathy

    Today's pick is a lovely reminder of the importance of play. Go over to AasthaKathy's site and discuss it there

    75 Minutes of Childhood

    People say that once your childhood is gone, it won't come back - ever. They say you should enjoy it as much as you can because later you'd reminisce about them with tearful eyes. I too used to be a part of this group but that was before I realised that this statement is wrong.
    Last year, in eleventh grade, my friends and I used to attend extra tuitions in the evening. 5pm to 6pm was Maths and 6 to 7 was Accountancy. One lucky Saturday, the Accountancy class was called off and so we were left with some free time.
    We were standing outside after the Maths class and one of my friends suggested that we should play 'Chain - Chain'. Everyone started to laugh because the game was really childish. In this game, a player chases the others and those who get caught hold his/her hand in order to form a human 'chain' that chases other players. The one who doesn't get caught till the end is declared the winner. No one was ready to play in the beginning but after a lot of persuasion, we started. And then it turned into a period of everlasting laughter and happiness. We laughed when two of our friends fell twice. We laughed when one of my friends broke the chain. We laughed, we laughed and we laughed till our stomachs began to ache. This game thing continued for about an hour and 15 minutes. During those 75 minutes, we didn't think of our future, we didn't think of college, we didn't think of studies or homework, we didn't think of the worthless education system, we just didn't think of anything. Everyone's sole aim then was not to be the first - ranker of the class or the sports captain or someone famous or anything. All we wanted to do that time was avoid being caught and if caught, to not spare the others. We concentrated on the game and gave our best to it. We were being ourselves - immature, loud, clumsy and innocent. We didn't try to act like 'adults'. We were just being kids. We realised that we had somehow relived our childhood in those 75 minutes.
    Usually we keep worrying about our future, our grades, scholarships, collage, projects, the competitive world, exams and other emotional problems (which teen doesn't?). But during those 75 minutes, we were all pure - free from worries and pressures of life. Free from envy or jealousy. Free from expectations. Free! Free! FREE!!!
    The mud never felt so good, the air never felt so cool, the world never seemed to be this beautiful. It was like some angel had given us 75 minutes to spend in heaven. I can never forget that feeling - we were dirty, sweaty, smelly, exhausted but the smile we wore on our faces never faded away.

    "Where were you? The Accounts tuition was canceled, right?" Mom asked angrily when I reached home, "And what's with your clothes? How come you're so dirty? You know I washed that jeans only day before yesterday, didn't you? What on earth were you doing? Riding through the city streets with your friends?"
    "No. I was doing something even better."
    "What?"
    "Reliving the best part of life." I smiled and ran in the bathroom to take a shower.

    Mom looked puzzled as I entered the house. All those fat books stared at my face as I approached the study table, but I was looking for something else. I took out my box of broken crayons and began to draw Santa Claus on the wall. I'd probably received one of the best presents - that too before Christmas! I didn't care how it looked - I just wanted to draw like I used to when I was young. Life really isn't that bad; you can always steal some moments of fun. That day, I got my childhood back. And now I know I can relive it. Although I can't be a kid by my physical appearance now, and I can't even overlook the worries that live in my head all the time. But I sure can get back that innocence. I can get back that laugh. My childhood has returned.
    And the change? Well, we've all stopped acting wise all the time and in stead of reading books or watching TV, I take out time to play with my young cousins so that I can enjoy the beauty of my childhood yet again. Those 75 minutes taught me that the things we believe we've lost forever and come back to us in the most unexpected ways.
    So what are you people doing? Trust me, you'll get me better when you go and play baseball with Junior. Cheers to childhood! Cheers to Life!!!