Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Sunday Scribblings - "Free"

Every single day that I was in school, no matter which school, I can’t remember the final bell ever going without the exhilarating feeling of “FREE! FREE AT LAST!” coursing through my blood, fizzing away like nitrogen bubbles and lifting my spirits. Not even the knowledge that I would be back in school the next day could take away from that joy.

Equally, I can’t remember ever imagining that adults would feel that way – because adults didn’t have exams or teachers or Zero Period, did they? (Not to worry, "Zero Period" was not anything to do with misbehaving female hormones – it was merely the school’s denomination for the unofficial but still compulsory “catch-up” class of 45-minute duration that was taken by teachers who were behind on their syllabus, before First Period officially began at 9 a.m).

Anyway, I thought of adulthood as release from the prison of schooldom, the poor deluded innocent idiot that I was. Who knew that at the age of 42, every single day come 5 p.m, I would still feel the same exhilarating feeling of “FREE! FREE AT LAST!” zip through my blood! Allright, so there is no “final bell” rung to announce the onset of freedom, and granted that there are no teachers or exams or Zero Period... but that rush of relief is very much the same.

There is one difference, though – the pure joy of “FREE! FREE AT LAST!” is tempered four days out of five by the knowledge that the next morning would see me back at my workdesk. I'm an adult, after all, and therefore unable to put off tomorrow's worries today.

On Friday evenings, though, all bets are off.

7 comments:

Altonian said...

Ah! When we are kids, we want to be adults; and then it becomes vice versa - and the older one gets there are always chains binding us to some duty or other. My joy this winter has been, after several successive days of snow clearing, to find there has been no fresh fall. FREE AT LAST!

MiM said...

i feel free when i can read a book from start to the finish.

but i feel depressed if the book is terrible: never go near a thousand splendid suns, shyam.

Shammi said...

Old Altonian: Oh man, is that ever true!

MiM: Too late.I've read the book. VERY sad making...

Anonymous said...

i never feel that way about work. time to look for a another one, maybe, shyam? one that doesn't make you feel that way.

Shammi said...

Ummon: You're very lucky! Good for you. As for me, jobs are not easily available nowadays, but I'm looking.

Anonymous said...

yuck! just read my comment again. sorry, i am such a patronising prick-ress or whatever the equivalent is. but seriously, you are such a good writer... so keep wondering why you are not doing it more 'seriously'

Anonymous said...

I've been stealthily lurking about your blog for a while now, so here I am, delurking for the first time (albeit anonymously - I am internet-shy).