Sunday 9 January 2011

A walk in the park



I often walk in the park, I walk to the park and I sit down on a bench and I think and observe and occasionally if I remember, I might feed the birds with a crust. When I am breaking it up and throwing it to the urban bird life that really have no right to be there getting free pickings, I often think that the crusts would do me more good than the spongy moist bread that is in the slices that I do eat.
Today as on most days I see the usual park dwellers like me; the walkers and the joggers; the skateboarders and mothers with babies or toddlers. I don’t wave or say hello to them or they to me they are but the natural makeup of the park, just like the seats and the kiddies’ corner and the fountain and the gardens and the grass and the trees. That is all except Maisie. I am sure that is not her name, it is just the name I have given her. She dresses down for the park. She looks permanently cross and she holds an unbent wire coat hanger in one hand and drags a large trolley with the other. The trolley is filled with reusable bags half filled with an assortment of bottles and cans and plastic containers all of which can be redeemed for 10c a piece at the recycling depot. We have little such debris littering our street and parks and waterways, it is just too valuable. Even if you don’t want the 10c Maisie does and hundreds like her. There is an army of scavenger ants in Adelaide clearing the city and suburbs of this waste.
As I sit there unnoticed Maisie will approach the waste bin near me and using her improvised tool will fossick for treasures in the garbage. I however notice her. She has dressed especially for this task. She has dressed down. I don’t think her best friends would recognise her, if she had any friends. She wears a hat that shields her face and protects her from the sun and it is held on by a chiffon scarf of doubtful cleanliness tied with knot under her chin. Her clothes are ones Opportunity shops would throw out. They are foul and her shoes are of course sneakers of a size that would probably fit me!
At first I would ignore her and she me. One day something allowed me to study her more closely. Hiding behind her façade was a very sweet face that appeared when her grimace was relaxed. In that fleeting second I saw a different Maisie, I saw a young girl thrilled at receiving her first kiss, I saw a blushing bride proudly gazing into a young man’s eyes, and I saw her with tears in her eyes as she cradled her baby. It was at that moment I looked at Maisie in a different light. In doing so I got up off the park bench and stopped feeling sorry for myself and took a walk in the park.

15 comments:

  1. Once again, I completely enjoyed this story. It was sweet and lovely. There are Maisies all over the world, God bless them!

    I have a e-friend that lives in your part of the world--in Whyalla.

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  2. I seem to recognise Maisie; I am sure we have met before. Thanks for bringing her to life again. It was good to meet her again.

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  3. Absolutely wonderful, and so very true of so many things when we just take the time to notice.

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  4. I could feel the sigh of sitting on the bench and watching life in the park..but your view of Maisie really seemed to change your visit..I hope she 'saw' you..maybe her story might change too..I am so glad you got to your feet and had the courage to enjoy the park..Jae ;)

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  5. What a lovely story! Maybe you should consider taking a jog in the park!

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  6. I love stories of hope and inspiration even of people sitting on benches being inspired to walk--kind people who automatically assume bag people 'dress-down' for their collecting hobbies.

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  7. so nice! I would like another page!

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  8. Her life isn't a walk in the park; sad isn't it. Yes I'd like to know more about what happens.

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  9. I am a first timer here. I like what you write although I am still some time away from retiring...

    Keep writing..

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  10. Dear Maisie, I wonder what her story is. I enjoyed this short story. When we were kids collecting those bottles and taking them to the corner store was our pocket money. Then we went and bought ice creams with our scavenged money. You can't get refunds anywhere but S.A. today, I bet the parks would be heaps cleaner if you could, and the little entrepreneurs happy too.

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  11. If all of a us would take a few minutes to look bebeath the facade of what our eyes first see, the world would be a better place and in most cases that includess the faces we see in the mirror.

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  12. Beautifully written. A reminder that we should all take a closer look at those around us.

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