It
was the bitter sound of my alarm clock which greeted me abruptly this morning; a
disheartening reminder that my brief pre-summer vacation was over.
As
I stormed out of my home, downing my regular blend of coffee and mocca, I drove
into town focusing on the time spent with my wife and son by the beach; the
crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean seemed more alluring than a heap of
unanswered emails.
Despite
the dark, threatening cloud hovering directly above, I entered my workspace
with an arrogant song; I was not prepared to remove the gleams of summer from
my mind and merge into an annoyingly fast-paced world.
My
brief moment of utopia was interrupted by an obnoxious work colleague, stating
the obvious about my darkly tanned body.
As I diplomatically tried to move myself from conversation, my mind
returned to a moment of bliss where I witnessed a dandelion floating
majestically towards the surface of the sea.
Making contact with the water, the dandelion burst rhythmically into
dance as it spiralled across the ocean – tip-toeing. Unaffected by the magnetic pull of the water,
the dandelion continued its dance nonchalantly, reassured by the wind that its
path would be unobstructed.
Surprised
by this natural phenomenon, I pondered on the thought of the dandelion and it’s
oblivious attitude towards the other, stronger forces of nature. Despite the brutal force of the wind,
steering it towards the water, the dandelion ignored the external powers and continued
its path. I realised that as humans, it’s
in our nature to worry about what other people make of us; an obsession to acquire
that “pat-on-the-back” as a sign of reassurance.
Admittedly,
I have always fallen victim to this unfortunate battle. My monstrous body making its way from the
sunbed to the swimming pool encourages a mass of eyes judging every overflowing
crevasse as I plunge into the water and displace a third of the contents.
Emerging
from the swimming pool resembling the Loch Ness Monster, I reach for my towel hoping to conceal my
tubes of blubber.
But,
the dandelion has taught me to ignore the noise from this uninvited fan
club. Walking across the pool deck, I
reach for the menu and order my large mocca milkshake; an afternoon of sun therapy
has been ordered. I retire on the sunbed, unaware that my modelling session
around the swimming pool has been the highlight of the day.
As
the sun sets, I wake up to a familiar chant from my wife, summoning me to my
hotel room. Yawning from sheer
relaxation, I model my newly-tanned body into the hotel flaunting a new look;
the fan club looks on as I wait patiently for the elevator to sound its
arrival.
Upon
entry, the doors begin to close and I bid my fan club adieu. The dandelion
has found its resting ground, but tomorrow it will be flying higher than ever –
nothing can pull it down.
Weight
for me soon. Paul
Paul Lambis is the author of “Where is Home?” – A journey of hilarious contrasts.
For more information on Paul Lambis, and to order his book online,
visit www.paul-lambis.com
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