“There is a part of us which wants to break
free of the shackles that bind us. What is that stops us? That makes us step
back . Pause. Postpone….forget…regret. We can be all that that we want to
be.”
These words which Jeremy’s English teacher had said last week were still ringing clearly in his head. “I can be aaall that I want to be..” he wondered with his face radiating hope.
Jeremy had just turned 13 this winter. He looked outside into the foggy street. There is so much that he had seen on these very streets. People rushing to work, children waiting for their school buses and the vendors from ice cream to popcorn to veggies to mangoes….”
“What do I want to be?”he wondered. Jeremy didn’t have to go to school, the school came home.”I am so lucky” he thought.”I can get up an hour later than all my buddies” he thought.
But he would have loved to go play in the evenings. Teachers would come teach and go. He would thoroughly enjoy his bowl of yogurt after his lunch. Take his nap. And the sounds of the football game would be his alarm. A tear would trickle down his face. He made sure the tear would be just his. His alone.
He wasn’t sad cause he couldn’t walk .His wheelchair was faster transportation he had reasoned. All that ached him was that he couldn’t play the game he loved so much.
Fall on the grass. Shoot the ball . Hit a goal. Relish it…. Play for a team. Run across the field .Imitate Henry and maybe even“hush” a hostile crowd .
Just as he would start getting deep into the thought, the encourager in him would emerge and somehow bring him through before the feeling could engulf him.
Today even as he looked at his skinny legs which maybe lacked the strength to carry him, he knew there was strength within which was enough. He believed, there is nothing that could stop him from being all that He was meant to be.
So each day Jeremy would take his dark green notepad and let all that would be stored up in his tiny heart to be etched by the blue fountain pen he loved so dearly.
Today as he took his dream book, it began to drizzle. He stretched his right hand out of the window to feel the first drops of the heavenly shower. He slowly moved towards the door. Unlatched it. Slowly opened it and carefully maneuvered his wheelchair. He was out. He took the slope beside the stairs and silently thanked uncle Tim who had sponsored it.
The ground was across the street. He looked to the left. The rain Gods had now become more generous. He turned to the right. With one hand as a shield to his eyes and other at the wheels, he pushed forward. He felt as though someone called him from his window. He didn’t hear that he told himself. He had reached the other side but a pavement was between him and the slugfest going on in the ground. ”I guess I should just go back” said Jeremy.
He tried to turn his wheelchair, …but he couldn’t. Someone was holding it. He looked up, and saw a familiar pair of spectacles …”Unca’ Timmy!!” he shrieked as he almost jumped off his chair. He helped Jeremy onto the pavement. Then even as Uncle Tim was pushing the chair, Jeremy let his own hands do the work. He raced ahead onto to the inclined strip which led him onto the grass.
He paused. Looked skywards. Saw the huge droplets come down. Shut his eyelids tight. His outstretched arms let his whole being be one with it all .
Slowly opened his eyes. Looked at the kids playin’ fifty meters up front. He began to debate about what all his feet were capable of. Just when he was about to begin the duel. The ball came rolling and stopped two feet to his right.
One thing he knew for sure , no point juggling around in theory when a practical evaluation was possible. So without a second thought moved ahead. Still raining .The buzz around him similar to that of a t.v with no channels to show. He held the arms of the chair tight. Took his right feet back ,to the right at an angle outside the realms of his chair which had bound him,…then brought it back to the base of the ball..”Thump!” . It didn’t reach them. But he could kick. Yes he could!!
Then he pressed ahead. Suddenly looked behind to see his uncle standing.
Uncle Tim placed both his hands on either side of his mouth, and was about to say something. Jeremy could envision the words come out “Enough, lets go Jeremy !”.
And three words echoed loud and clear…. “ Go Jeremy Go!!”
The next one hour flew by. He scored two of the six goals his team scored. For once his white t-shirt didn’t get dirty because of the jam he dropped on it. Some of Jeremy’s dreams came to pass that rainy evening. He hushed the rain.. was carried round the park …Laughed…Screamed …Danced….Lived.
That day when he laid down, he knew that many times in life,..he may not have an uncle to help him cross over the pavement. But one thing was sure…., he had found a strength that day...a strength which will make him think twice before turning back.
These words which Jeremy’s English teacher had said last week were still ringing clearly in his head. “I can be aaall that I want to be..” he wondered with his face radiating hope.
Jeremy had just turned 13 this winter. He looked outside into the foggy street. There is so much that he had seen on these very streets. People rushing to work, children waiting for their school buses and the vendors from ice cream to popcorn to veggies to mangoes….”
“What do I want to be?”he wondered. Jeremy didn’t have to go to school, the school came home.”I am so lucky” he thought.”I can get up an hour later than all my buddies” he thought.
But he would have loved to go play in the evenings. Teachers would come teach and go. He would thoroughly enjoy his bowl of yogurt after his lunch. Take his nap. And the sounds of the football game would be his alarm. A tear would trickle down his face. He made sure the tear would be just his. His alone.
He wasn’t sad cause he couldn’t walk .His wheelchair was faster transportation he had reasoned. All that ached him was that he couldn’t play the game he loved so much.
Fall on the grass. Shoot the ball . Hit a goal. Relish it…. Play for a team. Run across the field .Imitate Henry and maybe even“hush” a hostile crowd .
Just as he would start getting deep into the thought, the encourager in him would emerge and somehow bring him through before the feeling could engulf him.
Today even as he looked at his skinny legs which maybe lacked the strength to carry him, he knew there was strength within which was enough. He believed, there is nothing that could stop him from being all that He was meant to be.
So each day Jeremy would take his dark green notepad and let all that would be stored up in his tiny heart to be etched by the blue fountain pen he loved so dearly.
Today as he took his dream book, it began to drizzle. He stretched his right hand out of the window to feel the first drops of the heavenly shower. He slowly moved towards the door. Unlatched it. Slowly opened it and carefully maneuvered his wheelchair. He was out. He took the slope beside the stairs and silently thanked uncle Tim who had sponsored it.
The ground was across the street. He looked to the left. The rain Gods had now become more generous. He turned to the right. With one hand as a shield to his eyes and other at the wheels, he pushed forward. He felt as though someone called him from his window. He didn’t hear that he told himself. He had reached the other side but a pavement was between him and the slugfest going on in the ground. ”I guess I should just go back” said Jeremy.
He tried to turn his wheelchair, …but he couldn’t. Someone was holding it. He looked up, and saw a familiar pair of spectacles …”Unca’ Timmy!!” he shrieked as he almost jumped off his chair. He helped Jeremy onto the pavement. Then even as Uncle Tim was pushing the chair, Jeremy let his own hands do the work. He raced ahead onto to the inclined strip which led him onto the grass.
He paused. Looked skywards. Saw the huge droplets come down. Shut his eyelids tight. His outstretched arms let his whole being be one with it all .
Slowly opened his eyes. Looked at the kids playin’ fifty meters up front. He began to debate about what all his feet were capable of. Just when he was about to begin the duel. The ball came rolling and stopped two feet to his right.
One thing he knew for sure , no point juggling around in theory when a practical evaluation was possible. So without a second thought moved ahead. Still raining .The buzz around him similar to that of a t.v with no channels to show. He held the arms of the chair tight. Took his right feet back ,to the right at an angle outside the realms of his chair which had bound him,…then brought it back to the base of the ball..”Thump!” . It didn’t reach them. But he could kick. Yes he could!!
Then he pressed ahead. Suddenly looked behind to see his uncle standing.
Uncle Tim placed both his hands on either side of his mouth, and was about to say something. Jeremy could envision the words come out “Enough, lets go Jeremy !”.
And three words echoed loud and clear…. “ Go Jeremy Go!!”
The next one hour flew by. He scored two of the six goals his team scored. For once his white t-shirt didn’t get dirty because of the jam he dropped on it. Some of Jeremy’s dreams came to pass that rainy evening. He hushed the rain.. was carried round the park …Laughed…Screamed …Danced….Lived.
That day when he laid down, he knew that many times in life,..he may not have an uncle to help him cross over the pavement. But one thing was sure…., he had found a strength that day...a strength which will make him think twice before turning back.
And
as he slowly let his eyes shut, murmured silently “I can be aaall that I want
to be”.
Superlike
ReplyDeleteGood. Add drawings to it.
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