Finding light in life’s shadows.
Everyone sat around the table in the staff room, casually talking about the timing protocols at the workplace. A teacher very correctly mentioned that the peak hours of our day are spent at work. It immediately occurred to me that after work, the evening hours vary from person to person, from age group to age group, from one gender to another, and as per many other factors as well.
So, this time– post lunch or evening till one hits the bed at night — this time has different meanings and divergent value for everyone. While some enjoy a nap, others enjoy drinks — soft or hard. While some watch TV, others crouch over their mobile phones.
While some finish household chores, others like to amble around window-shopping in the market. This can also be a very sensitive time for some people, eg – those experiencing loneliness. For them, it’s especially advisable to proactively arrange to meet with friends and family.
Here’s lightheartedly looking at all scenarios:
Post-lunch naps:-
This defines sheer bliss. After lunch, one feels pleasantly intoxicated and that particular siesta rejuvenates. It is, in fact, of utmost importance for a pleasant evening mood.
Drinks:-
Defines relaxation for many, especially with musical beats and rhythms.
Watching TV:-
It’s a very potent evening-buddy. Though the poor chap is known as an idiot box, it does keep company for many, providing multiple options for watching and engaging oneself.
Mobile Phones:-
Mobile phones connect people, too. The handset has indeed brought the world to our fingertips, and especially during unfilled evening hours, the gadget actually starts using us, instead of the other way around.
Household chores:-
This encompasses myriad activities, like washing dishes, getting kids to do their homework, folding and ironing clothes, planning for and cooking dinner, preparing for the next day’s breakfast, and even thoughts about next day’s lunch in the case of working ladies. In fact, this is a never-ending list, but forms the backbone of all other activities around and about.
Window-shopping:-
This sometimes precedes actual, impulsive purchasing, which is, once in a while, okay. On its own, it brings along, unfailingly, a flavored visit to street-food vendors, too! One knows the gustatory experience well enough. While this list can never be exhaustive, Saturday and Sunday evenings are altogether a different story. A Saturday evening is usually spent watching a movie, reading, catching up with friends, and family. listening to music, while dabbling in creativity, or simply idling in park. It is the equivalent of delight. ‘The night before the day off is more than satisfying than the actual day off.’ The joy is in the pursuit, not the destination.
Here, even the lazy Sunday morning deserves an ode. Talking the talk of
Sundays further into the evening, I once read:-
“A lazy cup of tea, a watched film, a sleepy nap, a half-read book, and the Sunday I had paid for all week has just come and gone without notice.”
