The year in sum, was a blur of rushing deadlines, lugging bags through airports and train stations, coping with new faces and missing the old ones, the familiarity of Friday poker nights, re-establishing filial bonds, late nights inhaling the scent of apple grape mint, the occassional drunken night or two, rejection, acceptance and less time to ponder. Less time to think. As I filled my hours with work and play, I left the remaining hours I had to sleep. Sleep, glorious, sleep. No time allocated just to daydream and ponder.
So today, to make up for the lost time, I sat down on one of the benches facing Jusco supermarket, lemonade in hand... and I people-watched. I watched as an extremely under-fed Santa walked through the mall handing out balloons while an elf jingled a bell and gave out sweets. I marvelled as I saw scores of parents trailing after Santa, begging for a single balloon, their children hanging on like leeches on to their right hands, jumping up and down impatiently in anticipation. You don't get to see this everyday. The fates of a few children resting on a single green sphere filled with air on a stick. The merry smile on one child's face would have to be matched with tears on another's.
I could not help but smile because it brought back memories of my childhood. All it took was a single balloon to brighten up my day when I was five. Nothing much has changed. And I took a step back to thank God that He managed to preserve that pureness in a child that could have easily seen thin Santa with a balloon, and walked right past him.
