THE UNEXPRESSED JOY...EXPRESSED

To my neighbor whose season decorations brings joy to the kids and others…

To all of you for having enriched my life regardless of the time spent together…

They made the most unusual but also the most lovable couple to look at – the tall man and the short wife. The man, a picture of gentleness with contentment radiating from his eyes surrounded by his wire-rimmed glasses. The wife, always engaged in a conversation with her husband and having a determined stride in her steps. If they were a bit more formal and a little more rigid in their motion, you could almost see them moving like an army regiment - Shoulder (man) to Head (wife) and passing by you at a rapid clip and with a purpose on their mind. In their early 60s, sometimes they would take a momentary pause from their chatter, look up, give a smile, and say “Good Morning” in a pleasant voice. The other thing about this couple was that they almost used to wear matching dress – since it was morning time when I usually saw them on the walks, it was a pair of fleece and a walking pants – in rust color sometimes and in gray other days – capped by a baseball cap - never gaudy or flashy clothes and almost and literally expressing their personality with their clothes.

Their house, sitting on the corner of a quiet cul-de-sac, was nothing out of ordinary for the neighborhood. Single story, Texas style, built in late 2010’s, red brick with cream colored trimmings, a well-maintained front yard that wrapped around the house and the corner plot, the wide windows peeking at the street from both the sides towards the road, and the trees cut to just the right size to allow shade, privacy and yet allowing a view of the happenings from inside. Of course, you can’t see the inside but it would not be presumptuous to believe that the house would be warm and welcoming too. As you enter the house, you can expect to be welcomed with a comfortable carpet with inviting sofa in the living space next to the fireplace which would be adorned with paintings and other decorations. You can expect the kitchen to be clean and full of amenities to make one comfortable, the bedsheets neatly tucked in with a warm comforter matching the décor of the rooms, and maybe a room kept aside for their grandkids with toys of different kinds to keep them engaged.

The house was also the one which was frequented the most during the holiday season. Be it scary spider - with vivid red veins - climbing up their front door, cobwebs blocking part of the way, bats on the walls, or the Santa cardboard cut out smiling joyously at strangers and being illuminated for extra effect, the snowflake shaped lights hanging down from the fence making an inverted-U shape pattern, the Christmas carol notes planted firmly on the soft ground and passing on the message of love and hope. It’s one of those things that makes the kids ready at night to wear their thick jackets, warm gloves, woolen caps, and boots to brave the cold and see the decoration.

So on this cold, windy morning when I was out taking the dog for the walk and when I saw the man bending down searching for the next decoration to take out of the worn out box, I couldn’t resist expressing my gratitude for the happiness they spread to everyone. The man looked up at me peering out from under his baseball cap and waved with his wrinkled hands. I could see a slight smile on his face as he said, “the decorations will be up soon.” I felt happy to have got a chance to acknowledge their kind spirits and hoped that they keep spreading the happiness as always – without expectations and just for the joy of it.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!