Yesterday, it was an opportunity for me to help myself by playing some cricket with the young lads of the village who are enjoying their winter vacations because winter has turned so harsh, and it has actually been a routine over the years that schools are closed for these two months to let students have some rest and also not endanger their lives by exposing them to the cold wave that blows here in this winter season. Fortunately for those lads, the precipitation is yet to come, and they have been enjoying their holidays for the past one and a half months.
It was my cousin who told me that they play cricket on the outskirts of the village, and as I had visited a doctor just a few days before who advised me to play games to keep myself fit, I took it as an opportunity to join them there on the ground. It is actually not a ground, but just a small space where cricket can be played. The fielders need to keep an eye on the ball through the tall trees, and because of the water that seeps out of their joints, the surface sometimes becomes slippery and even the fielders fall while fielding the ball.
It was fun being there in the first place. When I reached there, it wasn’t my turn to be part of any team because they were already playing a match, so I first sat and enjoyed the cricket that was going on and waited for the next match to start so that I could also take part. When the next match began, it was again my cousin who took me into his team and, after winning the toss, sent me first as the striker. I enjoyed it, but unfortunately in the first match I couldn’t score big, as I was out very cheaply just after scoring a boundary.
I then had to wait for our innings to end, and afterward I fielded. This time I took a part of the field that was quite big and where I could move a lot to either field the ball or fetch it if it was hit long. I was happy to be there on that part of the field because it actually served my purpose of playing cricket. I needed to run, which otherwise I hardly do because I am involved in work that requires me to stay in one place for longer periods of time. Today, when my cousin told me that they play cricket near their house, I took it as a blessing.
Just a few days before, I weighed myself and found that I was 92 kg, whereas earlier I used to be just 72 or 74 a year before, and that actually gave me an idea of where I have reached in terms of not keeping myself active. I didn’t care about who was playing or why they were playing; the only thing I cared about was my health, and I was more than happy to be there with them, just running across either for runs or while fielding the ball. It actually made me happy for that period of time.
I have heard that a sound mind lives in a sound body, and that seems to be true because for the past few weeks I have been memorizing things related to engineering, but still I can’t remember them for too long because I feel like my health has deteriorated a little just because I remain idle for most parts of the day. I firmly believe that health is wealth, and if money is lost, nothing is lost, but if health is lost, everything is lost. It is actually true because without health, nothing can give you immense happiness, and if there are any issues with health, people hardly feel good about anything else. I hope I will be able to join these guys again in the next few days because playing can do to a human what medicines sometimes cannot, and that is what I believe in.
