The woman in Red!

We were at a pool in Pokhara... Our daughter was still experimenting with water and would not let us swim to our heart's desire. This had a flip side. We saw a lot... and learned much about what makes people the people they are!

The object of our attention that day ( apart, ofcourse from the little lady in pink- our princess) was an old lady wearing a red bikini. She looked at least seventy, if not more. She was in a deep conversation with a young man, oblivious of all others around her.

She suddenly moved to the side of the pool and instead of reaching for the stairwell, she reached for the side slab, did a smart hand stand and gracefully pulled her legs over, getting out of the pool like a smart cat. The only thing left for her to do was shake her body and hair to drip water in all directions around her. She was a pleasure to watch. What she did next was extraordinary. She reached for the diving board, and did a somersault, flipping in mid-air, landed like a professional diver, head following outstretched arms in a flawless splash free dive that was breath-taking. She was explaining to the young man how to dive!

I struck a conversation with this grand lady.

As it turned out, we had grossly underestimated her age. She was well over eighty- nearly ninety. She was traveling alone. She loved to swim. She was teaching the young man less than one fourth her age how to dive. And she loved the colour red.

And even more extraordinary was her background! She had had a heart valve replacement surgery, a gall bladder removal, a hysterectomy, cataract, a total hip replacement and even a varicose vein stripping. She was in her own words- brand new!!! She had had all the malfunctioning parts either removed or replaced, she laughed.

I hope that we are able to keep our enthusiasm for living and our love of life as alive as this lady.

I do not know her name, I know not her nationality. I do not even know if she is alive now- this encounter was way back in 1999/2000. I do know however, that she is not dead! She will never die!

As someone great has said- life is not a five star existence whereby you arrive well preserved in a dress suit to meet your maker. Rather it should be an exciting journey whereby you arrive skidding, with greased elbows and bruised knees, a happy smile on your face and say with a satisfied smile, " Phew! what a journey!"