A Well-seasoned Life?

a short story

by amicatonic

In the end, she finds herself with virtually nothing much to do—much, I say, because all that’s left for her to engage in at the moment and most moments, actually, is breathing, blinking, scratching, eating, drinking, sleeping, and, perhaps, showering if and when she feels like it—since she has spent most of her well-seasoned life growing, learning, working, and extending her heart out to others. She has also managed to search, observe, research, learn and re-learn, as well as laugh with her dear ones over coffee or tea, which is often accompanied by dainty little desserts, and take walks at the park, even with her dog when he was still alive, to smell the flowers and enjoy the sun in the comfort of the shade cast by a tree over a bench with a good book or just keen eyes for people-watching, that she might return home with splendid subjects to draw or paint or write about; and, of course, she has also traveled extensively to some of the wonders that the world has offered—some, I say, because they’re just too numerous for one life to take in, much less for one sweet and stable lady.

Hence, she has practically exhausted all the possible engagements people typically take on during their lifetime. So, at this very moment, she is left with nothing, at least within the bounds of reason, but a very conscious but quite bewildered mind, with eyes and ears that are failing her senses, wrinkles all over her frail body worn out by time and overcome by gravity, and a confounded heart—breathing and anticipating what’s to come next, if there’s even anything at all to come but her union with earth.

She contemplates. What is it all for?—to grow from sacred innocence into abundant wisdom only to find your end in a silent, decaying life. What’s it all for? Is this what I’ve persevered and eventually prevailed for? Is this it—this moment enveloping me, me with my peppered hair and a plate of bland life? She turns her head towards the kitchen window and gets a glimpse of the sun which casts its light over anything it could. But just not on her, while she sits here alone. She thinks...just one more sip of this green tea...it's an antioxidant and supposed to do wonders for the body...and this tea cake is just exquisite, made by a renowned baker...