Grateful

Julia was sipping her green tea at Fresco's, her favorite bistro in town, like she had done everyday for the past five months. She sat there listening to the early morning bustle on the street. A cool breeze was blowing, and her thoughts seemed to sway back and forth with it. She thought about how much her life had changed in the past year. A lot of hardships had sprung up, but funnily enough, she had never enjoyed or appreciated life more than she did now. Sometimes, she thought, you need to fall down to the ground and look at life from there; it gives you a whole new perspective.

She was jostled out of her thoughts by a shriek from a girl on a nearby table.

"I can't believe you hit delete Jenna! That was the only evidence I had of him cheating on his girlfriend!", the girl was screaming at another young girl seated across from her.

"Quit shouting Rube, everyone's looking at us! And I told you not to spoil my brother's life! Everyone makes mistakes, okay? You don't have the right to judge him when you are such a tramp yourself", the girl named Jenna replied back.

Rube lowered her voice and Julia couldn't hear her anymore, nor did she care. She turned her attention away from their table with a shake of her head. People let such trivial things get under their skin, not realizing that life is bigger than all this. If someone has done you wrong you either forgive them, or forget them. You don't hold it against them and dish out justice on your own. That is the job of the universe, or God, or whatever higher power you believe in. For there has to be a higher power, Julia thought, as she looked at the tree leaves glisten in the morning light. That little sight of nature made her smile. The notification on her phone startled her a little. She looked at her phone, saw the message, and excused herself from the bistro.

She loved walking. There was something beautiful about this simple act, the way you could move your body forwards, purposely, getting closer to your destination. It was something so useful, yet your mind was absolutely free to think about anything in the world. She thought people took walking for granted, like most other things. She was one of those people just a few months back. She used to think everything was a task, she did things mechanically, wanting to get them over with, failing to revel in the task itself. She used to struggle to submit her work assignments, now she marveled at how the clogs of her brain could turn when she focused her attention on her work, how productive she could become; she used to think to get home and cook dinner was just another chore, now she let the amazing aroma of thyme and basil drift up her nostrils as she tried to make the perfect recipe for a Sunday dinner; she had never been able to see this side of life before, her old self was a grumpy and angry middle aged lady, she could admit that now. The slightest hint of trouble, and she used to think that the universe had plotted against her, that she was a victim to a conspiracy, helpless. Now she saw herself as strong and able, ready to take on any challenge life flung at her. How much a person could change in a matter of months, she thought as she reached her destination.
She walked through the doors of the Ambulatory Care Cancer Services, and was immediately greeted by Dr. Shroff.
"How are you today Ms. Meeks?", he said with a huge smile.
"Grateful", she said with a contented sigh.


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Footnotes
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Written for Writer's Cramp.
Word Count : 637