I was at Panera Bread, waiting for my takeout sandwich and quietly observing the crowd. The place was full on a Friday evening. Except for one or two, all the tables were occupied.
My eyes fell on a lone elderly woman having her dinner over a salad and a sandwich at a nearby table. She watched something on her phone as she ate, and laughed quietly. She appeared to be around 75. Her hair and nails were done. She had delicate gold-rimmed glasses on, three bracelets and two rings on her right hand, and a watch on the other. She wore a full-sleeve white top with a thick gold chain and a pendant hanging just below the neckline. She was well put together.
The woman, in her autumn years, was all by herself on an October weekend eve. Yet, she looked happy and completely unbothered by the reality that she was eating alone in a bustling restaurant where most guests had come with friends or family. Some people don’t stop living until it’s truly time to say goodbye.
এদেশের বয়স্ক মানুষদের দেখে আমি অনেক ইন্সপায়ার্ড বোধ করি। কারো কারো ফ্যাশন সেন্স তো দারুণ। কাপড়, জুতা, ব্যাগ, গয়না কী সুন্দর পরিবেশ এবং বয়সের সাথে মানানসই এবং পরিপাটি! আমি মাঝেমাঝে গিয়ে কথা বলি, সুন্দর কোনো কমপ্লিমেন্ট দিই।
আমার মনে হয় জীবন এমনই হওয়া উচিত। প্রতিটি দিনই বাঁচা উচিত। মরার আগে বারবার মরে যাবার মানে নেই।
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