Strolling With Hope

I slipped on my flip-flops, still in my workwear of t-shirt and jeans, I headed down for a stroll.

The night was peaceful with a light breeze, punctuated only by over-zealous teens zooming past with loud speakers blasting music I’ve never heard of. The high humidity level makes me perspire, soaking my white tee wet. Still, I walked, at snail pace. Each stride was measured and precise.

To make my sleep easier, faster and better, I had to move. A few hours back, I went on a rare spontaneous ice cream date with my wife. A giant cone (they called it monster cone) with 3 equally huge scoops of ice cream. Well, it was lovely but it filled us up before we even had dinner. Since we almost never get the chance to be alone, this warranted some extra zest of good vibe.

I also wanted to wash away the worries, anxieties and bad encounters at work (I’m still feeling the burnout as I’m typing this, my mind is still wandering back to the countless unfinished tasks). Things haven’t been going too well at my new workplace. Bosses are harsh. Judgements were biased. Timelines are unrealistic. Workflow is a mess. The only good thing out of this – it pays the bill. Things can only get better, like they always do.

Hope is a powerful motivator. It keeps people going through tough times. And I lean on Liverpool’s FC anthem, You’ll Never Walk Alone, for hope.

When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don’t be afraid of the dark

At the end of a storm
There’s a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark

Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown

Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone

You’ll never walk alone

Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone

You’ll never walk alone