Great Falls Park, Virginia

How I have changed! God, I really have. Those who know me will vouch that my idea of fun is not really going out. Taking all the trouble of getting out of my cozy bed, moving my big fat bum and taking all the trouble of getting ready to visit a place which, objectively speaking, in some way or the other, always resembles a place you have already been to. After all, I believe, places one visits generally fall in the following categories, (a) Cities; neat or not so neat, lots of high-rises or slums, bazars or malls, pubs or restaurants (depending on the part of the world you visit; first or the third). (b) Beaches; on seas or oceans (named differently but as they say in Hindu philosophy, their ‘atman’ always the same, waves striking against sands or cliffs). (c) Mountains; rocky surfaces with or without snow, having a cold climate with less or more trees thrown in for some greenery. (d) Historical; ruins of one kind or the other.

Well, so something must have changed inside me when I did want to get up early and visit a place. I don’t know, if I am becoming more human (I say so, because I always believe that seeing me confirms the theory that men have certainly descended from apes).

So when I asked ‘I’ if we could visit the Great Falls Park and spend a day there, she could hardly believe her ears. She was game, as always, but I guess was pretty skeptical about the sincerity of my offer. BUT, folks’ today was the day when 'THIS MAN' did move his butt, got ready, took to the steering wheel and did drive down to the Park (another matter that it was only a 20 minutes drive but he missed the exit and had to take a detour). Being a working day, the place was not very crowded and as it is, how crowded can an 800 acre park in the heart of Washington, DC be? The view of Potomac River was breathtaking and we in our true blue Hindustani tradition completely disregarded all signboard warnings forbidding people from going too close to the river, lest they may be swept away by it's strong currents, trekked right up to it's banks. ‘I’ took off her shoes and soaked her feet in the river (a kind of ritual she can’t do without whenever she sees a water-body). ‘S’ seemed to be enjoying himself too, and to tell you the truth, so was I. The whole atmosphere was picturesque and serene. The walking trail in the forest overlooking the Potomac flowing in full force, soothed one's frayed nerves. I was carrying my book (just in case the trip turned out to be a bore) and plonked myself on a rock next to the guys’ busy fishing in the river. It was fun to see their delight when they did manage to catch one. The fit bodies of guys’ and gals’ cycling and rock-climbing made me feel envious, so I decided to ignore them. What do they call it? ‘Ostrich like attitude’ I guess. I won’t see fit bodies and so won't feel conscious about my rotund belly. After all, is it not said that the world is nothing but a reflection of how you see it? How very profound.

Hope my new found enthusiasm is not a flash in the pan, but a ‘jhalak’ to some more ‘butt shaking trips’ in the future…