EPILOGUE
AMUSING MUSINGS:
Micro Tale #395: "EPILOGUE" by Leon Enriquez
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So here we are at the gate. Words give way as our breaths punctuate a heavy and pensive silence. Even now, a certain sadness wears out our resistance. We have turn the page to the last day here on these eastern shores. Our simple stay over trip is ending today. Yes, sixty-odd days of succinct mindfulness and meaning for Ann and I orchestrated by Michael and Clara, and a lovely bundle of joy.
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Here I am awakened abruptly by a churning stomach and a full bladder. Yet another morning rising ahead of the dawn of a freezing autumn-winter exuberance. As expected the call of nature disrupts even weary sleep. Drowsy legs struggle with strides even as sleepy eyes grope in the dark to find the usual passage through doors. Aha! The moment!
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The word and unique meaning of autumn has now been forever etched in our sacred space. Especially those memories of a time captivated by love, by kinship and by blood ties. And all this because of an infant boy by the name of Axel Caleb. Yes, a vivid bundle of bouncing bravado who incites and creates lumpy knots of emotional ties. Yes, whose happiness brings sunshine and warmth to hearts impacted by the harsh cold weather.
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Even winter here can only yield its snow frost as a lump sum of freezing cold. No snow except a rainy drizzle complete with background sunshine. We have come around to the frontiers of a new event horizon.
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Simply spending time here has been fulfilling and yet paradoxically refreshing. The daily routines of babycare as a family have sublimated well here with flashes and highlights that tell a good story. Emotional nevertheless. The precinct called Hamlet Place has housed us well. For that, gratitude is an intensity of our affinity for peace and joy.
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Canberra has hosted us well. This simple house in the Australian suburbs has acquainted us with living in a detached abode since our arrival here. At that time, we wondered about the duration away from home in Singapore. Yet, time has unleashed its swift ebb and flow so quickly.
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Saturday, 30th June has come to our portals. Our bags and earthly possessions are packed. We are ready for the 6,000 plus kilometres flight home bound. But a certain touch of unexpected melancholy floods through our veins. Perhaps, too much of attachment had oozed through the days spent on one focal point. Yes, the happy baby boy! Emotional jigsaw puzzles are very addictive.
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Time is a telling thing. Without our notice, time fills space with defining emotions. New and raw and intensive the arc of human bonds can cling to your heart like the unrelenting tentacles of an octopus. Each pull and push makes for messy disorientation and captivating confluence. Too soon and too late, the snares of sensorial appeal strangles the last resistance to the feeling impulse.
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Humans have a way of working out our choices and our voices. Bonding -- despite our different perspectives of what works best for infant care -- comes by degrees slowly but surely. Then, the massive influence like an alcohol fix. Truth be told, this is a good fix despite the disagreements in the methods despite the madness.
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Facts topple the pact in the venture of change. Time makes distance bearable, even posturing seasons into a logical reason for delivering consequence. Good grace commits to reasonable space and change of activity. Love is the best rub for a change of climate far removed from the currency of familiar notions. And as creatures of habit, time away can enforce a new wave of experiences.
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Hope survives all scourges if faith aligns with good intentions. Sometimes, we are superseded by events that at first don't make much sense to our default memory. So here we arrive at the threshold of certainty framed by distinct self-assurance. These three virtues empower the human spirit to traverse through uncertainty and change with simple fortitude and grace.
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So here we are on the final squeeze at the exit point. Words mark the signpost well. But words cannot speak well for the emotional upheavals. Yes, especially in the abrupt twists and turns or in the poignant highs and lows of human interactions. Especially when personal sacrifice is on the menu agenda. And compromise is a key feature of keeping the peace in conflict resolution.
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At the epicentre of our exuberance: baby Axel is a happy and bubbly infant who responds well to loving endearment, prompt milk feeds, playtime and lots of carrying and cuddling while walking around the house.
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A stationary posture upsets the infant with a noisy complaint or worst still a crying bout. Also, dreamy feelings during his sleep time can cause bouts of non-stop crying episodes. The baby is growing up well and now weighs about 6.5 kilograms. And he loves to hear me whistle a few tunes that he has become accustomed to! We will certainly miss our grandson. But, he will be home in about two weeks time.
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Aptly, the end meets in a new-found beginning. Or as the old adage seems to echo: A new chapter begins when the old chapter ends. On our homeward flight, we will inevitably have a memory lane recall of our time spent drooling with autumn weather and greeting the early winter in Canberra. Bon voyage sojourners!
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