I SAT NEXT TO HIM ON THE BENCH
“It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” Edmund Hillary I started a little late for work, this morning. I wanted to take a long walk through the pleasant winter-sun… I love the winter sun. On my way, I met a man (who’s in his mid-forties). He, too, was sitting on a bench and soaking in the pleasant rays of the winter sun. As I hadn’t seen him for a very long time, I said, “Seeing you after a long time… Were you out of town?” I sat next to him on the bench. The man said, “I was very much in town; in fact, I was inside my house for more than three months, now.” He lived on the 3 rd floor of a building which had no lift. “I find difficulty while walking, particularly while climbing the stairs,” he said, “Today, I, literally, forced myself to step out of the house.” “How do you feel about it?” I asked. “Good… Very Good,” the man said. Then, the man added, “There was a time when I thought ‘Success’ meant accumulating wealth. I never thought ...