Nomad Online

There is a park near our home. It’s a normal park. Unremarkable and ordinary in every way. Some may say it’s boring. But not me.

It has two playing fields and cricket nets at the end. Behind the fields, there are basketball courts that can be converted to netball courts. In the far corner is a fenced off section that has a sandpit, swings, slides and a small climbing wall for young children to play.

You see joggers run around it in the early mornings. In the late afternoons, dog owners from the neighbourhood arrive to walk their pets, often taking them off the leash and letting them romp around. You see kids riding bikes, zooming around the footpath that surrounds it. Sometimes there are birthday parties at the barbecues at the back.

My son is one of those zooming bike riders. He insists I time his laps around the park and is ecstatic when he beats his time. It’s a boring job, but I don’t mind. It’s nice to sit in the sunlight. Sometimes he likes to take his kite and fly it there. His kite is broken so it can be a frustrating experience. But he perseveres and gets it a few metres off the ground.

The park is not small, but it’s not big either. It’s an ordinary park, but I love how it serves so many people in different ways. During winter evenings, under the lights you see men playing rugby, and hear their friends shouting encouragements from the sidelines. On hot summer days, that same patch of grass is used for local cricket players. Soccer, ultimate frisbee, touch football all have their place there. I’ve also seen people practise their baseball swing at the cricket nets.

It’s just nice. Nice to see people getting along, respecting each other while doing their own thing. To see a diversity of interests, yet a sense of unity in their enjoyment of that one space in their local neighbourhood.

Via the Daily Prompt: Harmony