Idle

Tonight, I was walking to the bar with one of my employees. It was our usual way of unwinding after a long day at work. But as we walked, we saw a middle-aged man, stark naked, strolling down the street. I stopped dead in my tracks, utterly baffled by the sight.

"What's going on with that guy?" I asked my employee.

He paused for a moment, then said, "Maybe his heart is hurting."

His words struck a chord with me. Walking naked because your heart is hurting. It was a strange concept, but somehow, I felt I could relate. Lately, I've been feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders, mentally and emotionally drained.

Would walking naked make me feel better? The thought crossed my mind. Stripping off my clothes, shedding all my burdens, and just walking as I am. Ignoring the stares and judgments of others, just being me. Could that really help?

I turned to my employee again, "Do you think if I walked naked, I'd feel better?"

He looked at me, eyebrows raised. "I don't know, sir. But sometimes, you just want to let everything go."

I nodded at his words. Letting go of everything and just being myself. If only that were possible. But reality doesn't work that way. We wear clothes, put on masks, and play our roles in society.

We arrived at the bar, but I no longer felt like drinking. I just wanted to go home quietly. Like the naked middle-aged man, I too wanted to let everything go, but I didn't have the guts.

On my way home, I thought to myself. Will there ever be a day when I can let everything go and just be myself? Hoping for that day, I continue to wear my mask and live my life.