Mr. Rudi has been unable to walk since he had a stroke two years ago. But every afternoon, he asks his grandson, Alif, to push his wheelchair to the park.
"Why do we always have to go to the park, Grandpa?" Alif asks.
"That's where grandpa met your grandma," he answers with a sad smile.
Grandma is no longer here. But Mr. Rudi always whispers things as if grandma is still beside him. Alif is confused at first, but then understands: the park is not just a place, but a window of memories.
One afternoon, Mr. Rudi asks to stop at a big tree. He closes his eyes.
That day, he doesn't come back with Alif.
But Alif believes that his grandpa will finally be able to walk again… together, with grandma, in the same park.
Interesting insight: According to neuropsychological studies, emotionally charged memories of youth are more firmly embedded in the older brain, because the limbic part (the regulator of emotions and memory) is more active at that time.
Philosophy: Perhaps we never truly lose a loved one—as long as the memory lives on, they still walk beside us.
Strange rumor: There are stories from Japan about certain gardens that are believed to be able to "call back" the spirit of a deceased partner, if one visits them with an open heart and sincere intentions.