The Struggle Is Real: Walking Right

I walk funny. If the mirrors weren't proof enough, scores of people have helped to establish this fact. I don't have a limp. Neither do I prance or hop. I just walk with my feet pointing in different directions such that if I stand straight they make a 90 degree angle.

This walk of mine has been quite a contentious issue since childhood. My father always complained about it and threatened to tie my feet together till I changed my habit. I, on the other hand, would always argue that it is not a habit. My leg bones are simply angled that way. Now even at college, I am fondly called as Happy Feet. With a nickname like that, imagine how terrifying I must look to the juniors. Just the other day a boy from the second year patted my head and said I really was a "little fat penguin". I am a super senior for crying out loud!

And what is the big deal about walking this way? Most guys walk like that. Nobody tells them that it is disgraceful. And we penguin walkers are certainly not as bad as those of the feet dragging breed. Those guys are more annoying than an alarm clock on a Sunday morning. At least you can shut the latter. Nevertheless every now and then my father's voice rings in my head and I attempt to correct my folly by consciously pointing my toes forward. It feels awkward but I persevere. Or rather persevered.

This evening I was lying on the floor to straighten my back after having spent the whole day slouching before a laptop screen. As I lay there I became aware of my feet pointing in their natural 90 degree direction. So out of habit, I nudged my toes close together. Turns out, not a very smart thing to do. A pain shot up inside my body and the muscles of my lower body stiffened. A heavy pressure was exerted on my lower back. I could hear the seconds hand on the clock ticking and a sweat broke on my forehead. To an outsider it would have appeared as if I was lying there in silence, frowning at vexing thought. Where as in reality my mind and my body were struggling against each other; each determined to have its will. Fists clenched, I tried to hold the posture until my mind gave up and I relaxed my toes.

I tried, but I walk funny still, unabashedly so.