One of my favourite things to do while driving is listen to the radio. BBC Radio London to be precise. Despite this fact, I only get to listen to the radio when I drive. Some time ago, I got myself a portable radio at home, but the technicality and practicality involved put me off. Moreover, it makes me feel old and cranky. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with being old and it doesn’t take much to get the radio to do the job either. Getting the portable radio to charge and setting the frequency to my favourite station was a hard task for me.

For me, radio speaks my inner voice. The silence voice in me that isn’t audible to many. Some of the discussions awake a slumbering part of me. As expected, while listening and driving last week, the topic of discussion touched a part of me that caused energy renewal. The voice on the radio asked listeners to share some of their past moments or experiences they wouldn’t mind reliving.

I felt an acute nostalgia for the time gone by. As I drove, my mind went on a time travel. Memories of the forgotten past came alive. Flashes of happy moments resurfaced and I could almost feel the warmth and the intensity of those moments.

My Re-liveable Moments

The five-year-old me sat astride my father’s shoulder. My little feet kicked his broad muscular shoulder. This shoulder ride was the closest I had ever been to my father. As I write, I can see the dusty bumpy road leading to the local mosque on road Ayetoro Street. The dark clouds were beginning to chase the brightness of the day. This short ride was the strongest emotional connection I could remember with my father. I felt loved and cherished and I kept this little ride to the masjid dear to my heart.

Within a flash, I saw my twenty-four-year-old self sitting at the edge of an old balcony without railings. My feet were dangling and I could see the rusted roof of the neighbouring houses around me. Behind me was a set of rooms. One of them belonged to my friend and the railless balcony was the corridor the rooms shared.

Far ahead of me above the rusted roofs and buildings, a big beautiful white moon sat at the edge of the clear sky. Undoubtedly, it felt closer than usual. Close enough for its vigour and energy to be felt. The night was clean, the moonlight ignited the sky with its luminous shine. My friend sat next to me, his leg dangling freely as mine. We weren’t afraid of falling. We went on a journey with the moon that night. From its rise to the dawn when we bid farewell.

Unquestionably, the brightness of the night as well as the intrinsic superiority of the countryside absolved us. We talked till the twilight appeared. The moon, the clear night and the gentleness of that night made this experience a unique one.

The Shaping into Adulthood

My teenage years were an exciting period of my life. Not only did I explore the world around me and begin to understand some basic skills of life, I had a great relationship with my cousins. We explored food, nature love and life together. My view of life changed from the little cocoon I was raised into a wider, clearer and more fulfilling vision.

Through my cousins, I met some fantastic human beings. My feet still remember the walk to the stream. The single line-file within the woods and the slippery steps down the water hole. The cleanse of nature and forest cleansing we were ignorantly unaware of. The many nights of storytelling as we sat around my grandmother’s feet listening to stories of time long gone. The folktales. As expected, time stood still while we messed about. Fresh food from the garden, talks and peals of laughter. Through this experience, I formed the picture of the future I wanted in my mind.

City Walks

One of the re-livable moments of my marriage was the walks around the city of London. Our first apartment was near London Bridge. It was a little flat on the third floor of a building that stood at a crossroads. A stone’s throw to Southwark station and London Bridge station. An old friend who knew about our proposed wedding rented the flat out of pity to save us some hard-earned money. At the time, we didn’t know the value of the flat nor the prestige attached to the area.

After our wedding, we moved into this little one-bed flat facing the four angles of the city of London in Blackfriars. During our short stay in this flat, we developed a love of exploration. From our flat, it was easy to walk to Waterloo Station, Trafalgar Square, London Bridge, and Buckingham Palace to mention a few.

Walking around the monuments of history and marvelling at the magnitude of resilience and human power was fulfilling. Looking at diversities in the face and finding a place to fit in all these embodiments made these walks memorable. A moment I would love to re-live. The walk around the parks and the historical buildings of this great city was always a thing for me.

The Hustling Around The Capital

Within a few weeks of my marriage, I got a job in a factory near Heathrow Terminal 4. The job was shift-based: 6 AM to 2 PM or 2 PM to 10 PM. This was the period when the London Underground only ran till midnight. If on an early shift, to get to work I had to either walk or take a bus to Trafalgar Square from where I would then take bus N9 to Heathrow Terminal 4 by 3:20 AM. Anything later than this meant lateness.

Those days, my husband woke up with me to get ready for work. The early morning routine to Trafalgar Square, the marathon race to catch the bus, and the chase to the next stop whenever the bus left before us was exhilarating. He was there. We were the early birds on the lookout for the early buses.

Despite the adrenaline rush involved in this experience, I would love to repeat a fraction of it: The long drive through the city in those early hours when the world was asleep and the stars shone the brightest. Listening to the sigh of the greenery and sleepy parks of London as the bus cruised past. The mist from the heat of my breathing on the cold window of the red London bus. Most importantly and re-livable was my husband racing alongside the bus to wave me goodbye before returning to our flat for naps till the sun knocked on the window and got him out of bed.

The Brief and Memorable Trips

In the last few years, I have been fortunate enough to see some beautiful places around the globe. The truth is, I am not a big fan of big loud and noisy cities. Dubai is too modern for me. I live in London – one of the modern cities of the world and it is only fair to seek mellow and less crowded cities when visiting other countries. During my trip to Dubai, we wandered about till we discovered Sharja which made me long for a revisit. It gave me a nostalgic feeling of freedom and togetherness.

Another city that pulls my heartstrings is Mecca and many people who had visited would say the same. The city of Medina also gives a reassuring succour. Alongside the sheer physicality of these holy cities and the unwillingness of the body to conform, the heart yawns for the prerogative peace and tranquillity they offer.

I visited a little town called Fuengirola in Spain last April with a few friends. There was something about this city that needed me to revisit. It isn’t the sea nor the food; I think the walkable paths, the warm climate and the healthiness of its people took a path of me. The clean air alongside its hilly landscape made a statement. It looked like a picture, it brought out nature’s visibility. The hilly mountains laced with palm trees under the bright sky. Across the city, you see both old and young walking. The friendliness of this place made me want to go back. Everywhere you look you see the winks of the ocean tides.

The Heavy Down Pour

My re-liveable experiences spanned many facades of my life. The friendship formed through the ruffles of life, faith found through reflections and the falling in love and failing in lust. I can’t help but include the dark clouds impregnated with the heavy rain of my childhood. As kids, we ran around in the falling rain receiving the little splashes on our bodies. The heavy pitter-patter rainfall had a place in my heart. For me and the children around the neighbourhood, rain signalled play. We ran around collecting rainwater in drums for later use. This free water from the sky saved our caregivers some money that would have gone to the water vendors. We also saved time.

The heavier the rain the more water we collect. After each round of the falling bliss, we retire to a long peaceful sleep. The joy this brought was immeasurable. Knowing that we didn’t need to worry about water until the saved rainwater ran out in itself was a joy. I long for a peaceful restful sleep after drenching in the downpour.

The Re-liveable Moments

There are moments in life when life smiles a bit at you. These smiles might be of varying degrees, but if you look inward there are moments and experiences you might wish could repeat themselves. For me, it spans my childhood to my adulthood. For you, it might be entirely different. Now, can I ask you again? What experience /moments would you like to relive?

Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alteration of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding

Quran 3:190