In the evening I took a bike ride along the pier of my town. The weather was lovely. It was so sunny that I had to wear my sunglasses. I was wearing the light blue jacket which I really love. The place was full of people. Couples sitting on benches, young students cycling or jogging, men walking their dogs, peddlers selling handbags or athletic shoes. Salonica is a city of young people because of its University. Towns like this, where there are many young people, are always lively, full of laughter, music and love.
I remembered the last time I had taken a bike ride here. That was my last ride as a free person. I remembered how anxious I had felt then. I was full of doubt, uncertain, unhappy, trying to find some sort of answer to my questions. What was I to do? Should I take the risk? Should I change my life? Should I begin something with this interesting man who knew so much about the things I knew, who seemed to be saying the right things? It is so difficult to take decisions of this magnitude. And yet I had taken it. And that had made all the difference.
Now, one month later, I reached the end of the pier where the Music Hall has been built, at the edge of the sea. I turned around and started on the way back. I felt much better than last time. I was calm and confident and I had the Commandments to keep me warm. The Commandments connect me to the Master. They give me a sense of belonging. They make me feel so strong that almost nothing can touch me. I looked at all those young people around me, envisioning a future for themselves, a future whose meaning would be of their own making. I thought how all this was an illusion. The forces of history moved the strings for almost everyone. There were very few among them who would change their lives drastically. They would just go on doing what was expected of them.
I passed through the first park, on my right, the Park of Music. I was travelling in the direction of the wind, so I could hear only the wheels of my bike making a light squealing noise. I saw some kids on roller skates, going up and down a ramp. I thought I should one day walk along the pier with Master; he would enjoy it here, especially at sunset. The second park was the Park of Memory. Memory…I had been so afraid of memory, just one month before. I wanted to get rid of it. As I cycled closer to the centre of the town, towards the White Tower, I discovered that my mind was picking good, warm memories for me. I was only thinking about the events of last month. All the past had disappeared. That was a miracle. How did that happen? Why was I thinking only of recent events? What had happened to the bitterness and the betrayals and the disappointments? I tried to remember, but no, the memories were gone. I had no interest in them, so they were gone.
The Park of Sound was the last park I passed by. After that, the crowds became larger and the noise drowned my thoughts. I approached the end of my ride. There was the statue of Alexander the Great, then the boats in the bay, then the White Tower. It was a good ride and I had found the word of the day.