A Starry Night!

 A winter night it was, stars lit the jet black blanket of the night sky while the moonlight perfectly pierced its way through the dense leaves of the once summer flower tree, dancing on the beautiful snow blanket that covered the street. It was a quiet night, so quiet that one could even hear silence. There was no life around, except for my friends and me, and of course some bats and owls here and there. 
It was a perfect surrounding to spend the night in, though none of us bothered to notice that, busy as we were engrossed in our talks. It was New Year's Eve. I suggested walking down the street and recalling memories that once bound all of us together.
We were best friends in college, distanced as we all went apart to write our lives. Dancing and laughing as we all went down the street adding voice to the quiet-still night, we recalled our late-night college diaries, discussing how life had changed for all of us, how we forgot to smile, live and have fun the way we used to, so busy had we become in our respective lives. 
Standing on the bridge, occupied in our talks, we pulled out cigars to keep ourselves warm when we were startled by the noise around the corner. A man almost the same age as ours was sitting on the snow blanket, smoking a cigar with a few sheets of paper and a pen. Thoughtful as we were, walked down to him, concerned he might be homeless, and offered him an extra coat that we had with us. Surprisingly the man pulled out a better coat than ours and put it on his back. My friend not clearly understanding the situation pulled out a few dollar bills to give to the man but was taken aback when the man pulled out additional bills and offered it back to my friend. Unable to understand why this man was sitting outside on the street in such cold weather, drunk, as we were from the New Year’s Eve party, decided to sit beside him and observe the man for a few minutes. 
It was getting colder as the snowflakes settled on the already laid snow blanket…. The man sat there still, unaware of the cold winter night, busy looking at the night sky and then digging his face back into those sheets of paper. 
Curious to know what the man was up to, one of my friends asked him, ‘Hello there! It’s New Year's Eve, what makes you sit here all alone, out in the street on such a cold night?' The man did not reply. We thought he might be deaf. Though as he looked up again to the moonlit surrounding he replied by saying 'It’s a perfect night to paint!' 

Still curious to know more about this strange man, the other guy of the lot asked ‘What makes you sit here in this isolated street? Are you homeless?' The man this time replied at the very instant ‘No sir I am not homeless. I reside at the villa down the street. It’s the night which makes me sit here and paint.’
Still not fully satisfied with his response, I asked the man ‘Do you paint for a living sir? I still don’t understand the reason for you to sit here in the cold night all alone painting. What’s so great about the night anyway? It’s just a normal winter night!’
The man this time set his sheets of paper and pen aside, looked at me, and replied, ‘Sir I am a businessman, art is my passion. I do not paint for a living. I paint to make myself happy and perhaps through my paintings others as well. As for the night, only those who see life can see how beautiful the night is, and from what I saw and overheard from your conversations sir, all of you got so busy in making a living, that you forgot the essence of living. I paint so that my paintings reach out to those who weren’t so lucky to experience this beautiful night and as for that matter, including you and your friends too.’ 
With that answer, the man arose, brushed the snow off his pants, bid us a good night, and went down the street. My friends and me digesting the words of this wise man sat there and for the first time throughout the night looked up at the starry sky and realized just how beautiful it looked. 

……. 2 years hence, as I sit on my balcony, enjoying the starry night, I am always reminded of that artist I met around the corner.⭐⭐