WHEN FRIENDS DEPART

It’s the sinking feeling that often arises and pulls you down and keeps you down the whole night / next day / and the next, depending on the depth, that got me into writing this piece. This time, the force pulled me down was the title of this article.

Five out of my ten very good friends are abroad and will not return for atleast ten years. Yes, of course, there’s getting into the e-mode and stuff, but the sense of satisfaction, when you sit next to him / her in the local coffee shop, or take a walk in the darkest of the nights, is not there.

A group, originally of eleven, is reduced to a mere six.

Thanks to technology, connectivity and keeping in touch is just another thing and you can hear / read a word from your friend every day. However, the days will not be the same. The coffee visits will not be the same. As I have experienced, your sounding board keeps changing until you settle on to your next. You will have to keep changing and trying our new sounding boards / new people to talk about your agonies to. In the process you realize the need to change and adapt to the situation(s). Share joys / sorrows with new people each day, until they are not new anymore. Spend the same amount of time to get acquainted with, and start taking life as it comes… mainly because, do I have an option?

The elementary thing which you will start noticing after about 3 months is that, you are actually missing the ‘listener’. Your best pal, who was listening to all that you say / shout / curse all these days, is not available. The need for one might drive you into doing / trying out new things. Then, you get used to these activities. What started on a trial basis might end up as habits and addiction.

If you can resist graduating to a habit from a trial, thank your stars. Then there might be moments when you feel you have changed. Then your pal, when he returns, might feel you have changed

……until, if at all, you head for ‘that’ coffee shop and get back to your old days!

--- Vishnupriya Sharma Thirumale