I Remember All Of You.

Someday many years from now
We’ll sit beside the candles glow
Exchanging tales about our past
And laughing as the memories flow
And when that distant day arrives
I know it will be understood
That friendship is the key to live
And we were friends and it was good.
  Eileen Hehl

Last week, while speaking to one of my uncle, I found him overly excited and desperate to finalize on the date when he would reunite with his old buddies from his first work place. They all had joined there in the same year, met each other as strangers and gradually became buddies / friends/ and some special friends. Gradually they all parted their ways for their professional and personal growth and the distance between them grew wider and wider.

I guess they all had that small emotion left in their heart that few of them decided and tried reconnecting with their old friends. I am sure it must have required a lot of guts, cutting on to the egos to reconnect with old fellow colleagues who happened to be good friends. Thanks to the social media that one guy who must have always been a unifier, played a crucial role of connecting his old buddies through all possible modes putting aside his ego, without generating any negative thought like “what if I get unnoticed” or “what if they don’t recognize me” or even “people might think what a waste of time it is”. But luckily the chain  continued and the network grew bigger and bigger. Finally they decided to meet after almost 40 years. Not sure how they are going to plan the reunion get-together but that is something which is keeping him energized.

That was so overwhelming for me because it dragged me to my past and so many faces popped up in my mind with whom I too had shared beautiful times & that intrigued me to look for them on social media, to get in touch with them who are there in the network just for the name sake and to know what they all are up to.

I wondered, whatever progress they had made in their lives, no progress can make them forget the people who had some or the other time impacted them in some or the other way even if it was in the simplest way.

The memories could have got buried under the innumerable layers of ageing, of adding new people in families and friend circle, gathering new life experiences, experiencing happiness and sorrows, professional progressions, responsibilities and what not, but all what is required is just to touch that “not so dead but not so alive too” cord in their heart and seek their attention to seriously think where are they heading to.

Looking back has never been my philosophy but looking back at old forgotten friends is something I usually do off and on and try to connect with them. The response varies from one person to other. Yes there are times of getting an overwhelming response from the one who you never expected would even revert and at times a heart break from the one with whom you were sure to receive an amazing response. But that doesn’t stop me to get in touch with them even if that is in a form of a small text, a mail or a call. Meeting them has become an impractical task with the kind of busyness everyone is into.

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But last week after hearing stories from my uncle, the remembrance of those beautiful people, my old friends with whom I had shared some amazing part of my life, became so strong then, that it pushed me to write something specially for them.

I proudly say that I have never carried any ego or hesitation in expressing how I feel about them who had at one point of time given their precious time to me, have helped in my difficult times, have been good with me when many around me were not so good to me, who have given me enough reasons to laugh till my tears, who have made me feel special at some sensitive phase of my life, have advised me when I needed the most, have liked me for what I am as a person and not how I looked and so on.

I am not sure if this happens with other too but I don’t shy away to say that I remember each one of them for whatever role they have played in my life.

So this is a small note for all of you who read this and can spare some time to gather all those memories and see how we all had spent some good time together and are now lost in the hustle bustle of life. You may or may not think of a reunion but I urge you all to go back for a while, visit the old pictures, see who all were there with you, who all are still with you. You may find someone who might be hesitant to contact you again so with a big heart, go back and call them up, or write a short mail that you still remember them. A small gesture, a small attempt to visit your memory lane will make a beautiful difference in life.

Mind it. It would not be an easy task because you might receive all sort of unexpected responses or even no response at all but make it happen. Don’t let yourself remember all of your old buddies when you have a strong urge to meet them or to talk to them but you are not left with any more strength in your body. Don’t wait for that time to come. Let’s not do what my uncle and his friends are planning to do after 40 years of parting away.

After all it was never the “things” that made your life beautiful. It was always the “people” around you who made your life beautiful.

We all take different paths in life, but no matter where we go, we take a little of each other everywhere.
Tim McGraw.

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