Drink Good Coffee

Often I remember being lost in the hills when a bunch of us got side-tracked. We were not quite fourteen. Tired. Barely understood the landscape. But we had each other. Eventually we found our group by walking along the dry river bed that we somehow reached. River beds with stones, stones that have been polished over time by the force of the gushing waters, are never easy to walk on. But we had each other. Though there were moments when fear did strike, especially as dusk began to roll over into the night.

But that’s just it. We had each other. To comfort. To reassure. To console. To support. To push. To somehow reach our goal. That pretty much is my life. It is my friends who have always been there for me. I have been lucky. We are always there for each other.

Then there was the time in school when two of us were despatched to a remote village in the depths of rural India. We had to walk for miles on tiny mountain paths, accompanied only by the village kids, to be able reach their home. Their families were amazing and generous hosts. It was true tribal living. In the night, with only the stars for company, they left us to go about some rituals of theirs. Boldly we sneaked up to take a look. There were some of them dancing, surrounded by the locals in a circle. They seemed to be in a trance, possessed even perhaps our young minds thought. Taken aback, very shaken, boldness melted away; all we had was each other. To comfort. To reassure. And somehow pass the night. That experience is so clearly etched in my memory.

The school years were steady. Rock solid. A great grounding. And my set of people, kept me grounded and real. Rooted, even as I was always ready to fly. Getting distracted was easy for me. But my friends always kept me on the straight and narrow. And through my life I have stayed on the straight and narrow.

Even though I did well in academics I had a tough time getting into St Xavier’s College in erstwhile Bombay. The only way to make it happen was to walk the dusty streets of the city’s underbelly in search of a non-descript government office that held some quota of seats in all the colleges. And who would accompany me – my bestie Anil. He made that experience easy, fun and colourful. Getting my admission into my college of choice became a cakewalk.

First day at Xavier’s I run into a family friend and so begins a journey of a lifetime. We are still thick as thieves and now even run a business together.

First day at Brunel university and I run into this funny looking British Indian with a purple beret, and so begins another journey of a lifetime. Now, even though we are separated by thousands of miles and that complicated clock that I have to track, we are more connected than ever. We speak more often than I speak to some of my closest connections in my own time-zone.

In my early student days in the UK I met up with a colleague of my father’s for a drink and so began another journey of a lifetime, this time not only with him and his immediate family but with his entire extended family.

One of my multitude of flights to Goa I started chatting with my co-passenger and so began another journey of a lifetime. We may not connect so frequently but she has become my mentor and guided me through some of my toughest decisions.

Then there are families that feel like your doppelgangers. In our case there is this one family that almost seems like us. The couple are a similar age and have two sons, just like us. The two mothers almost feel like sisters and the four boys have a good connect. And both us fathers are rooted by our own set of very very close friends.

Marriages. Friends from childhood becoming lovers and then life partners. Strangers getting together to pro-create and start families. Isn’t it all so very confusing? And yet there is some order to be found in this chaos. And the world continues to go around on its seemingly endless journey even as souls come and go.

Connections just happen in life when they are meant to I guess. There are many who come into our lives for brief periods as our journeys collide, but luckily for me many have simply chosen to walk on parallel paths and stay with me for life. This has surely been my life’s biggest blessing and my true and most precious wealth. I feel rich because I am surrounded by the most cleanest of hearts and the most joyous of souls.

Is it possible that we are all souls that are connected over lifetimes and that we come together even as we experience different lives on our way to attain moksha… Just saying.

Life is transient. Life is experiential. Life is a journey. A journey best enjoyed at our own pace. The more we rush, the faster it just flies by. In the blink of an eye it is all gone. Over. Kaput. Just like that. And we are left wondering – Was it worth it at all? What exactly were we chasing?

The best way to enjoy it is in the company of people we love. At a pace that makes sense. Hurtling towards the inevitable. Taking the pain and the pleasure squarely on our chins.

Take care of yourself along the way. Enjoy your mornings. Put some Quiet Time in your routine. Spend more time with yourself. Make movement a part of your life. Worry less. Cut down screen time. Read more. Eat slowly and in the company of good friends.

Drink Good Coffee. Always.