The weekend begins today…Working from home blurs the edges of the work week and sometimes, Sunday just jumps out of the shadows and into my schedule when I am still in Thursday or Tuesday. It’s the one day when Hema, my big ray of sunshine, spends the day with her family and there is no cheery “Namaste Didi” at 9 am. And that is how Sunday would announce itself, with silence and disappointed doggies at the door.
But these days, I have a lovely signal for the weekend. I get an email. From a young friend who starts her weekend by sitting down with her coffee and sharing her entire week with me. The ups and downs at office and work, the crochet she found time to craft and the doggies she met on the road ; the plans for the weekend, visits to her choir group or attending a show or just doing some more crochet; her small family, her large circle of friends, the tea and coffee sessions; all the little things which make up our daily long lives. No earth shattering, finger biting or high-fiving news comes along, but I love reading her email and feeling like a watching fly sitting on the wall.
And then, there lives across the seven seas, my dear school friend and college mate who finds time in her busy practice and family life to send me a regular newsy email. Two decades of emails have flown past—through that desert village in Oman, through the small towns of Orissa and UP, through mishaps and merry making, through changes of work, profession, place and everything else in between. I have shared her life and watched her sons grow up into exceptional adults, laughed and cried with her successes and setbacks, and we have both found a deep bond which is based on the trivial, tiny thoughts of living. We could not have been termed “friends” in school or college, but now, our 2 decades of emails have given us a bond which is difficult to label.
There are some surprise emails too, once in a while, from a few good friends who want to reach out and just share. Some emotions feel profound and right when shared as written words. Affection, concern and admiration are emotions best implied rather than stated. Taking the time to sit and write and share is the best possible way.
The world stays in touch by phone calls, sms updates or a quick FB message. I have not brought Whatsap or Twitter into my life, but I know they will improve the ease of communication, not the depth. My loved ones call me up regularly and a weekly long chat with my daughters, dad and sister keep me on an even keel. I hear about their days, laugh and share the dogs and the mountains with them, and its like sharing a cup of tea together. My close friends have these meandering chats which leave me smiling and satiated and grateful.
When I put down the phone, the conversation ends. A few threads continue to tumble around in my mind, a few words and emotions keep me smiling, a few concerns continue to worry and disturb me. In some days, the conversation sinks into the ocean of my mind and not a ripple remains.
But an email remains in its folder. To read again and again, to pick out the little undercurrents of affection and pride, to smile at a phrase and then, I close it and keep it for another little feel-good session.
I reply to these emails with little bits of my life thrown in, with thoughts of my day and with bits of dogs and food and laughs.
And I know that email will be read again and again to pick out the little undercurrents of affection and pride, to smile at a phrase, and then, it will be closed and kept for another little feel-good session.