Friends, Acquaintances and Passerby's

I met someone from my past just a couple of days back. Well, how was it meeting her? Have nothing to say. Just that I was surprised...at my own thoughts. Strange, selfish, mundane thoughts. Where nothing even reflected the time that was. All it was like...Hey it is nice meeting you. And what....nothing, zilch, a void... . In retrospect, is this me? How can I so disconnect from someone who was great pals with me then.... And why could I just not connect to her now?

Does it not surprise you that when you meet some people from your past, you find them different. What is it actually, are they different? Or have you changed? It got me thinking. And wondering.

What is it that forms a connect? And what is it that breaks it? Why is it that the vibes continue to be great even after eons? And why sometimes, when you meet someone, there is no spark, no magnetic attraction, no ..what do you say...chemistry?

Most of us agree that the best friends we have are those who have continued from your childhood days. Chuddi-buddies or something like that ? I find that there is still that certain set of friends who still keep in touch with me....and when I talk to them whether today, or after eternity, they still connect on the same level, irrespective of what we have become, and where we have come...professionally or personally. It does not matter that you have put on the kilos...and have wrinkles and hair that today is more salt than pepper. I meet them after years... and it takes not more than a second to be Me with them, and I am sure they are just them... not Ma or Pa, nor the wife...nor the husband, not the Vice President or Director or whatever. What binds you is that the bonds then made were not made for a reason or a favour, nor were those bonds just the flavour of the season. There are no expectations of such friends. They are there, because of the immense faith and trust you have between you. The knowledge that they are the ones who will connect with you, forever. And the knowledge, that a part of them will stay on within you ...wherever you go.

Over time, you meet a lot of people. And as you move ahead in life, you do find some friends. But the frequency decreases. And in a country like ours, I think it gets restricted all the more for women..once they are married. They disconnect...with their past, or make peace with their present and get on. Friends fall on the way. Why .... Miss a couple of those friends even now. But then, they are very content at the phase of life they are in. So how can I grudge them that happiness?

It is also strange how some people come and go, and make no impact on you. They leave you with no mark.. no sign of having passed through your life. Those are the passerby's . Who came, walked a few steps together and ...as was the norm, moved on. On the other hand, some people come as strangers, and immediately, you find a spark, a call, a magnetic pull dragging you towards that person. There has to be some scientific explanation to all this. There may be no great looks, no great physique, no great wealth, no common meeting ground between you two, but somehow you connect. I wonder which physics could explain this. Should fate or chance make you move away from each other, but somewhere within, you carry that person. It will take me a lot of introspection to arrive at understanding this phenomenon.

What strikes me as common in both the scenarios is the absolute faith we put in these relationships...these friendships. What binds or connects is FAITH. TRUST. The implicit knowledge that you are safe with such friends, that your secrets are safe, you are cherished and understood, that should you ever think of doing something wrong, the friend will be your conscience. Let me introspect, maybe I can find something more.......