How We Met
The College Years!! Those were the days… left the comforts of home for the first time.. made a group out of the first few people we met… hanging out together between classes… sitting together during lunch and dinners at the mess… staying up all night with a steady dose of tea and snacks to complete assignments. Complaining about anything and everything, learning to share opinions, discovering ourselves and forging some wonderful bonds….
And then life happened… new jobs, different cities/countries, marriage and then kids… The ‘nice and wild’ days were all left behind as we embraced the newer roles and challenges of life.
One fine day, out of the blue, years later, a mail in my inbox popped out. It was from a college friend from the distant past. The heart did a time travel across emails and then Facebook, on and off, for a good two decades. The mails saw us exchanging stories of our lives, marriages, kids, work, friends and experiences.
And then we happened to be in the same city at the same time. ‘Can we meet?’, the question popped up in one of our chats. Of course, we can and we must! And as the day came closer, anticipation was killing me. What if, he is not able to make it? What if, there’s an exigency? What-if… What-if…
Finally, the day arrived and I could barely contain my excitement. And thankfully, all went well for me, no exigency, no traffic jams and I reached before the scheduled time. As I sat by the window at the cafe, lost in some last minute anxiety-laced-thinking… ‘would it be awkward… after all we would be meeting after two decades?’…
Someone tapped me on the shoulder — I turned around and found myself looking at his twinkling eyes and a beaming smile. As I got up and extended my hand, he engulfed me in a big bear hug. Thoughts of awkwardness on meeting a friend after a long time simply vanished and as we sat drinking coffee and talking… Talking about mutual friends, remembering the nicknames we had given to professors and some friends and telling stories we had forgotten…
As we emptied our first cup of coffee, two excited voices broke our chain of conversation. We looked up and added more to the buzz around us. In front of us were two batch mates. Oblivious to the minor pandemonium that we were creating, we chatted animatedly. Remembering and sharing the inside jokes that still sounded sooo hilarious, re-living the memories of life at the campus…
We talked about how we had expected our life to be and how it played out for each one of us. We shared so many stories that time simply flew by… so quickly!
We realized that though the greys and a few wrinkles, along with adipose layers at unflattering places had changed us physically but underneath we were still the same wonderful people who were friends decades ago.
Though, Facebook and Twitter had united us again but there’s nothing like meeting our friends in the real world. No matter how far we were all these years, we were able to pick up right where we left off… We all laughed so much that day and our happiness knew no bounds. The emotional connect cannot be replaced by the smileys on the internet chat and comments on Facebook posts. The bond is strengthened and deepened when we connect in the real world with real friends.
We realized that reunion reveals friendship potential that haven’t yet been emerged in the past.
It is true that good things happen when we get together! And this is reflected in Starbucks first ever brand campaign, ‘Meet me at Starbucks‘. This campaign encourages people to meet and experience genuine moments of connections.
Do share your interesting ‘#HowWeMet’ stories at http://www.meetmeatstarbucks.in
December 22, 2014 10:00 pm|
The commercial has good music, and your write-up was impressive. I was in touch with a few batch mates until life caught up with them 😉
Destination Infinity
Destination Infinity recently posted…Christmas Decoration at Express Avenue Mall, Chennai
December 23, 2014 5:42 pm|
Yes, it is pretty catchy and upbeat. LOL @ life caught up with them!! 😀
Thanks, Rajesh, glad you liked this post! 🙂
December 22, 2014 10:35 pm|
It’s wonderful, isn’t it? How warm the heart feels after such meets, and that’s the essence of seeing someone in person… Love this Shilpa…Felt good reading it
nabanita recently posted…#MicroblogMondays: And it’s almost over…
December 23, 2014 7:42 am|
Time and distance melt away when old friends meet. That’s specially true for college friends. Those are the truly real friendships when we are bond at a whole different level. Loved your post Shilpa.
December 23, 2014 10:47 am|
Loved your write up…I was totally lost in the moment…
sheela recently posted…The Real Christmas
December 23, 2014 11:29 am|
Such a beautiful post, full of warmth, much needed in winter:)
Rahul recently posted…The Shades of Grey
December 23, 2014 12:40 pm|
You can never replace old friends and memories.. they were all a part of a simpler time before the tensions of life and doublehandedness entered our lives. Getting to meet the true friends of old is a real pleasure .. good write up , Shilpa
Roshan R recently posted…#LandRoverExperience – Unleash your inner adventurer
December 23, 2014 3:03 pm|
Oh yes! There is something magical about meeting old friends especially over coffee. Coffee and friends is a great combination.
Rachna recently posted…When old friends meet: #HowWeMet at Starbucks
December 23, 2014 3:28 pm|
Some years ago I met my classmates at a 25th reunion. Hadn’t met them since I left school and it was like we had never left. Old friends are gold!
Suzy recently posted…It’s Almost Christmas
December 23, 2014 5:34 pm|
Awww…Shilpa!! Such a lovely post. I have similar such story. will share…i hope there is no time limit. This will make a memorable read years later.
asha balakrishnan recently posted…Vacations – With children in tow
December 23, 2014 11:01 pm|
The ad is quite catchy!
I’ve loved all the stories written for this write up and yours is just as precious.
Meeting old friends for a cup of coffee in Starbucks is ideal! 🙂
Pixie recently posted…A movie, a book and some shopping…
December 23, 2014 11:25 pm|
Thanks to social netwrking sites and Whatsapp we old school classmates have re-connected to forge new simple bonds. The grey in the hair, the wrinkles and the adipose add a dash of experience to our lives.
kalpana solsi recently posted…Ray of hope
December 24, 2014 1:30 am|
Wow – this is such a wonderful post! I read another one from Vidya and I feel like I have been transported by a time machine. I agree – meeting with people “live” is better but if there is a distance, Skype is always an alternative.
Great post just in the Christmas Eve, thank you.
December 26, 2014 10:17 am|
Beautiful narration. Loved it.
December 27, 2014 6:56 pm|
Shilpa this is a very cute and interesting write up. Meeting old friends is so rejuvinating.
January 2, 2015 2:06 am|
It’s always amazing to meet old friends after long and catch up on all the fun, laughter and enjoyment :D.