Acquaintances

You are leading a peaceful life…nobody to order around, no commitments except for those at work….you are just free and your mind as light as feather…You are happy in your world, minus the occasional stress n strain. You crib about your work, of global warming, of other developed nations, of infrastructure. You live in another city-nostalgic about the green Erumely and Kanjirappaly- only to return to the urban life with a cry “oh, how I missed the Subs n KFC and Mc D”. You long for sun when it rains and pray for rain in summer .You are just full of irony, aren’t you?? On one such ironical days, am awake when everybody else is asleep….and, what you gonna read –my friend, is the result of my sleepless night. So, u better pray that I get enough sleep…

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Well, this chap who hasn't uttered a word to me in all 4 years of college life, pings me all on a sudden. A smiley- which was ignored (don call me rude…I just didn’t have anything to talk to this person) Next day, a bold “HI”… (“ “).
You look at the social network sites and wonder at the new friend requests- have I met them b4? Is he/she an acquaintance?? I have this way of categorizing friends- best buddies, buddies and then acquaintances…


Talk about acquaintances…..There is this phase in relations when you wish,”oh, I should have never met this person”. Unfortunately, I feel the same about many people who came into my life. At school, college, work….everywhere, you make a mistake- choose the wrong people… Wait, it may not be some random people who just say a hi, bye or those regular just-for-the-sake-of-conversation terms. I am talking about those people whom you give that special place in your heart, whom you tag-the most trusted-most reliable secret-keeper, whom you consider your one-stop-solution to your entire dilemmas, the one whom you think-matches your wavelength. It’s all smooth and fun as long as you think its prefect. The word perfect, is one of the least applicable as far as life is concerned.

At some point of time…the color starts fading, wavelength-no more at synch; secrets just start bothering the itching tongue. The tag changes from the most trusted to the least in no time-from best buddy; to an acquaintance. You pity the amount of time you spent on a worthless relation and start withdrawing into your cocoon of ‘I shouldn’t have-s….’ So, it’s over. You start doubting your people judging skills. You take lessions on ‘how not to trust people’. You think twice, thrice…over and over before you talk to a person. You start being that extra cautious…Sum total of all these processes- you just got this scanner installed in your life- the one that beeps at everything and everyone ‘suspicious’.

Life is pretty strange. The person, who you are right now, is way different from how you used to be few years back. I can no longer laugh at the jokes which would have entertained me few years ago. The same goes to people, places and conversations. The younger me- was very different. Stupid-is the right word. And how I hate the person I used to be…. It’s not that I was mean or anything. Its just that the younger me made the mistake of making a lot of acquaintances- totally unnecessary, worthless and held them close to my heart. Believed -nothing is a secret in life and that you should just open your thoughts to those ears that acts as though- they are specifically designed to listen 2 u. I just thought…you ought to be honest. I still do think so….but with a slight difference… be honest to yourself first.

So, in a matter of 25 years, I have acquired certain gyan from my inner self.. Think twice/thrice/as many as times b4 you trust a person. When you make a friend, you have also made a prospectus foe. When you pour your thoughts to another ear-remember they are not yours anymore… Stop letting people perch on your life’s track- they might just cause you an accident, in which you will b the only one, hurt. Last but not the least….try to live in the present….