Musings on Drinking Coffee with Old Friends.
Today, drinking coffee with 2 old friends from my old school, St.John's, was not only like opening a gateway to old memories but also getting a window into their lives after school.
Time had not still for any of us, and we had devised various ways and means to not only earn our livelihoods, but also to earn our spurs. But that will have to wait to be judged by others.
One old friend had written critically acclaimed historical fiction books. One book had the distinction of a foreword by William Dalyrimple, who is himself a prolific and acclaimed best selling historical fiction author.
The other old friend had migrated to UK after school, and had been in the forefront of race relations in that country. He had opened one of the earliest such counselling centers in UK. Then he had served as a BBC Governor, and on the Judicial Appointments Commission. He had not let his visually challenged status, be a handicap, but was a notable role model for all such physically challenged persons.
All the while, we were sipping cold coffee with ice cream, exchanging life notes. And giving neighboring folks on adjacent tables, more than an earful !!
At the end, we promised to get together again, when the opportunity arose again.
T.S.Eliot's lines come to mind -
I have measured out my life in coffee spoons !
M.P.Singh
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