A Tapestry of Time

It is a cold dank day with the sky the color of a soiled mop. A lazy weekend with no spillover work and to top it, there is no one at home. Such lovely, lonely days are rare, and I had intended to savor every moment. I had made plans—a spa session of sheer self-indulgence, a visit to the nearest bookstore to lose myself in books and a leisurely meal. But one look at the sky, and my mood and my plans go downhill. I move from bed to sofa and lie down again. I order a sumptuous brunch online and drift onto social media on my phone. I stumble upon some photos and videos of a reunion my friends had posted recently on Facebook. I could not make it – life had gotten in the way, as it often does.

As I scroll through the photos, nostalgia grips me. I zoom in on each face in the photos. I am in regular touch with some of them, so of course, they are familiar to me. Some faces I instantly recognize as they look the same as they did in school, except for a few lines that time has etched on their faces. Some, I take a little time to recognize as I mentally match them to their school-time avatars or their current display pictures on social media. Some faces I zoom in on to the maximum extent possible, looking at them from every angle, but for the life of me, I am not able to remember who they are.

I am surprised, rather stunned, by the transformation in many of them. The girl who was always fighting her weight during school years now looks like a suave model out of a glossy glamour magazine. The school diva has now developed a paunch and a double chin. The class clown is now sitting quietly, as though a bit detached from the boisterous group, lines of worry on her face. I wonder what challenges life has thrown at her.

The videos are more revealing. The shy, demure girl who would hardly say a word is dancing away merrily in wild abandon, leading the others. The tone-deaf girl seems to have developed a sense of rhythm, so while she is still singing off-key as she did in school, she manages to keep tempo. The school athlete is standing at the corner while everyone is trying to shoot basketball. She seems reluctant to join in the game and feels content being a bystander.

I check out a few friends on social media, and my discoveries bring even more surprises. The class geek who would cry every time she did not top the class is now a happy homemaker. The playful one who hardly cared about scoring good marks is a corporate honcho in a top-notch position. The artist who painted dreams is a successful entrepreneur, crunching hard numbers and pursuing hard sales.

I feel a pang of regret for not attending the reunion, for missing the precious opportunity to reconnect with old friends. This reunion, I realize, is not just a gathering but a celebration of our shared journey, our growth and our resilience. While time changes people and alters our paths, the bonds we share can endure forever.

I decide to reach out to some of my friends. A text message, a call, or maybe a cup of coffee—just to ask, “How are you?” And though it is still a cold, dank day with the sky the colour of a soiled mop, I feel a surge of energy and a gush of warmth as I set out to rekindle friendships that have stood the test of time.