The Future Is Coming On

Just as I was trying to figure out how to fight this VIRUS I had caught, my friend Gaurav, who has come back for the holidays from his college in Bhopal(we are best buds since school), called and said he was coming over and we were going to catch a movie(he didn't ask me, he told me!). Thus, I got my answer. I waited and waited and he was late as usual. He arrived when I had almost given up hope of him showing up the same day, and so we were further delayed because I had to change again. To make up for the delay, he drive really really fast, but it wasn't meant to be. The show was sold out. Or there were no timings that suited us. Desperate to watch a movie, we drove to another multiplex nearby, but as I said before it wasn't meant to be. Same story-sold out, no timings. Sigh....

Tired, we had no choice but to sit down in the food court and grab a bite. /*Whoever said Food Courts were cheap must've been related to Tata-Birla-Ambani type families. They are anything but cheap!! True you get a lot of variety and the concept is excellent, but they are, I repeat, ANYTHING BUT CHEAP! */ It was his treat because he had just got placed in TCS(yippee!! for him too). So we ordered and waited. He wasn't looking his usual cheerful self. He was looking dull. So I asked him what was wrong. And what he said really caught me off-guard considering the recent turn of events.

G: "I don''t know man. I just keep wondering where my life is heading."
S: "What?! You just got placed in a freakin' good company like TCS! What are you worried about?"

G:"I know but still....."
S:"But what? Your life has a direction now. You have job security and now you can explore other avenues like MBA or anything else you might be interested in."

G:"Ya, that is there but I'm not sure about anything right now."
S:(smiles)"Hey man, chill. Noone's sure about anything right now."

G:"Why do I have to be one of them? Why can't I be sure even if noone else is sure?"
S:"Because this is a stage in life where we are bound to be confused by the number of choices available to us. Should I do this or go there instead? Should I skip this or worry about that? Should I enjoy or should I work my ass off? Where will I be after a few years? What will I do if I can't get what I need? Etc Etc Etc. Dude you've got to take each decision as it comes. Thinking about it way before you are in the position to make it does not help. Things change, people change, your needs and requirements change with time. Do your best and leave the rest. I've been through it myself. It wears off eventually. I know it's easier said than done. It always is. But atleast you can give it a try. Relax! And enjoy yourself. You've done a great job by getting a great job!(slap on the back, laughs)"

G:"Yeah Yeah all right(manages a smile). But I still don't feel as happy as I'd thought I would when I got a job. My folks expecting more from me now."
S:"I know man. Same here. It's human nature to want more and more. The more you get the more you want. God forgot to add the feeling of contentment when he was working on the human mind(if at all he did work on it). We're not much different either. We're never satisfied by the marks we get when we've studied really hard(ahem!) for a paper. We're always looking at new things to buy, even though we may not need it. What we want and what we need are two very different things. You will always prefer having what you want to what you need. Human nature! You twist the logic you create before you can say "No I shouldn't", when something you want is in your reach if you sacrifice what you need. You can only to try to fight it. And if you succeed, you achieve, what they call, 'Nirvana' - the state of eternal peace and mental well-being. Anyways, what I'm trying to say is RELAX. Things will fall into place as they should. They always do."

Our order is ready so we go and get it and settle down where there is minimum possible human population surrounding us.

G:"Yeah I guess you're right."
S:(gorging on fried chicken)"I know."

G:"But still I can't stop wondering if it'll be enough."
S:(still gorging)"Enough for what?"

G:"Enough to keep her happy?"
S:"Oooooooooooh thaaaaaaaaaat. Hahahahaha. Gaurav man, you're too much! Couldn't you just say that you were missing her? It's OK, just a few weeks more before the college reopens. You'll see her soon enough. It's not like you people can't stay in touch. You're bloody living in a different time-zone because of all the late-night chatting. And yeah it'll be enough. You love each other, that's enough in itself. And as for all the other important stuff in life, you're more than capable of providing her with everything she needs."

G:"And wants. Thanks. You deserve another round for that."
S:"Oh it's OK. I've had quite a lot already."

G:"Suit your....."
S:"But I can't refuse if you insist so much. Will you have somthing too?"

G:"Nah. I don't think I have enough cash for the both of us."
S:(starts making his way towards one of the counters)"Suit yourself!"

G:(smiles)"Rascal."