Today was a strange Sunday.
Didn't do much. Just bracing myself for the week that will be coming up. Was supposed to meet V which didn't happen. Slept. Bright afternoon sun on my face as I napped in my curtain-less bedroom.
Woke up. Talked to J. We spoke about the situation in Delhi. I really want to go there. I love summers in Delhi...the smell of melons and flowers.
Slept again. Ate. Procrastinated. Turned down a client because I found him irritating.
Then Jayegee pinged. She's a friend from long ago and now, in a really far away place. She asked if we could talk. I got so excited that I immediately went for a bath and got tidied up.
It was so great talking to her. So comforting and nourishing. Today at home I was feeling the burden of a certain sense of ennui...and I also felt that this feeling is not going away anytime soon. I think I am done with wanting things to be different. This is it I suppose and I am good with it.
A neighbour came over. Uncle told me that he started feeling his age after he turned 80. He is 87 now. He is such a good, sweet soul.
Anyway, I spoke to Jaygee and it felt as if something deep and parched inside me got watered.
I am watching this series on Netflix, "The Bold Type" which is yet another variant of Sex and the City but with millennials. So far, it's the equivalent of eating chips (which I did - soaked in tangy chilled Kombucha. So yummy that I will have this combo patented.) The series is not crackling but after talking to Jaygee, I realised why I like shows of groups of girls navigating life together. I realised why I loved Sex and the City as well...not so much about the NYC life, the romance of writing and documenting your days as they pass on, or the fashion - all of them are hefty, worthy reasons. But I loved the show because I hadn't seen anything that showed strong female friendships among strong women. And I have experienced that all my life. If I miss anything now, it's not having a female friend to go visit or have someone come over. For some reason, female friendships are so misunderstood. I know so many men who believe that two beautiful women can't be friends. Or women talk. Or they can't keep secrets. Or they will not be happy for a friend. I have never had the SATC life but if I have ever gotten the strength and courage to get through a rough patch, it's because of my women friends.
Jaygee and I worked together nearly 15 years ago. We would travel by the office bus and she introduced me to a lot of gourmet stuff in Bombay. We went for plays together. She was there for me in Delhi when my marriage was breaking. She was there for me when I moved to Bombay and helped me get a writing gig with HT Cafe where I wrote, ironically, about relationships.
Speaking to her today reminded me of just how much we have lived through...
It's special. A good, solid friendship is special. One must make it one's life's job to keep those equations in life.
They get you through a lot maybe because they remind you of just how much you got through.
Comments