Every morning when I open the newspaper, the front-page headlines are more than likely to be depressing or alarming. So I give them a skip and turn straight to a place where I have a variety of people waiting. They express such a variety of events and emotions!
Some people talk about teachers they had when they were young. Others tell tales of their families—a loved parent, aunt, or grandparent. Perhaps even a family member who was feared more than loved but whose personality made a lasting impression—sometimes an eminent person—with whom the interaction is interestingly described.
Food is often something that these friends discuss. From panchaamritham to delectable dishes prepared by families or neighbors—food that lingers in the mind, if not the palate!
Moral values, too, are often topics for my friends. What is right and what is wrong? The unexpected honesty of a milkman... the greedy grasping of young hands. Was it right to never be granted leave of absence to write a novel? Is something fake or real? Is it all right to smoke in secret, using bribery to cover one’s tracks?
Then there is geography. Places visited, cities, and villages enjoyed. This could cover so many locations on Earth! Forests, fields, and streams—these are talked about with affection. From a tiger in Bandhavgarh to a fox in Oklahoma to Srinagar in Kashmir, the range is as wide as our planet.
Nostalgia is a recurring theme that my friends touch upon. What once was now resides only in memory, adding a touch of sweetness and perhaps sadness to one’s recollections.
In today’s more complex world, simple pastimes and uncomplicated joys are remembered.
Humour, too, is often present. The head of an “engineering” firm, describing how roads must be made to break down soon, so that contractors can be kept employed; how marital disputes are settled;... the topics that my friends write about and which bring a smile to my face are very varied indeed.
To get to this treasure house of thoughts, recollections, descriptions, and fun, I don’t have to travel very far at all. All I have to do is turn the pages of my favourite newspaper, and there, “right in the middle,” I can find my friend, one each day, with fresh thoughts and musings to make me think, smile, or even shed a tear.
Perhaps the “middle” is not earth-shaking news, but to me, it’s one of the best features of the newspaper, and I turn eagerly to it each morning! To all my friends who talk to me (and to hundreds of others) from the “middle”...my heartfelt thanks to you, and long may we all live in the “middle” ages!