The Vagaries of Life

Early in the morning i went for my usual game of tennis. The started well. Pune's winter

chill, now well and truly set forcing me to tear myself away from the warm blanket... the

game was not too bad either... i came home, chatted with parents and we ate breakfast

together after i had a chilled bath. One of those days when you feel all is well with the

world... you start early... everything is planned out for the day... almost perfect...

A bawa friend called and he sounded muffled... knowing him i thought it was just 'one of

those' things... only seconds later the comprehension sank in that he was sobbing... and

taking the name of a common friend... this young lad - all of 25 - lost his life in the wee

hours in a road accident. he was a really sweet kid and did not drink/gamble/smoke/womanise.

He was not a malicious/insensitive person... as far as i know he was not a liar... and to my

mind i cannot fault him on any count... he loved his hobbies and his friends... in spite of

a hectic work schedule and gruelling hours he seemed to enjoy the work... in short he was

the usual everyday nice guy. this is not a "he was so full of zest-for-life rant... it just

seems unfair that a life like this should be snuffed out. just like that.

QUEEN - "only the good die young...
... they're only flying too close to the sun"


is it true?
does good triumph over evil only in fairy tales? in real life why does it seem that the good lose out...

On the other hand...
an hour later another long-lost friend called... she had good news to give... she wanted to invite me for her wedding... the start of a new life for her and her significant other... i was so happy for her... she is someone i have known for donkey's years... the kind of person that you spoke to for hours about all matters of things... significant, insignificant and everything in between. i was caught between that sinking feeling that just makes you feel really empty inside and you can literally really feel it weighing down at just about the right spot within your ribcage where the heart lies... silently pumping life into you... and then the feeling of a genuine warmth and happiness for someone you love and care about... the serene feeling that envelops you when you know they are headed for a better place...
it all seems so fleeting... yet the refrain is "life goes on"... that's how it is...
is it really?