Then and Now

There was once us, young and reckless, buoyant and eager.

Waiting to unravel the mystery called life, wide-eyed with wonder like a child taking off the gift wrap from his birthday present.

The rains meant smelling the good Earth, humming to the beat of the drops drumming against the glass, wolfing down piping hot comfort food and catching a cozy afternoon siesta.

Now it means the mammoth task of avoiding dirty puddles and reaching office without looking like a bedraggled cat.

Meetings were rare. Few and far between. With precious fastening of heartbeats, butterflies gurgling uncontrollably inside.

Now it means nothing. A nod of head. A courtesy. A measured nicety. The boring questions and the even more boring answers.

Going out was then an adventure. An unchartered hilly path with no map to guide. The cheapest restaurants pleased us so. Soft drinks were all we needed to soften our hearts. The little unexpected extras—a drop of intimacy, a brush of hands-- were a celebration in themselves.

The GPS leads the way now. The fragrant car interior with the calm voice taking over all our decisions. “Continue for two miles, then take an exit to your right”. Everything is set and planned. There is no space for surprises any more.

Work was work then and play was play. We started and finished lessons and conversations. Summer vacation was a proper holiday with no few hours of work.

Now work is constant. It follows us into the bedroom and the bathroom. There are no vacations, no holidays at all. The obsessive creature would not let us alone.

And yet we became like this. We entered a contract with our future and decided to become the ‘us’ we are now. The ‘us’ we no longer recognize.