What I am grateful for

I hate to make this a bullet list. But I love lists. So I'll make one anyway. Bullets or no bullets.

Wonderful work colleagues. I was working with a person double my age for the past 3 weeks. I am not including the age factor for a comparison but as a perspective. When I told him on Diwali evening (he was already sad for me that I had to be away from family, working instead) that I had to go for 2 dinners and would leave office early, and be not available for 3-4 hours (we were working on something very crucial), he seemed ok. He not only let me be but did not bother me with any emails or texts. Now I know this is supposed to a norm in professional work culture etc etc. But on that Diwali away from home, I just felt his gesture to be super nice and felt immensely grateful for wonderful people around.
On other note, despite having worked in the same domain for such a long time, I did not find him to be complacent. He was meticulous in everything he did, prepared for a customer presentation like a first timer for hours together, making sure the story fell in place, involving me in all discussions and decisions. I guess learning never ceases.
He is also an accomplished photographer with 47 years of photography work behind him. He takes photography classes in spare time and has even had his work exhibited, and without even doing a humble brag. 

Friends who remember little things about you or your life and dont forget to remind you :) I love you A and R and what would I do without you!

Movie gems like 'me and earl and the dying girl' on long haul, never ending flights. Some of the best writing and direction seen for a coming of age drama. Also, how I miss reading what Ebert uncle would have written about this movie.

Second chances life gives with some people. Sometimes, people are not the email conversations you have with them. When you meet the 'real' people you realize there is no dearth of niceness around. I find this especially reassuring given the troubled times we are in, when its easier to judge someone than getting to know the real person.

The end of the tour

When I told a friend few years ago, that I was in love with David Foster Wallace, he chuckled and was amused by my choice of literary heroes, given Wallace's personal struggle. I had to convince him then, that I didn't do this choosing consciously, its something that happens. Organic is the correct word to the process, if there ever was one. It holds true for most things in my life. At least that's what I would like to believe. Like running happened to me naturally, without any external or internal imbalance. In a, 'it was meant to be' kind of way. Most of my friendships have been that way. The ones which were not, did not last long. (I used to be sad about it, because these were perfectly nice people to have friendship with. But I had to make peace with myself).

Anyway, I digressed! The moral of the story is, I am attracted to flawed and imperfect and broken people like Dave Wallace, naturally. And if you do too, then you should watch this new movie called 'the end of the tour'. The movie is nothing but conversations between DFW and the rolling stone journalist. But deep inside it reveals so much about what it means to be a certain kind of human being, through the words, eyes, experiences of one of the most brilliant writers.
As an afterthought, I would like to believe that the last scene kind of depicted Wallace to be free of his self-consciousness and finally out of his own head.

And if you are not familiar with DFW then do listen to this.