Dearest Darling Friends,
I met a school friend Sanjay, after 25 years. Both of us had recently celebrated our 45th birthday As a formality, he asked me, ‘How are you?’ With excitement I shared about the had huge goals I had for life ahead. It was a mistake!!!
He was not looking for details about my life. Little did I realize, he was just laying the base to express disgust about his life! My friend said, “Naren, I do not have the drive any more. I feel so tired. Tired of competing, tired of proving, tired of explaining,’ He threw up his hands in exasperation. Oh oh, I thought.
His wife rolled up her eyes as if saying, ‘Here he goes again’. She then stared at him coldly. He glared at her fiercely.
I was surprised, to say the least. Their daughter, who was sitting next to me, said, ‘Don’t worry Uncle. It happens.’ She was unaffected as if this was a part of everyday routine. I was even more surprised…and concerned!!!
She looked like the only person there with whom I could have a conversation. Not knowing what to else to ask, I blurted a question, ‘Do you like your father?’. The moment the question was out of my mouth, my mind said, ‘Ouch. Naren, you are an idiot.’
She looked at me as if I had asked her, ‘Have you seen Hanuman prancing around here?’
She looked away from me towards the TV screen and said, ‘I don’t know if I like my father. What I know is, he LIKES to complain all the time. Especially about, he is old, he is old’. She said it twice and it seemed to make it more emphatic.
I left the house not knowing how to help my friend. I did a little research and I was blown away by what I found. Do read till the end. It gets better and better.
At the age of 41, Christopher Columbus found US.
At the age of 44, Marie Curie won the Nobel prize in chemistry.
At the age of 49, Mario Puzo published one of my all time favorites, ‘The Godfather’.
At the age of 52, Beethoven composed the outstanding ‘Ninth Symphony’
At the age of 55, Alex Hailey published one of the most influential books in my life, Roots.
At the age of 59, Clara Barton found Red Cross.
At the age of 63, Francis Galton revealed to the world, no two people have the same fingerprints. He revolutionized crime fighting in the process.
At the age of 64, Oscar Swahn won an Olympic gold medal in shooting
At the age of 69, Mother Teresa won the Noble Peace Prize.
At the age of 72, Atal Bihari Vajpayee became Prime Minister of India.
At the age of 79, Benjamin Franklin invented the bifocals.
This gets better……
At the age of 94, Leopold Stokowski, signed a six-year contract to conduct music !!! Wow….
At the age of 95, a famed union organizer called ‘Ma’ wrote and published her famous autobiography.
At the age of 100, Ichijirou Araya climbed Mount Everest !!!
Whew!!!
As I am typing this ‘Life School Message’, I know how I can help my friend Sanjay. I am sending this mail to him.
Do you think it will be a great idea to forward to this to everyone you know? You never know who might be needing it.
Do let me know what do you think of this mail.
Just click on this and you will find me on the other side.
With loads of love, prayers and exceptional wishes,
naren
As I Live…I Learn