Life Lessons from a Reunion

 College reunions can be soul-elevating, as I recently discovered. Meeting friends in-person, sharing a drink (or several), and listening to stories around a bonfire, is indeed a memorable experience. The SPJIMR class of 99 reunion was special, as many of us were meeting each other for the first time in two decades. The beauty of the occasion was enhanced by the location at Lonavla, cut off from the bustle of Mumbai. The conditions were ideal for reminiscences, banter and some deep conversations.

During the celebrations and revelry at the reunion, I asked several of my friends a simple question that was on my mind ever since the reunion was planned. I asked each of them for one insight, possibly a life lesson, based on their experiences.  The spontaneous answers I got may look like simple conversational advice, but as I heard them I could see that they were deeply felt experiences, and for some, life transforming.

I have gathered these words of wisdom into a mind-map under five groups

 - Make the inward Journey

-  Seek Freedom

-  Feed your passion

-  Focus on Family, and

-  Celebrate Life

 

I have taken a few liberties and paraphrased the spontaneous words I heard from my friends, but I hope is that I have retained the spirit of their thought.

Of all the themes, the one on family struck a chord with me. A friend told me that she finds that our busy professional lives makes us increasingly transactional with our children. Hence her advice on “making memories” with children. Another friend narrated a touching story about his Dad. Every time he visited his ailing Dad, his Dad asked him the same question - “Do your children like you?”. These words are now lodged into his consciousness, and makes him advice “be the person your kids want to love”.

I am certain that there are many unexplored stories behind each of the pieces of advice on the mind map. But for now, I am leaving them on the map, and with the reader, so that each one can discover their relevance and meaning.

I am thankful to all my friends for sharing these life lessons with me, and I hope these words will spark something within each of us.







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