Keeping in touch

It's a (rather sad) fact of my life that I suck at keeping in touch. And this fact is more evident at get-togethers, where I generally receive a (well deserved) banter. Meeting many old buddies over the weekend brought this fact home and nostalgia took over. It was in this state of mind that I was travelling back from Bhimashankar (the trip itself deserves a separate post) on Sunday evening. Slightly sleepy, with no lights visible for miles, we are travelling on the zig-zag road, and suddenly it dawned upon me. I had failed to keep in touch with one more companion. So much so that, I was not even aware upto that point in time that I had lost touch. It's the night sky. It was dazzling, something I had long forgotten. Now let's admit it, we're all stargazers (or at least we have been, at one time or another). I was fortunate enough to spend my childhood in a small town, where city lights still had not obliterated the glory of night. A friend and me had even rigged a telescope (even welded its stand ourselves). Hours and hours spent just staring.. Another beautiful picture that came back was the view at Dive Agaar beach in our Konkan trip. Sea in front and the clear sky above, it had felt like heaven. But city skies are different, you might occasionally spot a star here and there, but the dazzle part (along with the awe it inspires) is missing.

Nostalgic whining notwithstanding, maybe there is a lesson for me. Keep in touch, and not just with your friends.
(and maybe I should buy that telescope of which I am dreaming for years. Let's see, let's see..).