The Good Old (and New) Days

The Good Old (and New) Days

By Kavitha S

The other day, I was talking to a dear friend. We call each other more often these days, and we have longer conversations. Some habits that developed after the lockdown. The topic of the conversation turned to the ‘good old days’. I said I missed those days.
She replied, ‘do you remember how, as kids, we played out on the roads till dusk? And we drank water from the tap in the garden!’

Oh, yes! The golden days of our lives!
We also remembered how we walked and ran about barefoot. Getting pricked by thorns was a common thing… (Well, thorns were of different varieties, not just the ones on rose bushes. They grew among the grass as well!) I sometimes wonder how much of life and nature the present generation has missed.

Needless to say, we got carried away by those fond memories, and the conversation went on in the same vein. We remembered how carefree we were about everything, and never had to see a doctor. Not even when we fell down and bruised ourselves. We just applied some turmeric on the wound and continued to play. Those days, we hardly had any access to junk food. In fact, most of the eatables were homemade. If we ever felt like eating something, we climbed up a guava tree or stole some papayas or any other fruit from a neighbor’s garden, and ate to our hearts’ content. Of course, the stolen fruits were always the sweetest… We did not enter our houses till much after sunset, and that too because one of the mothers would start shouting at all of us to go home and study. And there was no TV either, so it was back to books and homework.
And then, mid conversation, I told my friend, ‘I know, those were beautiful days and we will never get them back, but that was not what I said I was missing earlier!’
She was indeed surprised. And then I explained.
We would go for walks in the morning to the available open space nearby, whenever we found the time. I missed those days we spent time together, after work. I missed the fact that I would pop in to her house, or she mine. I miss those times when our friends came and we all stayed over, like we did during our college days.
I miss the times when she cooked something yummy (she is a great cook, so everything she cooks is amazing). And that would inspire me to cook something nice when I return her utensils.


She is my friend of many years, and we live RIGHT NEXT DOOR to each other!

Yes. Staying right next door to your dear friend, and not being able to even say a hello. Not visiting each other just to keep ourselves and the others safe. So this is how we have resorted to phone and video calls.

This is an ode to the good old days that were, just a few months ago. This shines light on the fact that we should be grateful for everything we have, in the present. Thankful for the moment we have now. Yesterday was a good old day. So why not make today too, a good day and feel happy about it!?

I have now decided to be happy in the now. I am grateful for the technology that is available to us. I am thankful that I can talk to people anywhere in the world. All it takes is a phone call. I am happy in the knowledge that my dear ones are safe and healthy. And then we have our group prayers for those that are not keeping well.

Because, as the popular Hindi film song goes, ‘Jo hai sama, kal ho na ho!’

Have a beautiful day, dear all. Each day, every day.

Focusing on Literature and Lifestyle of the Urban Youth of the Country, LitGleam is a monthly magazine, an intrinsic part of BlueRose Publishers.

Within its pages, our readers find provocative essays on literature and lifestyle, guidance for getting published and pursuing writing careers, in-depth profiles of poets, fiction writers, and writers of creative nonfiction, and conversations among fellow professionals.