Going the last mile..

Kuchh isliye bhi mai us'se bichhad gayaa 'Mohsin'
Wo duur duur se dekhe thahar thahar ke mujhe

कुछ इसलिए भी मैं उस से बिछड़ गया मोहसिन,
वो दूर दूर से देखे ठहर ठहर के मुझे..

- This was the sher that started it. The sher hit me because most other poetry talks about the romance of seeing someone from afar and doing nothing about it. This sher talks about the consequence of seeing from afar and doing nothing about it.

What is going to come next still breaks the heart, after all these years:

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A friend liked someone in her office but said nothing about it. The other person also said nothing. In time, both of them got married to other people. After that, one time, they met, and ended up confessing how they felt about each other.

It was heartbreaking to see them. She knew, without any physical communication, everything from whether he is in trouble to whether he has eaten! And he was equally telepathic about her. i have never, ever seen that in a couple - neither before nor since.

But they had to go their separate ways - guilt and all that.

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When i read this sher, it sooo reminded me of them, and of so many other people, who are unhappy, because they just did not step up while there was still time. And it isnt just true of romantic relationships...

Lots of friendships happened because one just said, "Lets have coffee." and those coffees led to games of "Truth" .. which, in turn, led to lifelong bonds..

And some friendships were lost, because, while there was still time, one did not say those magical words, "lets talk".

I have said it lots of times on this blog, so at the risk of repetition, here goes again:

If you really like someone, the time to tell them is NOW.

If you want to make friends, the time to have that coffee is TODAY.

Standing on the sidelines, is only good if you intend to be a bystander. If you want to be a part of a life, the time to step into that life is now.