STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan
The human mind works in fascinating ways. Confinement frees the mind from the body and the soul wonders. Our memories are selective; they gravitate towards pleasant and fond memories. Recently I wrote on some heavy duty topics. It requires serious research and effort to convert to a readable format. This week I chose to lighten the mood and share my feelings after months of COVID confinement.
I returned from Pakistan beginning March, just ahead of the virus onslaught. It changed lives, I suspect for quite some time to come. I miss shaking hands and a warm hug, a way of life for so many decades. The initial months were like living in the trenches glued to the TV. Fear and panic were tangible. The unknown nature of COVID was confounding.
COVID is the worst pandemic since the Spanish Flu. It continues to explode globally. Some countries have managed it better than others. Accompanying loss of life and misery is haunting. We all pray for a vaccination and cure to emerge as early as possible.
It has created severe financial and economic hardships. We all want to know when this nightmare will end and what is the extent of damage? My initial response was that there is a fire burning our homes and we have to put it out before we assess the damage. Since June, I realized that this fire is not going anywhere; we have to subdue it and learn to live with it.
In the meantime what are our options? A few good things have emerged. One is the ability to spend quality time with the family. After a long time all six of us are together. It is like rediscovering each other once again. Without rush, we can devote time to each other. We go for long walks on the beautiful trails and water streams close to the house. I find it is a blessing.
A great part of our lives go by trying to figure out our purpose. We are so caught in our daily routines that we miss out being with ourselves. This break has given us the time to stop and reflect, read, write or do things we enjoy but never had the time. My biggest treasure is my memories and friends. I thank God for providing me means to meet my worldly needs. Let me share the joys of the last one year.
Last week my university buddy Raja Anwar called me out of the blue. We were out of touch for a number of years and I yearned for his company. He is UK based and had some health issues. Hearing his voice was such a delight bringing back a gush of memories of times spent together. A man of great stature and political standing, we chatted like kids catching up on lost times.
Just over a year ago I visited a close friend in Hong Kong. Former Ambassador Pervez Syed, “Shahji” for friends. Ten days flew past as if they were ten minutes enjoying his company and delightful cuisines at new restaurants each day. It is stored in my memory bank upon which I draw any time I feel low.
From Hong Kong I flew to Jakarta to spend time with Tahir Chaudhry, my buddy with whom I can share my deepest thoughts. We counsel each other and stand in other’s corner when needed. What a great comfort. Tahir is a golfing buff religiously devoting his weekends to the game. His golfing buddies over the years have become my friends too. Haji Nasir, Nabil Wareeth, Kamal and Naji are great company providing joyous memories.
From there I flew to Medan in Sumatra, Indonesia. I share a business there run by Bilal Chaudhry, Tahir’s son. Some of the best conversations that I treasure occurred between us. This thirty some years old, who has a soul around 300 years, and I spent time together after work. I have asked him to keep notes, some day I will write about “conversations with Bill” that cover all aspects of life and workings of human brain and emotions.
From there I flew to my Lahore. My rejuvenation started upon landing as my friend and brother Afzal Ghauri picked me up, as he has done for last four decades. I landed around midnight and we drove to Hassan Nisar’s house where I was staying. The three of us kept talking till the morning when chirping birds made us realize the time.
Two weeks just flew by. Spending time with my Alumni friends G A Sabri, Raja Munawwar, Naseem Ur Rehman, Zahid Gardezi and others. This was coupled by enjoying the company of my buddies Pervaiz Bhandara, Javed Randhawa (JR), Dr. Nauman Qureshi, Dr. Mujahid Kamran, Rashid Bhatti, Shahid Imam, Tahir Nawazish, Syed Saeed, Siraj Ul Mulk and many more. It was like a whiff of fresh air. Lahore is not complete without spending time with Khalid Taj and the icing on the cake was Dr. Tariq Amin visiting from UK and Hamid (Jubi) Butt from Saudi.
The list goes on and will expand as I write about my life in Canada. But what I want to share is that we put too much emphasis on acquiring worldly wealth. It is important, but if we get too intensely involved, we miss out on the biggest treasure of our life; the love and affection of friends. Wealth comes and goes. However we can never lose out if we value the happiness that emanates from having true and lasting relationships. Nurture them with your soul and happiness is not far behind.
