Lost art of meaningful conversations

Lost art of meaningful conversations

elgeewrites Lost art of meaningful conversations Small%2Btalk1
You know what I miss the most these days? Long meaningful conversations. Thanks to Whatsapp, FB and every other social connect there is no dearth for ‘hey whats up?, ‘what did you cook?’, ‘Ain’t it too hot these days?’ and my abhorrence to talking over telephone nowadays, I  cannot try and remember having a thoughtful conversation. Ahem.. Ahem.. add to it that I don’t write at all. So where does that leave me? Yearning to have an interrupted conversation devoid of frivolous talks about weather, events or persons. 

A few years ago, I used to write these long e-mails to a pen pal, S. I can’t recollect how it started but there we were, exchanging mails for about 2 years. We had never exchanged numbers, or even a precise location ( I think). Neither did I even try to connect through any of the social networks, though Google and FB  have shown him under people you might know in the social media platforms, REPEATEDLY, off late and hence the post.
This is how it went on for years. About once a week, without a fixed time line or anything, that is whenever either of us had time and a whim to write, we jotted down what was going on in each other’s mind, without having the need to actually explain anything more than necessary. Once in a while when we did miss to reply, but there was no once that we waited for the other to respond first. 
Generally I used to fill my long letters talking about the dog we had then to the book that I was engrossed in during the week, just typical of me. He wrote me about his job, family, his other pen pals and his Tabla lessons and such. There were times that all I used to write was what I would write about the following week. I shared with him notes that I used to call ‘poetry’, stuff I scribbled during my school and college days. To be honest, there were no flirty messages or attempt to each other. I distinctly remember his interest on being a self employed, which he took a chance at but went back to being a regular techie with varied interest in life. His passion towards life and trying out new things would ooze out of his writing. And that is what I tried to imitate in my letters to him. 
elgeewrites Lost art of meaningful conversations Small%2Btalk1


In fact, he was a probable inspiration for me to start this blog. Yeah, he was the first person outside of my immediate circle of friends that I shared something that I have created, be it sketches or the poetry or even my thoughts about random topics. What if he had not been receptive or even worse, was discouraging about them? May be I might have had not this space now where I rant about anything and everything under the sun, most of the time is of no use to the reader. 
Now I am looking at those letters / mails, feeling not just nostalgic but also wondering what happened to that guy. The last mail I received from him ended in a sad note about the unexpected misfortunes that fell upon him. Something the 22 year old me couldn’t even begin to comprehend, let alone offer support or even grieve with him and yet I made an earnest attempt at it. Haven’t heard from him after that, until these internet Gods started prompting me that I should be connecting with him. (I am not going to, FYIP)
Coming to think of it I don’t think I would have spoken about him to any of my friends either, not to hide him away but more because his presence didn’t seem to make a huge impact then, but now I am filled with gratitude towards him. Hope that he made safe and happy out of his ill fate and have moved on in life. So why am I writing such a long post about something that happened eons ago? Despite having so many people that I talk, I miss writing letters. In fact the only letters I have ever written were to a faceless guy years ago. I don’t mind the quicker and shorter communication but I want to get back to writing long paragraphs about everything under the sun from why we named our dog Caeser to how to get back to writing blog posts. Is there an interested pen pal around? Let me know.
My Favorite quotes from Jane Austen

My Favorite quotes from Jane Austen

Today is Jane Austen’s birthday! And what better way to honor her memory than by sharing some of my favorite quotes from Jane Austen herself?

What are your favorite literary quotes from Jane Austen? Have you read all her books? Which is your favorite? Let us talk. Click To Tweet

On reading

Now that you could have already pegged me into being a book nerd, you should know JA shares my feelings as well.

“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.” – Northanger Abbey

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! — When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.” – Pride and Prejudice

Friendship:

This is her version of “You are my BFFs!” –  that is Best Friends Forever – for people who are actually from JA’s era.

“There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature.”  – Northanger Abbey

Quotes from Jane Austen

“My idea of good company…is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company.’ ‘You are mistaken,’ said he gently, ‘that is not good company, that is the best.” – Persuasion

Romance:

Jane might have been the best selling chicklit (yea, woman literature ) author if she had been writing now –  just for these heart wrenching love proclamations!

“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”  – Pride and Prejudice

“You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope…I have loved none but you.”  Persuasion“How quick come the reasons for approving what we like.” – Persuasion

“Silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people in an impudent way.”  Emma

Men:

“Men were put into the world to teach women the law of compromise. ”

“The more I know of the world, the more I am convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love. I require so much!”  Sense and Sensibility

“Stupid men are the only ones worth knowing after all.”

Her Sassy wit:

Quotes from Jane Austen

“I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal.”  Jane Austen’s Letters.

“I cannot speak well enough to be unintelligible.”  –  Northanger Abbey

“I have not the pleasure of understanding you.” Pride and Prejudice

“I am excessively diverted. ” – Pride and Prejudice (roughly translated to “I am not hearing you, bud”

On general Life as such:

“For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors, and laugh at them in our turn?”  Well said !

“Life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings.”  – Mansfield Park

“Know your own happiness. You want nothing but patience- or give it a more fascinating name, call it hope.” – Sense and Sensibility

Let’s talk

What are your favorite literary quotes from Jane Austen? Have you read all her books? Let us talk.