The one thing I enjoy a lot is developing small traditions with my closest friends – things we do without fail within the sphere of our friendship, which helps us stay in touch with each other. A lot of my friends are friends I have shared experiences with in the past, like school, or an internship, but are people I have been unable to meet on a regular basis since I moved to University. As a consequence of this, small traditions help me reconnect with them instantly, more than anything else.
A couple of them include discussing new pieces of poetry once a week, meeting up at a sandwich shop and eating sandwiches like it’s nobody’s business, meeting up for coffee late at night, eating pizza – every single time we meet. It’s delightful.
The dude I meet for pizza is someone I find really good company – not only because we share similar outlooks toward things like pop culture, but also because of how much he teaches me each time we meet. Every single time I interact with him, over pizza, I learn so much about how his life has changed since we did that one internship in Bangalore together, and it reminds me that it can take just one common thread to make friends.
The other thing I love about traditions like these is that they ensure that some life experiences repeat themselves frequently. If I wasn’t meeting my friend, I feel like it’s unlikely that I will go out for pizza as often. It’s also unlikely that I will visit that sandwich shop, or the coffee shop. Because these are not experiences I enjoy having alone.
The same thing can be said of Taco Bell, which I have adopted as one of my homes in Bangalore. I go there so frequently when I am in town, but I only visit the joint with a few people I hold very dear to me.
I wouldn’t trade those memories for more memories of eating Taco Bell. And that says a lot.
Tejas Rao 