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Every Saturday, the first thing Malay did was log on to MSN Messenger and wish his colleagues a TGIS! TGIS meant “Thank God It’s Saturday.”
Malay was a software engineer – a go-getter with tons of ambition. He worked as a customer support engineer and spent long hours at work troubleshooting client issues and queries. He had started this ritual of wishing TGIS to his colleagues every Saturday. People normally exchange these wishes on last day of the week to signify that we are on the verge of leaving behind a taxing week and are up ahead for some fun on the weekend.
Malay worked with seven other engineers in the same department. He shared very good rapport with every body in his department, especially Asif. Their personalities gelled well with each other. Malay was outspoken and Asif was kind of an introvert. Malay was jovial and Asif was very sincere.
Asif came from a conservative middle class Muslim family. He completed his computer engineering and took a job over a year ago. Asif had big plans for himself and his family. He wanted to move to the US for which his visa application was already under process. He had also planned his savings to facilitate his travel. Asif’s father ran a small grocery shop in the old town. He was the only son, and carried a lot of expectations from his parents and worked really hard to meet those.
Malay on other hand had a rich and educated family background. He was a very thoughtful guy. He lived away from his family in a hostel in a close proximity to the office. Often between the work and the after hours they used to interact, connect to each others ideas and share their experiences. Their frequencies matched and they had turned out to be very good friends.
On that Saturday, Malay entered the office but did not notice Asif around. As usual, he extended his TGIS wishes to his colleagues and started with his work.
The previous Friday night, they both had been to watch a movie together. After the movie show ended at 12:30 AM, Malay realized that Saturday had already started. He wished “Thank God It’s Saturday” to Asif as they cheerfully parted.
Malay was worried about Asif’s absence on Saturday and towards the end of the day he tried calling Asif.
“Why does this guy switch off his cell??” yelled Malay. “Forget it, he might be ill or something. I will see him on Monday.”
On Monday morning, as Malay entered the office, he got the terrible news that Asif had met with a fatal accident at 12:35 AM Saturday – just five minutes after they parted with TGIS wishes. A speeding truck smashed Asif with his bike and fled. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared “bought dead.” Asif had died on the spot due to a severe brain hemorrhage. Malay was just not able to believe the horrible incident that happened with his dear friend. Malay was terribly depressed. He tried hard to focus on his work to engage his mind constructively. Initially he had a few bad weeks on the job, but life, as they say, goes on.
Several days later on a dull evening, Malay stood steady on the terrace of his office building on the 10th floor. He kept thinking about the uncertainty of human life as he watched the birds returning home and the setting sun spreading shades of orange, yellow and red on the horizon.
“Can someone pass so easily? Can life be so unexpected? Can life be so short? What about the aspirations of his parents?” These were some questions that occupied his mind space.
He came to a realization of a universal truth that everything in this world is uncertain. No one knows what’s going to happen the next moment. His approach to his own life changed, and he began seeing each day as a gift in itself.
Malay believed that life was too short and too unpredictable to be taken too seriously. Some people think “Let me gather X amount by the time I am 40, then I will enjoy life”. Sure, we must set our goals, chase our dreams and do our part to live a fulfilling, happy and successful life, but we must also enjoy the journey towards our goals and each moment within that. At the end of it all, we must not regret not having led a fulfilling life. One never knows what life has in store for tomorrow, hence we must enjoy each day and each moment as it comes.
Life is not meant to be divided into weeks. Each day of our life is valuable and each day should be cheerfully greeted, not just Saturdays!
Each day, the first thing Malay does in the morning after reaching the office is log on to MSN Messenger and send a wish to his colleagues, “Thank God its Today!”
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Writer Profile
Tanmay N. Vora
A software quality & management professional - passionate explorer of management/leadership subjects - chooses to look at brighter side of life - loves writing.
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Comments
Krystal Payne | Aug 22nd, 2006
a really nice ending!
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