Autumn is here! Studies do not remain something you have to do if you find yourself enjoying what you do. Read what a teenage couple is up to this week. Know more about an online story. Hop on…

The library is the new dating spot for my niece Rachael and her boyfriend Charlie. They are working on a project together. Their theme is Rosh Hashanah and its significance in the modern day. Charlie is supposed to be very interested in cultures and customs. While Rachael does the paper work, Charlie unearths all these interesting facts about this Jewish custom. “We make a wonderful team, Bob,” Rachael boasted to me proudly. I saw some of the work they did. I agree with her.

Someone who believes ‘leave no stone unturned‘, Rachael wanted to speak to Berka as well. I had casually mentioned that I have this friend who’s into all this. Presently Berka is researching on Eid ul-Fitr. I asked Berka, who readily agreed to help. Last heard, they were talking late nights. Berka told me later that Rachael already had an exhaustive amount of materials. “Rachael’s extremely diligent” is what Berka had to say about Rachael. Rachael also said something similar about Berka! Here’s a mutual admiration society, folks! Watch this space.

Steve is already up the wall now. That friend of Natalie isn’t giving up so easily, making life difficult for Steve. The other day Megan dropped by. Megan was worried about it, too. I asked her to stay over for the evening. Adrian got us some grub and we settled down to talk. We discussed Steve’s problem. “Why does Natalie take his calls?” Megan sounded exasperated. Adrian came up with the answer, “Apparently this guy is a huge tantrum thrower! He knows he has an importance in her life and milks it.” Megan was of the firm opinion that it’s Natalie to blame because Natalie let this person walk away with their happiness.

I wanted to be neutral but found myself supporting Adrian. I’m a firm believer in intent, even if the action is lacking. “If Natalie intends to stick to Steve, I’m sure she’ll find a way out,” I offered. They nodded their heads in assent, but I don’t think they bought it. Steve called up then. I asked him to come over too. He readily agreed. When he came in, we discussed further on the subject, without any conclusion, of course. But Steve thanked us for everything! We hugged him and assured him that friends would be there for him, if not anyone else. It was emotional for all of us there.

My late night chats with Sarah is taking a definitive stance each day and then getting back to the basics! These meanderings are leaving me confused. I’ll tell you how our chats proceed each time. It begins off with casual greetings. Then it moves on to how our day was spent. Sarah is studying science, physics actually. Sarah loves art, but her mom and dad were not willing to let her pursue it. So Sarah decided to make them happy. I think that needed a lot of courage. The important thing is Sarah makes things her own and does her best.

I’m digressing. After talking around for sometime, we generally ask each other what kind of partners we may like. Sarah states her preferences, which I think, are a little tame for a woman of her ability and intelligence. I state mine, which Sarah thinks, are too over-the-top! There is always this undercurrent but we never talk about us, if there is any ‘us’ at all. We never mention the fact that we fit each others’ preferences. It’s like a mind game we play. It’s fun and intellectually stimulating, but sometimes I wish we had it out in the open.

Ryan has been inspiring his teammates in a rather strange way! Ryan has a team of three people, who work at different time slots. One of them works nights as well. So this team of three has been there long before Ryan joined us. They have seen and experienced a lot. But they were in for a surprise when Ryan took over. Ryan made changes and they had a tough time coping. Ryan lost patience many a times, because he was not used to waiting for changes to happen. He wanted them immediately.

But these guys stuck on. They learned things from Ryan, bore with his temper at times. They knew that the only way forward was to keep up with their leader. They are paying rich dividends for their efforts now. They have emerged more capable and experienced to adapt to ever-mutating technology. Ryan will, of course, take no accolades for their improvement. He’s happy he could make things turn around the way he wanted. Though not the cane-flaunting leader, Ryan did make a difference because he had belief in his team.

The Zen quote this week comes from Eleanor Roosevelt: “To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.” Guess Ryan got to this before me, didn’t he?