FRIENDSHIP DAY - THREE CHEERS

From the day we land till the day we part, we keep meeting new people, we keep making new friends. Today is the day to celebrate the ones who stood by us, the ones who live within our hearts, the ones who love to love without terms or conditions. Let's pause for a while, look back and smile as we celebrate friendship day.

The first friends

The friends who are our first playmates. Usually they are the ones who live around us. The physical proximity or closeness become a prime reason for such friendships to bloom. They automatically become a part of our daily routine. The first doll houses, the first hide and seek, the first cricket match, they become a part of our many 'firsts'. More often than not, with time the friendships fade but the first friends will always hold a place in our hearts.

The school friends

We usually tend to have many friends as we get into our school life. Yet the desk partner or bench mates are special and irreplaceable. If the new academic year shuffles the section, it affects us leading to severe heart aches and breaks. With time we make newer friends and circles sometimes with our batch mates, juniors or seniors. Sometimes the depth of such friendships are so deep that even beyond hours in school, we wish we could be together. Sleep overs begin with the closest school buddies.

College friends

This new phase of independence will bring in new relationships. Classes, workshops, canteen adda, class bunks, movie hall memories, college fests, music and bands, a lot happens with friends during our college days. Some not too good habits also are a part of this phase as the new friends open new chapters in our lives.

Friends at workplace

Do we actually make friends at workplace? If we are lucky we might make a few genuine ones. The job life opens new challenges of performance, of outdoing the other, of better appraisal hopes and sometimes this pressure of being better than the other tend to cast some negativity amongst colleagues. The friend or friends who help us to push boundaries and better ourselves are truly numbered. Most suffer from the flames of competition and unfortunately might fail as true friends. Lucky are those who can find genuine friends at work places.

Friends for life

Some friendships are forever. Could be the neighbour, could be someone from the workplace, or just a stranger we meet somewhere and then the bond grows stronger with time. They could be as close or even closer than our own family members and siblings. The only way to define the bond of such relationships is to trust the plan of the one above. Such friends only wish the best for us without any frills, conditions or ego. If we are lucky to have them, then we should just hold them for life.

Best friend

This is a tricky one. Faces and phases alter and we might not be lucky enough to have that one best friend forever. The title and responsibilities of a best friend is immensely important and the expectations around this special person is much beyond everything and everyone. A best friend is the one who is there to stay through thick and thin, the one who loves us even when we don't love ourselves.

I am my only friend

In the end, we are our only friend. Friends get busy with time, priorities shift, distance grows and the only way to overcome the challenge called life is to find a friend in our own selves. Count our blessings, find little joys in our daily life, seek happiness while we all struggle for existence every single day. Getting emotionally dependent on one person might not be the best idea and the only one who is there to stay beyond reasons and seasons is the one you see on the mirror every time. Hold on to that special you and love the ones who love you.

Happy Friendship Day!

(Send your questions to roopshashotm@gmail.com)