Sunday, October 15, 2006

Friends and not so friends!!

I often ponder on the value of friends in my life, their contribution in it, the impression they’ve all left on me, irrespective of the duration for which they have been with me. Here’s a basic outline of the kinds of wonderful and not so good people I have met in this very short life of mine and how interestingly each one has contributed to being what I am…

There have been (and there still are!!) friends with an amazing level of intelligence, (it nowhere implies that others had no I.Q), who’ve taught me creativity, educated me about the latest softwares, referred books to me with an array of subjects. They’ve pushed me to do better, just by doing the same thing a million times better than I could. These are the people who’ve taught me that it is never too late to learn, given me the courage to ask the stupidest of questions without actually feeling so, but most importantly, I’ve learned to keep my mouth shut when I should!!

Then I have friends who’ve helped me grow strong emotionally… Some of them listened, cared and even got worried, others who just listened, yet others who listened for gossip and yet others who plainly never did, and yet all of them educated me in some way or the other.
- The ones who did listen and did care gave me suggestions to cope up with the problem I was facing, at times they were wrong, and times when they were right but eventually, they did make me feel better and learn from my mistakes. They made me feel that I had this set of people whom I could fall back on at any point of time and that it was alright to be weak, to give in and thus made me strong by being there for me.
- The ones who “only” listened supported me by “just” listening.
- Friends who listened for gossip taught me that at times it was better not to talk at all.
- And lastly, I learned the most from my friends who never cared. They taught me the most important lesson of my life: NEVER TO EXPECT! It was tough not to do so, but eventually I did learn… And yet, these are friends who although do not care much about me, yet invariably taught me the most important lesson of my life…

I also have this set of goofy, crazy friends with whom I am allowed to simply go mad, do crazy stuff which I’d rather not with others… With them I can explore the weird side of me without shying away from it, who don’t judge me and before whom I shed all my inhibitions, who just let me be…

And then lastly there are these superb, honest, hard working, practical friends who give me a reality check from time to time, who make me search my conscience, the ones who keep my ethics and value intact by being their honest selves.

The above is to all the people who’ve let me be a part of their lives.

P.S: All you guys who know me, just fit yourselves into the above categories and let me know of it, and if none of the above suits you, create one, tell me and I’ll add on for sure…