In this wild roller coaster ride that we call life, we keep careening on with mad speed, sometimes acknowledging, sometimes ignoring without meaning to, all that is important in our lives. There are moments in our lives, when we pause and look back to the days when things were less complicated and convoluted. In a blink of an eye, we are transported to the days when we had few responsibilities, and smiles and laughter came unbidden and unforced. Our friendships were truly unconditional, in a world where people now place values and weightage to a relationship, based on what they can get out of it. 

The world would be a cold place indeed if we did not have friends to warm us and keep us cocooned in a blanket of affection and caring. Undoubtedly, in times of trouble, emotional health depends on having the support of a network of friends who keep us from crossing the line into despair. In happiness too, the pleasure is multiplied by the number of true friends who genuinely are joyous with you and for you.

All of us wear different masks at different times in our lives. We protect our inner selves from the delving, probing eyes of people by presenting the façade which best suits the situation. This can be trying and exhausting if we could not let down our guard with a few close friends. A good friend knows you with all your faults and foibles and still loves you unconditionally.

Just being there

 The best part of a good friendship is that your friend knows what you are thinking even before you can articulate it. A good friend is the one who walks in when others are walking out. It is not just a cliché that you know who your friends are only in bleak times - they are the ones who step in to just be there, giving verbal and non-verbal support. It has been said, "A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words." When sorrow seems to have placed a permanent blanket over your soul, a good friend will be there to help you see the sun shine again, open your heart to the dawn chorus of birdsong and tenderly lead you back to life as you knew it.  

Sometimes, when we falter on life’s path, it is good to have a true friend who will guide us and help find our way back. Kahlil Gibran, in “The Prophet” says, ‘Your friend is your needs answered. He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.’ A good friend is one who will let you wallow in self-pity as long as it is necessary and not a moment more. She will then nudge you and nag you and get you back on track.