People come and go, just like a phase in your life or a chapter in a book you’ve written, are still writing and will continue to write until the story of your life is complete.

Some people stay longer than others and when they leave, it often becomes difficult to accept that and you wonder why they had entered your life in the first place. It’s hard because you obviously wanted them to stay longer, as you had begun to share a bond that you clearly mistook as being friendship. But it wasn’t what you thought it was.

If it had been friendship, they would have stayed in your life forever — even if they might have moved a thousand miles away from you. And then, it’s only a matter of time before memories of such ‘friends’ fade away, as though the person never existed.

True friends are always there. Whether near or far, they leave a mark in the album of your memories, a mark so hard to remove that it’s almost permanent. And you have absolutely no reason to want to remove it. Those memories are far too beautiful and precious. If for any reason you consider these marks to be stains, then either the person was not a true friend or losing them was too painful.

A true friend accepts you with your flaws, understands you better than you understand yourself and loves you unconditionally.

People say that this world is a temporary place, and nothing lasts forever, especially relationships. But guess what? Real friendship survives this test of time. In fact, it might be the only thing that survives the battle. Surely, it has its ups and downs but together you will enjoy the good times and persevere through the bad, but the key word is ‘together’ and it teaches us how to get through by being there for each other. Because that’s what friends do, right?

Friendship begins with acceptance. A true friend accepts you with your flaws, understands you better than you understand yourself and loves you unconditionally. True friends trust you with their imperfections, secrets and expect you not to judge them like the rest of the world does and they expect the same in return. This world is a judgmental place, isn’t it? But with true friends, one can quite conveniently forget, if not erase, all the worries of the world.

There will be times that you disappoint someone or feel disappointed, but together you try to make it better and live up to each other’s expectations. Friends are God’s way of taking care of us. They sometimes help steer the vehicle of your life in the right direction, no matter how wrong that path might seem at that point.

All of these crazy, winding roads and wild rides lead us to one simple conclusion — life is pointless without friends. It’s no wonder that we are often left wondering where we would have been without them.

Whether you need some save-the-day kind of advice or just some company to help you pass the time, a good friend always comes to the rescue. But there’s more to a good friend than just that. Good friends might also be capable of showing the world to you from a whole new perspective. They can change the way you look at life, lift your spirits without even trying really hard and ensure that you fall in love with every moment you spend alive and with them. There’s never a dull moment when your friends are around.

Cherish every moment. Don’t take these moments lightly, because your friends and the memories you share with them are how you have managed to come so far in life.

Sure, they tease you and taunt you, and sometimes you are often on the receiving end of their overwhelming sarcasm, but they would never want to hurt you or have anything bad happen to you. They surely annoy you sometimes but most of the time, they will always look out for you. They stick to you like chewing gum in hair, even if they’re actually sitting in the other corner of the world. No matter where they are, you know there’s someone out there to whom you matter and who matters to you. They make you feel special and you should never let go of that feeling, nor should you ever let them go.

Making friends is easy, but putting in the required effort to make sure the friendship lasts and, consequently, changing that friendship into an unbreakable bond takes time. All that a true friend politely asks for is for you to be yourself and for you to truly care about this friendship. So if there is someone who you feel will add value to your life, someone who can be your perfect partner while being your rock, just smile and start a conversation.

If it’s meant to be, things will flow naturally. But remember the most amazing thing about friendship is that it simply gives and never asks for anything in return. Remembering this will allow you to be a better friend, while saving you from the pain that comes with disappointments.

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 21st, 2019