Friends are synonymous with laughter, happiness, a relaxed feeling and acceptance. You make friends at different stages in your lives but the beauty of these friendships is that when you meet, which could be once a year or even after five years, there is no sense of distance and conversation rolls off the tongue with an ease which belies the time gap.
Careers, marriage, children…take us down different roads, picking friends along the way, building new relationships, but the key to maintaining friendships is to keep in touch with old friends. These could be your school or college friends who have known you and your family in your formative years, the ones who have experienced the ups and downs of teenage years with you and been the recipient of your secrets. Perhaps they are your colleagues who later became your friends and whose goodwill you cherish over time even if you’re not intimately connected. It could be a clique of friends whom you meet occasionally or go on trips with or your neighbours with whom you may share a special bond.
Your closest friends could belong to any of the above groups but they are the ones you can share laughter and memories with of a forgotten past, call in your happiest moments, or alternately, when you’re feeling low. They know your limitations and value your strengths. Most importantly, they do not judge your actions or take offence when you disagree over something. You always have a fantastic time with them and know that this is the friendship of a lifetime.
Friends are part of the fabric of our lives, really. We need them on so many levels, and it's also nice to know that they need us, too.