FRIEND

When I read Charles Darwin's quotation on friendship that "A man's friendships are one of the measures of his worth" I felt totally worthless! As I was reviewing the number of my friends and the strength of the bonds of friendship, the list was a single-digit one. Later on, when I read the quote," If you find just one friend in your lifetime. You have been truly blessed" I got back my confidence. Having very few good friends is alright because, as also the saying goes "a good friend is like a four-leaf clover. Hard to find and lucky to have."

All of us have a good number of friends, to begin with, and even throughout our life. But best friends are only a few. We never lose friends; we only learn who the true ones are. This is because "friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity. (Khalil Gibran)

There are only two people who I can confidently say are my best friends. My husband is my best friend. He has been supporting me throughout our married life. He encouraged me to pursue higher studies even at the cost of his own career. I enjoy true unconditional freedom, without the concept that he is giving freedom and I have received it. Then there is no freedom. I always enjoyed being equal to my husband. Freedom and equality are the best gifts any woman would have received Because of his friendship we could fulfill many of our family responsibilities successfully.

The second person whom I count as a best friend is a colleague of mine, who was a few years junior to me in position but that never came in the way of our friendship. He supported me in good times and especially in tough times. A best friend does not judge you in any way and he also never judged and gave sensible advice, boosting my morale at a tough phase in my career. We successfully withstood two takeovers of our Indian company by foreign companies. We continue to be good friends even after I retired. We may not meet or even talk frequently but the friendship continues.

Words will pale out if I describe my friends and friendship further. I consider myself very fortunate to have two good friends. In conclusion, "friendship is not finding gold or silver among the rocks of life. It is accepting each other as coal until diamonds are formed with time." 

(Note: I have abundantly used quotes on friendship. and acknowledged where ever the names of the originators were known and my gratitude to those whose names were not found.)