Friendships...

What is friendship ? A post on the same theme raised a few questions and try as i might i wasnt sure i could convey what i thought. So after a day or two's rumination, I decided to take the plunge and put my thoughts into words... Of the multiple meanings attached to the word "friend", by the dictionary, a friend to me is one attached to another by affection or esteem and a favored companion... This of course is a very abstract definition and leaves room for confusion. Well, who is a friend and what is friendship ? The first step of course would be to weed out the words from our vocabulary which could blur the boundaries.... the words which could be misled with friendship... acquaintance, pal, supporter, colleague, associate, ally, so on and so forth, but in my mind they are nowhere close to being a friend... A friend, is a friend, is a friend... Someone who accepts you as you are, Who is a friend only because he wants to be, not because of the world, the society or the norms, not because there is anything to gain but because he likes what 'is' Someone who is painfully honest but then when he says the harshest facts, you trust him and know that he is right, Someone who could know you better than you know yourself, Someone with whom words are redundant and understanding is pervasive, Who will stick with you when you are wrong but will tell you so, Who can see through your masks no matter what you do, Someone who will know you for what you are and love you still... Someone who knows what you can be and tells you so... When the chips are all down and you are broken from within, a friend makes life easy A friend is someone you bank upon for the best and the worst, To share your joys and sorrows, your angst and confusions, Who transforms your weaknesses into your strength, Who leads you through the darkest hours to see the light at the end, Who does more than you can even imagine, Who gives more than a patient ear when you go on ranting about the miseries of your life.... A friend is all this and more... How do i find words to describe the most important relationships in my life...?? Friends, "true" friends, are to be treasured more than family, because they "choose" to be with you for what you are and how you are... Friendships are bound by the ties of love and faith and not of blood and birth... No wonder they reflect you as a person... !! I have often cribbed and complained about things going wrong and luck playing a spoiled sport... but then.... I now know that what I have managed to find is something very few people have... I found friends, true friends.... to cherish and to protect.... to hold onto for the rest of my life... And now, as i write, i realize this, When everything seems to be falling apart, and when the road ahead is only an uphill climb, you know that help is only a call away, cos your friends are just around the corner on any day, Suddenly life seems better and the world is a happier place... I guess, that's what friendship is... :) I am glad i found it...