Definition of a Friend

I always wondered how two people can become very good friends? I had spent my life changing places every 5-6 years as my dad is in the Armed Force. Every single time I went to a new place, it took almost a year to get familiar with the fellow mates. Count couple of more years to make good friends. And when done so, it was the time to move on to some other new place. My life was like a nomad. I found the real definition of the little word, FRIEND, when I joined college at Delhi. But the story here too began on the same note. It took a long time here too to make good friends. As the time passed, the good ones became better and then the best. Many friends were lost, many were earned. And as it is the time to leave the college in a few days, I’m happy to have some real friends who define the word FRIEND the same way as I do. And I don’t regret that I have only few such friends. They are few, but are the best. And I don’t want to lose them.

So, what is my definition of a FRIEND? Well the answer is very simple. But the definition is very strict, no wonder why I have only few such friends. They stand up to my definition of a friend. I’ll present this definition in the same way as I presented the things that I learnt. So, here it goes...

I am not your friend if.....
You have to think before you speak to me!
My presence ever makes you feel uncomfortable!
You have to thank me for everything I do for you!

I am not your friend if.....
You have to say sorry for everything that you don't do!
You have to ask me for favors!
You think I would not be curious to know your new philosophy of life!

I am not your friend if.....
You go by what I say and do not understand what I don't say!
You think that listening to your dreams would put me to sleep!
You think that seeing you in pain, would not bring a tear to me!

I am not your friend if.....
You think I do not remember the first time we met!
You don't see the thousand ways I try to make you happy!

You think that I don’t love you, care for you!

So, what do you think? Are you my friend? Am I your friend?

A New Lesson Learnt

I've Learned...
That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

I've Learned...
That when you're in love, it shows.

I've Learned...
That just one person saying to me, "You've made my day!" makes my day.

I've Learned...
That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

I've Learned...
That being kind is more important than being right.

I've Learned...
That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.

I've Learned...
That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I've Learned...
That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

I've Learned...
That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

I've Learned...
That money doesn't buy class.

I've Learned...
That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I've Learned...
That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

I've Learned...
That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I've Learned...
That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've Learned...
That love, not time, heals all wounds.

I've Learned...
That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

I've Learned...
That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

I've Learned...
That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I've Learned...
That life is tough, but I'm tougher.

I've Learned...
That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.

I've Learned...
That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I've Learned...
That I can't choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it.

Life at Stalemate, Again!!!

Imagine a situation where you are walking in a crowded area, and suddenly you slip and fall down on the earth. You somehow manage to get up again on your own, look at the staring people at you, ignore them, and start walking again. You just walked few steps more and what the hell, you slip and fall again! You smile again, get up and behave as if everything is normal. The walking process continues. Another few steps ahead and the event repeat again. Now you would have got frustrated by this time and call it a bad day!

Yes, sometimes, in our life, we see many such bad days. But these bad days are nothing but our testing times. These are the days which tests our real patience, our confidence, our courage, ourselves. And the one who is able to have a laugh at the end of such day, is the real human being.

I’ve been facing such situations at regular period of time, right from my school days. The past week has thrown me in the flashback of memories. All those feelings of failure, dejection, rejection, frustration etc are again on my mind. It’s really a tough time for me. But I’m really happy that there are some people giving me strength to fight back with the situation. I’m really thankful to them. Thankful to my parents, to my (real) friends, and thankful to the almighty.

Everything was going smooth till the declaration of our reappear results for third semester. I cleared one of my backlogs. It was such a nice feeling. Now it was almost confirmed that I’ll get my degree. I was so happy. But wait, the very next day, the results for the seventh semester were declared. And what the hell, I got another backlog in that subject which I did well. I was shocked, surprised, speechless, worried, disheartened, and almost blank. But it took just a couple of minutes to recover. Again, my degree was on the stake. The next day I went to confirm the criteria to get the degree where I was told that I’m eligible for it. I was happy again... Same like getting up and walking after slipping and falling down. But as the days passed, what I got to know was that I’m still ineligible for the degree, and those strange feeling started floating across my mind again. Should I call it a bad day?

When I look at the lessons of my favorite epic, the Mahabharata, I console myself by saying: “Karmanye waadhikaraste, maa faleshu kadachana”. Just do you work without worrying about the results. Leave something for the God to do. Whatever has to happen, will be for my wellness only. But what could be good behind my failure? How it is going to be in my favor in the future? What I have to do now? What can I do now? Now I feel that my life is at that stage similar to one in the game of chess. When your opponent makes such a move that you are safe. But any further move from your side will land you in a checkmate. While playing the game, when I face this situation, a message box pops up and says: “Stalemate, the game is a draw”. Yes, the game is a draw. The game of my life, where I can’t make any move further.