Friendships
The noblest of all relationships is friendship. It is also, perhaps the only close relationship where you get a choice and can take your own sweet time to settle down. A marriage partner may also be chosen but it may turn out in an unexpected fashion, unless its basis is friendship.
Friendship is a bond that strengthens you as it strengthens itself however, like every relationship that needs to be treasured; a friendship too has to be nurtured. There is no room for pettiness and calculations in friendship. If you help your friend when the chips are down, it should come naturally, without any expectations. If friendship is true, your friend will be there for you when you need him the most. People often say that there is “no thank you and no sorry” in friendship. This is untrue. Just because a friend is close to you, he must not be taken for granted. A nicety is not a formality. Mutual understanding and trust are the basic foundations of a friendship or for that matter any relationship. If either is broken, the essence is over. Again, there is no place for an ego here. Friendship is at once, a strong and a delicate relationship. A major crisis may not affect it but a small incident which amounts to indifference of any one party might ruin a beautiful bond that has taken years to cultivate.
“A friend is one who knows us, but loves us anyway” and “is someone who is there for you when he’d rather be somewhere else” are two contemporary quotes that I agree with completely. A friend is to be cherished for life.