The present-day is rough. There is so much that the world is going through right now; war, hunger, crime, disease outbreak, etc. The last thing on our minds is thinking about somebody else. With how the world is going now, “every man for himself and God for us all.” Regardless, caring for someone and checking up on them is nice. No matter how ‘reserved’ we wish to be, we would love to hear from that one person we care so much about.
The idea of calling one of my best friends never crossed my mind until something peculiar reminded me of certain traits about her. Yes, I said one of my best friends because I have several best friends. Growing up is quite interesting. At every stage in life, you meet people who become an important part of your life. Sometimes you lose them as life takes you on different turns. Other times, you get those who stick along for the long-hard drive.
Well, I have true best friends I’ve been able to maintain from childhood till now as I write. I am grateful for them. Though our friendship has been through rough patches, we have maintained this beautiful relationship to date. I don’t know what the future holds as we grow, but I am keeping positive thoughts. At this moment, we are separated by distance, yet technology has made it possible to keep in touch with them.
Recently, I nearly lost one close friend of mine to my ‘self-righteousness.’ We had a very good connection. We talked about everything: we talked about school, relationships, family, personal experiences, plans, and many others you can think of. Things that you do with your best friend. We have been friends for seven years; she is such a lovely lady. So easy to hang out with. She easily makes me laugh very often. I loved her and she loved me too. How did we lose connection then?
It all started with us exchanging thoughts on a particular issue one Monday evening on a phone-calI. It was obvious we both had different perceptions. But little did we know that it would break us. Exchanging a few ideas turned into an argument and throwing offensive language at each other. We didn’t say goodnight but ended the call abruptly, and that was it. I didn’t hear from her for a month till that one peculiar thing about her reminded me of how much I missed her. One thing I like about her is that she never gives up especially when she wants something. She will do anything possible to get it. Even if it means passing through the devil’s heart to achieve it.
I was going through a difficult time that particular month we lost contact. I needed something urgent and I was brooding on how to get it. Then it came to mind, Ella would have done exactly this… and would have gotten a fantastic result. Then I thought, I miss this girl and I need her energy around me. But my ego wouldn’t let me call her. I thought that whatever happened between us was her fault. I didn’t bother to call her. After three days, I had a bad dream about her, so I decided to tell another friend of ours to check up on her, and I was shocked to hear what had happened to her.
She had fallen sick for about three weeks and was nearly on the verge of dying. So weak in her bone and couldn’t walk properly- that was her current situation. What had happened to her? What could have caused that? My friend had been through much and I wasn’t even there for her. What if she had died? Would I argue with her corps? How would I have made peace with my conscience? I loved her yet a mere misunderstanding had nearly destroyed our relationship completely. I decided to forgo everything and then call her. I called her and thank God she was doing okay though she couldn’t speak without struggling to catch her phrases. I had been a bad friend. I could say both of us have been very bad best friends but in her situation, I could only blame myself. She was happy I called- I apologized for not checking up on her. We have settled our differences now and we are even tighter than ever.
I have learned my lessons and I hope you learned something from this story of mine. Let’s learn to forgive and forget because to err is human and to forgive is divine. It’s very difficult to get true friends. Having true friends doesn’t mean you don’t have your differences or indulge in petty fights. We are not perfect. We all are annoying sometimes. I guess it’s not how we fight, or how big the fight is, but it is about how we make up afterwards. When you find a true friend, do try hard to keep the relationship. And always check on your friends no matter what state you are in. Who knows, they could be going through worse than yours. Nobody can say he or she doesn’t need a friend. We need a friend at some point in our lives. We all need a shoulder to cry on and a hand to wipe our tears, a voice to tell us it is okay, or a friend to fight for us or defend us. We live in a Social world. How will our lives be on this earth if we communicated to ourselves only? Or depending on our strength alone?
You will say, what about friends who do not want anything to do with you again even when you tried to reach out and they didn’t give you the same energy? I could only say, keep on loving them unconditionally, keep on praying for them, and wish for their progress. A good friend wants to see his/her friend rise higher.
You can also share your experiences in friendship in the comment section. I also want to know what you have gone through with a friend.