In Friendship

It's been a period of school exams, but after a big effort, I delivered my article to the editor on time. We don't have time to sleep, to eat, to relax…I live, more or less, among people on the run…all day they run…so they can study, be able to get to their tutoring classes, get to the bank on time, pay the rent on time, give their assignments on time, cook for the family on time.

And what's left at the end?

We have no time to exchange a friendly word, no time for a "good morning," no time to drink a coffee with friends. Few seconds of the day are dedicated to mobile phoning and even then it's only: "I just called to see how you are," because we don't want to lose touch with friends.

Have we ever really thought how important our friends are in our lives?    

In essence, we share our lives with our friends because we share our thoughts, our problems and our worries with them. And we share confidences, too, and express our joy or sadness to them and we want a friend's steady shoulder supporting us.

But, at the same time, we do leave space for "a difference of opinion." Even if we disagree or hear comments which we don't like, we realize instinctively they are well-meaning. With friends, we advise each other but never impose our opinion. We have got to remember that we are friends because of "who we are and we mustn't try to change each other to something we are not." Sounds familiar?

Still, we know that real friends know how to listen and can be supportive with just a touch of the hand. Sometimes we get it wrong and think that a friend is a person we see daily. But even if you don't see a friend for years you can instantly reconnect when you see them again.

Finally, in my estimation a friend doesn't just share your sadness but also shares your happiness and celebrates your successes. So, let's think who our real friends are and never forget them because they are as important to us as we must be to them. Grownups must agree too, because these values remain constant throughout a life time.

I shall close with two phrases that are always with me: "Friendship is love without wings," as Lord Byron said, and "friendship is like diamonds…rare and real…!"

I'm dedicating this to all my real friends and all the people out there who know how to be a real friend in life.