The Tao of Friendship

With friendship day not far away, reproducing something I had penned down in the middle of the night of 26^th Sep 2009

Situation: I was looking at starting new threads, what with many of my young friends moving out of town.

Shared my writing with a bunch of folks I think I can call friends and have known for long since my Bangalore days..

 Here goes:

My parents and Sis in Law think am a social animal and have a huge circle of friends, they have met most of u, and I keep updating them on who’s leaving/left/getting married etc.

Well, I did think I had a huge circle, I like to make friends, but then sometimes the friends turn out to be ......

Well, win some lose some I guess..

-Childhood Friends:

This includes my pals from back when I was a kid. I am in touch , off and on, birthday wishes, a hello mail once in a while,  but as someone said “would I call him/her when I need to talk”  ? there is one gal I would, and do.

-Best Friends
Do we really have best friends, guess this changes from time to time , when I was in school  I had one, college another, Post grad days another, married another, during work at different locations yet another!!! and now????  Is there any one person I would call and talk when I need to?????

-Ex-Best Friends
As each situation passes, they are relegated to the back burner, can I call them back and rekindle what we had?

-College Friends
These folks are the best kind . I met so many people, and yet there is a handful that remain close to my heart. But again, do they accept the person I am today, yeah there are folks in this list whom I would call and cry when I feel the need. even though I don’t talk to them everyday!!!!! I can call them when I need help, there are folks on this list, who I can call, who I can call and say come for a  drink! I do try to keep in touch with these people!

-Adult Friends
I do have friends who are people that are older and have their lives settled. People you can learn from and ask advice. Sometimes these older people become your good friends/mentors and sometimes they just come and go. But they are very situational! But not good for when u need to hang out/call and chat/ have a drink!!!

-Situational Friends
These are people that you happen to befriend because you all happen to either a) work together, b) live together, c)see them all the time cause they're friends with your spouse, d) friends of friends. Its easy to befriend and de-friend them!  Some even become best friends/boy friends/girl friends.

Most folks have left Bangalore now., would they be situational friends, I hope not!

you are the guys I call when I need to talk, have to cry!

-Boyfriends/Girlfriends/Spouse
This would be best friend for most people! 

Well what about folks who do not have a boy friend/girl friend? Whom do u run to when u need to?

-Ex-boyfriend/girlfriend
Once best friend, but now situational or out of picture, an ex spouse can never be my friend, but my ex boyfriend, who was my best friend, can be someone I can call upon now!! But not when he would like to change status to boyfriend again and u don’t?