Friendship day has been big since I was in school. It was a day to mark your best friends and how famous you were. I still remember there were so-called friendship bands that kids used to exchange. The ones who couldn't afford it would create them using the wool and use it. Kids used to like to flaunt these bands and the more you had the more famous you were.
I on the other hand hated this concept. I could not come to terms with having a particular day for anything. Like Mother's Day, how can you have just one day for someone who has put in so much effort for you to be what you are? Every day has to be celebrated. How can you celebrate these special relationships just for one day when it impacts you for years. It is for every day, isnt it? And also not having stupid money to splurge on useless stuff and the laziness to be artistic/creative could have influenced this thinking :) I have always been that odd one out who hates these specific dates, birthdays were a small exception, but not by far (hated going overboard with these celebrations).
Over the years most of these thoughts have stayed and most of these days are ignored :) So, why am I writing about it??? This year something happened around Friendship Day/week which actually made me think this is how it should be if we have to celebrate it.
The week just after friendship day I met most of my close friends multiple times. Obviously, it was nothing to do with celebrating but it was fate I guess, it had to be that week. There were a few of us who just wanted to catch up for coffee and say goodbyes to the ones living far off. 5 friends who had so many things going on in their life but came together to spend some time together. It started with some chitchat with leg pulling, cheeky comments thrown at each other and loads of laughter. We were so loud, we had to move to the balcony seating to avoid disturbing the serious remote working community indoors. And also change seat couple of times to fit in us 5. Some ridiculous conversations that I do not remember made us laugh like mad. Thanks to this we decide to continue to a pub for a few drinks.
The atmosphere was great and the conversations were awesome. Normally when you meet people from a bigger gang, most times you end up talking about the rest of the people who could not be around, and the usual group dynamics, gossip follows. But this day was different. I do not recollect talking about anyone else or even ourselves. It was some old memories, funny stories, weird imagination, creativity, and fun :) I was so engrossed I hardly remember what we spoke. Im sure others remember more than I do (I have never been good at remembering things, probably good at living the moment).
After spending a couple of hrs with drinks, food, and laughter, we decided to leave with joy-filled hearts. But the cosmos had one last surprise for us. As we were getting down the stairs, we heard some live music. It sounded cool and we walked in a small restaurant with a guy singing with his guitar and one keyboardist in the background. I cant explain how good the next 30 mins were. He sang most of the songs we had heard and the vibe of the place was awesome. All were singing along and the place was lit up. But us 5 were in a different world I felt.
One was moving to a different country after a long time and planning to settle there for a few years with family. Huge move after having everything here :)
One was going through baggage of self-image and emotional turmoil
One was going through a major change at work and how the career might impact it
One was going through some business issues thanks to the pandemic
And one was going through the toughest times of their life with dear ones not well and had to manage the entire situation alone.
Despite all this, we sang on top of our voices, we huddled and floated away. I had no thoughts, no past no future no present, just filled with content :) I guess we all had a similar feeling of content and could let go of our thoughts for a while and just enjoy. And just having friends around to live that moment was special.
The pictures do justice to what it was on the day but I do not need them to go back there. I can close my eyes and float back to the scene and relive it. Sometimes when you are going through a rough patch, the universe plans something to make you feel better and most other times, it sends you friends to do the job :D And that is what happened on that day.
This is what friends mean to me, a support structure, a cushion, a beating stick, a crying shoulder, an open book without needing to read/talk, a fun energizer, a listener, a teller, a life changer :D. That day helped me a lot in terms of reassurance and belief, and more than anything else, having fun :) I am sure it must have helped others to get some positivity in difficult situations (I could see it on their faces, it was great to witness that).
So cheers to Friendship Days, get those bands out and start sharing/caring!!!
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