Yaaro... dosti badi hi haseen hai!!!

It's been a really long time since I visited Soul Country. There has been a lot that has been weighing me down in recent times and it has been one hell of a comeback from the anguishing depths of despair to the detached highs of serenity. Today's post is a mere token of my gratitude towards the people who helped me turn around, either directly or indirectly, from those close by to those hundreds and thousands of miles away - my "friends". Why the quotes - you may ask. It's just my way of indicating that I intend to use that word in its truest sense, not in the casual or flippant manner it has come to be used these days. For me, it holds great meaning and as you read on, you will see why.
Years back, I had read this quote somewhere:

"I believe in Angels, the ones that heaven sends,
I believe in Angels, but I call them my best friends"

Back then, I had found it to be a bit too mushy, a touch too idealistic. Of course, having friends is great, but isn't calling them angels taking things a bit too far - was what I reasoned to myself. I was convinced that while having friends was good, their importance was being overstated and one could, with some effort, manage without them. But then, as I walked down the years, underwent trials and tribulations, tasted bitter failures and sweet successes, I realised the importance of having the right people by your side to share it all with. Having the right set of people around you can make all the difference between an unhappy, incomplete life and a contented one, is what I strongly believe today.
It's very rightly observed that we can't choose our relatives, but we can definitely choose our friends. I believe this is so for a reason - unlike in relations, where you are "supposed" to fulfill certain social obligations and conditions, in friendship, the connect is entirely mutual and voluntary. And because forging a friendship with someone is a conscious decision, we tend to invest more of ourselves into it, making it a much more fulfilling and enriching experience. This might not be necessarily so with our relatives, where it's more about blood than soul.
In my opinion, what makes a true friend (I am NOT considering acquaintances or here) such a wonderful thing to have by your side is how they always seem to be right around the corner when you truly need them, regardless of the physical distances separating you. It's all about how their arms always manage to wrap around your drooping shoulders when the burdens of a complicated life threaten to bog you down. It might not be often that you need that kind of support, but it's in times like these that you truly appreciate their importance.
I started off this post saying that it was a tribute to my friends but so far there are so names mentioned. This is so because there is simply no need for that. Those who belong to that select bunch, know, and those who don't, need not know - as simple as that. This is not all that I had intended to put forth and I will definitely return to complete this. For now, it has to be Sayonara...

Who said angels have wings? No, they don't... :)