Prelude

There’s a big screen in City Center which shows some channel or the other and countless people sit and keep watching whatever is shown… That day I discovered that they also show some other stuff. While I was returning I saw two smiling male faces on that huge screen, with a message written which went on something like this ‘I feel blessed to have friends like you’. The lady I was with pointed out that those two guys were sitting on a step, with a friend, and watching the screen with big surprised eyes. Obviously, their friend had done this to surprise them on their birthday.
At that moment I missed all my friends terribly, and at the same time I complained to my colleague that ‘I wish my friends did something like this to surprise me’.
Later, I made a conscious effort to count the number of times they have surprised me or made a moment memorable… I started remembering so many things, that after a while I simply lost count… True, they had never surprised me by posting any message onscreen, but they have surprised me numerous times with their concerns for me and with their patience in listening to every stupid little thing that I had to say. Touched me numerous times by spoiling me, by going out of their way to make me feel wanted and have made so many memorable moments in the process that they are enough to sustain me for an entire lifetime.
Then, I made an attempt to think what I have done for them. I discovered that I could not remember doing anything worthwhile, except for blabbering nonsense. I also never thanked them for all those precious moments, nor have I ever tried proving how much I treasured and needed their being beside me. Surprisingly, at this moment, almost all my close friends are out of city…. Some in a different country on business, some away in different city for studies and some even farther away… Since the past few days I have suddenly been feeling this urge to thank them and tell them how much they mean to me… This again is so against my nature that I don’t have any idea as to how it is to be done. So I will take an easy way out. My next post(s) will be a tribute to those friends who still, fortunately, tolerate me… and, maybe, also to the ones who have stopped doing so… Let’s see, if I can bribe those still beside me, in tolerating me for some more time!