friendship - wonder how many of us really understand the meaning of friendship

Have you ever wondered what ever happened to those that used to be your ‘kamcing’ friends during the earlier years of your life? The ones that you reveal your secrets to, share your tears with and rejoice your excitement together. For girls, it might be the ones you played ‘masak-masak’ with and for boys, the ones you sneakily in clandestine played fireworks with during ‘malam tujuh likur’. What ever happened to them?

As for me, most are still friends, some of them are now “just neighbours next door”, a few “long lost friends” and very few are long gone untraced. For those still around, I sometimes bump into them at the local grocers or meet them occasionally at "kenduri kahwin". For some, you can recognize them instantaneously, some might trigger familiarity and cause both of you to stare right at each other, yet both refusing to greet the other and some, you wouldn’t noticed even if you brushed shoulders with them.

No matter what the reasons may be for the detachment that grew between us, I can’t deny that joyful feeling of meeting that person again. It’s like being re-united after separation. Unless of course, it was somebody you have hated all your life (life is all about exceptions, isn’t it). But generally, it will be that happy feeling because familiarity has its own comfort. Even if you weren’t best buddies with such person way back years ago. And given the opportunity, who knows, the person you just ‘know-of’ in school before may just become your best bud now.

So, the next time u meet a familiar face, don’t hesitate to go up to that person and say hi. It might be that someone who left an important footprint in your life years ago, be it good or bad. Even if it was a bad taste left in your mouth back then, don’t you think it’s worth to forgive and forget now, considering the fact that such incident have been long forgotten and it is not haunting your present life.

After all, no matter how good a friend is (or was), they’re going to hurt you once in a while and you must forgive them for that, for they are only human like we are. The issue now does not linger on who was right or wrong back then but who will take the initiative to make peace. Not everybody gets that opportunity to initiate peace. And trust me, it’s the most fulfilling feeling you will ever get.