
Why Do We Need Friendship In Our Lives?
How many of you have grown up seeing Friends? I think that’s one sitcom that has a massive fan following not only in our generation but for the Gen Next as well.
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And no prizes for guessing why. This serial touched the emotional chords will many of us who value friendships and all the madness, heartaches and good times that go with it.
Why friendship is so special ?
All our Friendships are more important than we think. They shape us and our thoughts and how we will perceive other people during our life journey. That’s why it is important to value these friends and their contributions.
I am frankly not a very outgoing and extrovert person who makes friends instantly. I take my time to open up to a stranger and accept a person as a friend. But once I do, I don’t hold back and am committed to it.
My definition of friendship is probably a little different from others.
And here are my 5 types of friends:

Types Of Friendship:
Best Friends
Your best friend may change through different phases of your life. Friendship isn’t about who you’ve known the longest. It is about who walked into your life, said “I’m here for you” and proved it.
So I have many best friends and they all stood by me when I needed them the most. And I cherish each one of them.
They all made my life richer and supported me during different phases of my journey.
Fun Friends
Not every friend will turn out to be your best friend. But there are some friends which help you unwind, relax , chill out and have a good time.
They help create beautiful memories in this journey called life and in some way add to your character.
Idol Friends
These are people who you really admire and have got an opportunity to know them better to be called as their friend. Their friendship is a constant source of inspiration and learning, which enriches you as a person.
Adopted Friends
These are friends we adopt by virtue of our status as parents or spouses. These friends come in our lives not by choice but how far we want to cultivate this friendship depends on us.
Co-worker Friends
These friends deserve a special mention as they are your stress busters in an otherwise mad corporate world. These may be your colleagues, seniors or even your team members.
We need all types of friends in our lives to make it complete, fun-filled, enriching and a learning experience.
And its not that one type of friend cannot transition into others. I have had friends move from the adopted category to fun category. And co-worker to the best category. It all depends and how you both perceive, develop and take that relationship further together.
The Evolution Of My Friendships & Its Impact On My Life
I have been truly blessed to have all five types of friends. They all came in at different stages of my life and helped me define my personality and my likes & dislikes.
I have tried to relate my friendships with the different stages of my life & the impact they had on me.
1. Childhood Friends :

Let me put the school friends under this category. These are friends you grow up with.
Childhood friends fight on silly things and then make up the next day. We complain about each other, yet we want to play with them the very next moment. We share our toys, homework, candies and many times our silly little dreams with them.
I have some very nostalgic memories of spending hours together with my childhood friend, studying together & taking coffee breaks.
She was the first one I shared my dream with, and when that came true, she was the happiest one too.
I shifted from India to Singapore last year. And in all the madness of relocation & packing, I found old photos with my school friends and all the memories came calling. I have saved them all in my MOM Agenda School Years Memory Book & they are my prized possession.
So what did my childhood friends teach me? They taught me how to share, forgive & forget and power of imagination.
Think about it as you read ahead!
2. College Buddies :

College times are the best time of our lives. We are suddenly on our own, discovering the outside world and meeting new people. We sometimes meet people who are “My type” and connect with them immediately. But in some cases finding “My Type” involves engaging with different people with the varying mindset and finding your tribe.
Janice McCabe, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology at Dartmouth College, has authored a book called “Connecting in College: How Friendship Networks Matter for Academic and Social Success.” She says a crucial factor determining a student’s academic success that most of us tend to overlook is who they hang out with. Surveying a range of different kinds of college friendships, Connecting in College details the fascinatingly complex ways students’ social and academic lives intertwine and how students attempt to balance the two in their pursuit of straight As, good times, or both.
I think most of you reading this blog will be able to reflect on your college friends & their influence on your performance, goals & career options.

This is also the stage when we start realising that maybe one of our friends is more than just a friend and then another story begins…
Anyways coming back, my college buddies gave me the taste of freedom, competition and a realisation of what I want to do with my life.
3. Work Colleagues :

Its said that you are lucky if you can boast of at least one close friend in your workplace.
Well for me again its all about defining your type of friend.
I have had outstanding seniors, colleagues and team members who have shared my work targets, work stress and contributed to my success. And of course, we have had some amazing getaways where we have all let our hair down, cribbed, gossiped danced and had a lot of fun.
I have had foes turned into admirers, admirers into friends and friends into best friends. And many are my idol friends from whom I have learnt the ropes of the corporate world.
I know my success would not have been possible without these amazing co-workers and that’s why I call them my friends.
The most important lesson they taught me was that as long as you respect the skills & the capability of people, they will support you in your success. You have to give respect to earn respect.

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4. Mommy Tribe :

Thanks to my teen daughters, I have another set of friends who are my go to gang for any school related SOS and information. While we may crib when we get included in our kids’s school groups but believe me these are super critical for a mom’s sanity.
Over the years as my girls moved from primary to middle school, my friendship status also bloomed from mere adopted to fun friends. As a matter of fact, while our children have moved on, we moms have become thicker. Such is this friendship.
These groups taught me that I am not the only Mom in the world, going through the parenting challenges. There are more like me. And it is perfectly normal to go through the mommy mood swings!
5. Couple Gang :

I owe these friendships mostly to my husband as he is the outgoing types. Left to me I would have been happy and satisfied with my small group of friends.
But then I would have probably missed out on the importance of sharing my life with some wonderful individuals who probably are going through the same challenges as we are.
However, with their diverse backgrounds, outlooks and probably upbringing, they look at life differently and add to our repository of dos and don’ts.
They are our weekend buddies, health advisors, spiritual gurus, Karaoke partners and sometimes plain simple stress busters.
When we moved to Singapore we carried back with us all the fond memories of our times together. The farewells were an eyeopener to how these friendships have evolved over time and become so dear to us.
And when we landed in Singapore, we had my husband’s college buddies & their families all geared up to welcome us. They ensured that we had all the guidance right from where to buy grocery to which area to stay in.

Couple friendships make us realise that people experiencing similar life events can often provide the most valuable support to each other.
Well, to summarise, Life goes on & we keep making new friends. These new friends will also come under some of the categories that I mentioned above. And some friendships will mature while others may stay as it is.
However, the important thing is what impact each one of these has on your life. This impact may be short or long-lasting but as long as it influences your mind positively, it is worth cherishing. So don’t hold back.
Wow!! While writing this blog, my entire life flash backed in front of my eyes and I could see the smiling faces of my friends. If any of you are reading my blog , I want you to know one thing today. I may not be in regular touch with you but you will always be dear to me.
For me, friendship is more about a feeling that you have this beautiful bond with an individual which does not require to express & reinforce your feelings.
And when I connect with you, we will be able to pick up from where we left last.
I would like to summarise with this quote which is so close to my heart “Some people arrive and make such a beautiful impact in your life, you can barely remember what life was like without them”…Anna Taylor.

If this blog reminded you of your friends .. give them a call right now.
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Importance of these friendships is only realised by people who have experienced them!

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Loved it..beautifully written. Remembered our get together parties Thanks Rippy
Sahana
Glimpses of your life experiences have been shared so well with all the 5 types of Friendships having their own bearing in our lives.
Thank you Dinesh
Superb!!
Each word…so true…
Friends are your chosen family….you can be your true authentic self with them without the fear of being judged….
True friends …they know everything about you …good/bad/ugly but still love you… unreservedly.
And life is so much fuller & happier..if spent in a company of friends!!
Well written. I will like to add another entity in the types of friends. With God’s grace one may find a true friend….a 4am friend whom you can call anytime……vent out your feelings ….your frustration anger.She will listen to you patiently .She may not be able to give you a solution to your problem but talking to her will give you strength to face the situation.
And finally our truest friend….God….if we trust Him he will hold your hand and show you the way
Well said Didi .. God is the ultimate friend!!