Ode to Friends

The thing with friends is that they are reflections of ourselves arent they? At every point in my life my friends have been the icing on the cake, the sambal on the nasi, the gulab in the gulab jamun - I cant imagine how depressing life would be without them.

I dont mean the passing acquaintances whom you just say hi to and to whom you wouldnt dream of confiding the colour of your underwear to....(not that I often update my friends as to the state and colour of my undergarments - ok so maybe sometimes I do but not often) I mean those true blue die-hard friends who see you through all the crap - including your crap and are still there for you even if they sometimes want to slap you around the head for the level of crap you emanate....those are the friends I'm talking about.

I have a handful of these friends...they are all different but share one trait - they are absolutely the best, funniest, genuine people you'd have the privilege of knowing. We often never thank people who we appreciate until its too late or worse we tell X how great Y is never thinking to tell Y to her face. I'd always thought this was daft... so I intend to redress this - in writing - so you guys (and you'll know who you are by the initials) here goes.

PK you have the best smile and the biggest heart - you make me want to be a better person. The image of you explaining how to take blokes to another level in terms of a certain something over my office desk will always remain etched/seared in my brain. Your willingness to talk about anything and everything while adding your dose of common sense has been invaluable. You bring out the best in me and I trust you implicitly.

SY you are my twin of course - sadly for you. Your humour kills me - as does my own when I'm with you. You have shown me that nothing bad can get to you as long as you have a friend who empathises with you and is willing to slay the dragons for you. I admire your strength, determination and sheer bloody unwillingness to take no for an answer. You inspire me and the best compliment I can pay you is I hope your goddaughter turns out exactly like you.

SN you have overcome all obstacles in your path with such stoicism and guts and I couldnt be happier for how great your life is right now. You understand me implicitly and I'll never forget your practical ceylonese good sense during the times I needed it. Your loyalty is unparalleled and when you say "I'll be there for you" you truly mean it - you've never let me down.

SK you are always going to be the older sister I never had. You are the most non-judgemental person I know and the most patient - I'm often reminded how lacking I am in both departments when I'm with you. You have taught me so much - including how to colour code undies and keep shoes in felt bags (invaluable trust me) amongst other things. Your children are a true reflection of you and what great little people they are.

GY your generosity of spirit and willingness to help has always been appreciated. I take back what I said about you not being suited for motherhood -no one could be better suited to being a mother than you - you are a nurturer in the best possible sense of the word.

Superwomanwannabe when you and I get together and ham it up no bogeyman can get us. You are a living example of how not to take life too seriously - I am in awe of your good nature. We have chatted/hooted our way through uni, marriage, kids - I cant wait to hoot our way thru the rest of this crazy journey - thanks for the laughs.

An astrologer once told me my wealth lies in my friends - and thats about the only thing he said that was spot on correct.

Thanks ladies - be blessed.