|
Monday, March 30, 2009 8:35 PM
Sometimes, we don't really notice how much effort (or the lack of) we put in to maintain friendships. I used to hate how Sims needed to phone or invite friends over just to keep the friendships that they had. I thought it wasted time, energy and I always had to cheat-code so that I could make and keep friends, as well as maintain my energy/hunger/comfort levels for my Sims.
It struck me on Saturday, how miraculous friendships can be. They can be built up in the blink of an eye, literally. Take OCIP presentation. Ruth, Hiren, BoonLing, Chesed and I started out as complete strangers (except for Chesed whom I already knew), but a mere 4 rehearsals got us bonded and on the actual days of the presentation we stood by each other, encouraging and knowing that the others would be there. We gave comments freely, vetted each others' scripts, whined about our anxieties and the pressure and found out more about each others' projects. I have to admit that I've been watching the Khmer Rouge trial closely ever since learning about that during the presentation.
I can almost say that these friendships were established in a snap of a finger, it was not a long, arduous process of trials and tribulations (more like a truncated one, though) but we still had this thread of OCIP linking us together.
Amazing though friendships may be, they are extremely fragile. I have single-handledly mauled friendships to death. And it's not just once. I would love to say I regret every friendship that I murdered, but sometimes certain friendships disappoint. And it's funny how, sometimes, these friendships have been sent spiralling into Friendship Hell simply because we didn't do anything about it. Lack of action is, to friendships, a death penalty in itself.
It's hard. I'm not the kind of person who can patronise someone all day. And I've said to someone (seriously I can't remember who), that life's most tiring thing is to entertain. So at the beginning of friendships, I always find it very difficult to build something substantial up. Literally, it's an uphill task. It is terribly painstaking, very energy-consuming. But we reach the peak, and you see how the friendships have transformed from pure detachment to complete trust. It's the most fulfilling thing on earth, seriously. And suddenly, you realise it's all worth it because if you hadn't made the effort, the reward wouldn't have come.
So there. On Saturday, these were the thoughts that kept running through my mind. I had to write it somewhere, because knowing me, I will lose it.
|
|