Being Friends Forever…

Jacqueline and Isabella lived in a very nice neighbourhood in Boston, Massachusetts in the US. They stayed in each other’s vicinity, just a block away from each other. Jackie had a younger brother called John, while Ella had an elder brother called Jacob. Both girls weren’t really fond of each other. However, for the lack of company and anyone to play with, they played with each other through their childhood. Their common places to play would be the backyards or front-yards of their houses or the nearby park.

Jackie was strong headed, arrogant and self-obsessed while Ella was soft and introverted. She also looked fragile while Jackie was healthy and plump. The only reason they could get along together was that they were of the same age. Jackie was just a month older than Ella. They had been the best of friends from the moment they set eyes on each other. But they were friends who played together every day. Jackie would usually lead the games they played, the places they went to, or even whether they played or not and Ella would usually give into her plans. She wasn’t much of a leader then and would always prefer to give in instead of arguing.

BFF Forever!

It was all going fine when one day suddenly, they had this huge fight on some silly reason. They had a new girl on the block and Ella started to play with her as well. That meant less time for Jackie to dictate her. Jackie was very upset and told Ella to not play with her. But Ella started to like it more with the new girl and started playing with her more often than with Jackie. Jackie picked up a fight with the new girl and Ella stood by the new girl and against Jackie, which infuriated her even further. After that day, even when both of them passed each other, they never spoke to each other or even looked at each other. They were also not in the same school which worked in their favour of not crossing each other.

Many years passed without them seeing each other in the eye and one fine day, Ella’s parents decided to put her in a different school. This was the same where Jackie went. At first, they continued not talking to each other, until they were partnered on a project. They forgot everything about their fight in the past and became friends again. This worked out for them and they started hanging out again. They were in their teens by this time so they bonded over a lot of things like music, boyfriends, girlfriends, ambitions, and so on. Ella was starting to open up in her teens more. She had started to voice her opinions, while Jackie became less overpowering. They stuck together in high school as well. But soon, it was time for both of them to go to college. They were different people, so their choices were different too.

The two friends went into a different world altogether in college. Their connection broke again. In the meantime, Ella lost her elder brother Jacob in a car accident. She was really close to him and was really broken. She kept to herself, didn’t go out much, didn’t have many friends. Jackie, on the other hand, was trying every piece of new thing coming her way. She was being adventurous and friends with her new college buddies. They were again poles apart. Ella however, had started to become a little harsh by keeping to herself. She didn’t fancy talking to people anymore or being nice to them as she used to. She had become a completely different version of her.

Jacqueline and Isabella had become new versions of themselves and one fine day, their paths crossed. Jackie heard someone arguing smartly with a shopkeeper who tried to steal from an old lady. The voice sounded familiar and she was surprised to see Ella. “Ella, is that you?”, Jackie asked her. Hearing her name, Ella turned to her and instantly recognized Jackie. They then told off the shopkeeper together and headed out for a cup of coffee. Ella told her about Jacob and Jackie felt sorry for her friend. They promised to keep in touch. They were inseparable again. This time they remained connected. They both taught each other different ways from their different worlds. Jackie showed Ella her outwardly ways and also called her in for her adventures, while Ella taught her to be calmer and a better version of herself. Ella had become matured after Jacob’s death as her family now considered her to be the elder in the house. They were each other’s support systems. They didn’t need anyone else when they were together. Ella kept Jackie grounded while Jackie brought Ella’s adventure instincts out. Together Jacqueline and Isabella were the best of friends. Jackie was still more possessive about Ella. She wanted Ella to be all to herself but now she was a matured version of herself. Ella also knew this and tried to give in to certain things which Jackie expected. She would always let Jackie have her way just like she did in their childhood.

Once out of college, both of the girls had to move out for a job. This time there was nothing keeping them away from each other as their bond had become very strong. Irrespective of being in different cities, they would call each other every day and meet almost every weekend. They would also take turns in visiting each other’s parents if the other couldn’t make it. They were like this one big happy family. The day Ella got married, Jackie cried the most. Ella cried looking at no one but Jackie. They knew their lives were going to change, but they also knew that their relationship was stronger than needing any reason to exist in each other’s lives.

Their lives went on and they always stayed connected. Two girls who started to be together because they didn’t have an option, didn’t have an option to separate from each other as destiny had their lives intertwined. Jacqueline and Isabella are still what we call friendship goals.

Cheers to you, cheers to lyf…!

Negativity is overrated…

Life never said it was easy. People just assume that it was supposed to be. Cribbing is fun and helpful if it’s temporary and you know that you are doing it just to vent out. It’s no more fun when it’s the real deal and you are going on and on about it. Sometimes, we just have to let things go.

Let things go. As difficult in real life as easy it is to say out loud. Something like easier said than done? Ya, that. However, there are ways to ‘let things go’. Like, stop reacting. Instead of making it a big deal, which it already is for a fact, just stop announcing it or saying things like ‘it’s just a bad day’. Saying things out loud some times starts to make us believe in them. I don’t know how many of you have read the ‘Power of your subconscious mind’ or the ‘Power of positive thinking’. And however ridiculous or surreal it may sound, but believe me, that shit really works.

Sometimes life is just mean for no reason. Whatever you want, how much ever you try, things just won’t work how you want them to. But you can’t help it, can you? At such times, patience is the key. Try to not let things affect you. First step is to not think about the bad/sad things that you are going through. You might just be in a new phase of life and things must just be taking its own sweet time to settle in. You know, similar to the situation when you have a new wallet and you suddenly seem to be losing all the money and no savings happen? Well, you just wait for some time for your wallet to get adjusted to you, and then, suddenly you realize that it’s saving for you. Has something like that happened to you? Or maybe it’s just me. Or maybe this is just a bad example. What I really mean is, it’s OK to have a bad day. Just like you take time to adjust to things – good or bad – things take time to get used to you.

Sometimes it’s just smart to not think about things. Especially, the bad ones that you are undergoing. It maybe just your life adjusting to the new systems it has placed. Instead, focus on what you are learning through the bad phase. If nothing, you’ll have a better patience threshold.

Cheers to you, cheers to lyf…!