there's no i love you... without an i

Sometimes we don't have anyone to turn to. Despite being in groups in college who appear to want u, having best friends from school dormitories who formed secret groups in the dead silence of the night, despite having relatives who seem to care, a wonderful family who would be there as long as u walk on their stern-stated ethical pathway, you are sometimes still left alone…

To seek (friendship) is almost as good as to find, but in the right place.

Seek not love in form of attention and growth in form of roses. As we do not seek a high from Pepsi, it is futile to seek reassurance and love from others to make up for the loss of respect and acceptance that you give yourself. If u can't love yourself, u can't expect others to. If u can't accept yourself just the way u are, (including those embarrassing habits of farting and digging your nose) then others never will.

I am not saying that you are perfect. You are far from it. Very far. Nor am I asking you to crouch under your weaknesses. Acceptance is the first steps to bringing about the changes that u think u need. And even before acceptance of oneself comes the need to know oneself.

Spend time alone; notice your own reactions to things. Put life, as if in the slow mode of TV and look at it detachedly. Learn the art of doing o. life is complex, like a multi-layered burrito; even more complex than that. Unfold its layers, gently, taking your time, not rushing with the flow. Wade in the water, stop if you want to.

Unfold the mysteries of life, and you’ll realize they weren’t mysteries at all.

Take time to listen to your intuition, your own fantacies. Remove all bounds and let your imagination soar, because nothing is ever too wild, bad or impossible.

If you see a funeral and feel like laughing, then laugh to yourself. Nothing is too shameful, rather nothing is shameful at all.

And once you are at peace with yourself, then look around. If you are lucky, you might find people who can love yourself the way you do, who can respect and accept yourself the way you do. Who can understand you as a third person and yet not categorize you.

These people are called FRIENDS.