Girlfriends

Having lived the life of a regular cosmopolitan girl in a multi-cultural environment, not having girlfriends in college was very normal, as most girls (that I liked to hang around with), were always in and out of relationships. School was the last I saw of them, with some starting to date in school itself. My college life was about these three guys (geeks, rather :) I spent time with. All we did was discuss relationships, women, men, music, bikes and computers. While I had the best of times then, I soon joined work and found prince charming.
Marriage came quickly on the cards, and before I knew it, there I was, married! I hadn't imagined that it could be a ballgame so different, but I soon started believing some old sayings that no matter how much you knew the guy, you were walking into the marriage, blindfolded. Marriage in India was not about the guy alone, it came with huge baggage, and soon I found that I couldn't cope with the baggage. An amateur at this, I begun to let this affect every other aspect of my life and started losing my confidence, my self-esteem, everything, until I found the most important thing in my life again- girlfriends!
There used to be these email forwards floating around where mothers advised their daughters never to lose their girlfriends because they would always be there while love might come and go. I never believed in the sanctity of this statement until it happened to me. Now they are my support system and I can't imagine my life without them. Not like they are experts or counsellors, but they really do their job of being there for you, to the best of their abilities.
When men don't understand the intriquicies and complications of relationships of all sorts, or the kind of pressure that falls on a women to handle these relationships; its the girlfriends who lend their shoulders, always! They are there to just listen, while you speak for hours together. The comfort and the joy of just holding their hands makes you feel up to waking up to another day.
Not to forget the talk about clothes, fashion, accessories, make up and gossip that can just keep you engaged forever!
All that said and done, its the right set that are hard to find. The later it gets, the harder it gets. School and college friends are the most cherished. So don't lose them, in the race for success! I've been blessed, but not everyone gets so lucky. So catch them young and watch them grow with you!