Friends And Family: The Balance Of Life. - Bennet Shaji

 Life is complete when we have friends and family. For me, both are important. The thing about friends and family is that when I am at home, I miss my friends, but when I am with my friends, I miss my family. That’s how simple it is. With my friends, I started to enjoy my life. I began to explore new adventures. I cook food with them and eat it, which has no taste, but yet we are happy. That’s what friendship is all about—enjoying the little moments together.

No matter how many friends we have, the people who stay with us till the end are family. Good friends do stay with us till the end, but family is something we can always be sure of. I feel at peace when I am with my family. The times we all come together to eat and talk are something I will never forget. At present, all of us are in different places. My elder brother is in Idukki, my younger brother is in Bangalore, my father is in Mangalore, I am here in Ernakulam, and my mother is in our hometown.

This is how reality hits hard. We can’t always have family and friends together with us, so enjoying both is the best. Regret is something I don’t tend to have. At college, I stay with my friends, and at the end of the weekend, I always go to my hometown to spend time with my family. Friends are something we get throughout the course of our lives, but family isn’t. So I always try to spend quality time with my family. Friends is like a thriller-comedy movie, and family is like a feel-good movie for me.

When I moved in with my friends, we were all so happy. But as time passed, I could see the real side of my friends—not in a bad way, as you might think.

I realized that some didn’t know how to cook, some didn’t know how to wash dishes, and some didn’t even know how to crack an egg. At these times, I would always think of my family. My mother, since we were three boys, used to teach us all the house chores. So I knew how to do all these things. At that moment, I was really proud of myself. I would have hugged her. I used to fight with her for making me do these chores, but as time passed, I understood their importance.

So something I want to say to my dear ones is always to respect your parents wherever they are; they will always guide you. Always remember that mothers do have a sixth sense, so whatever you do without their knowledge, they will sense and know about it. This is from my personal experience. Don’t forget to go back to your roots and make trips with your friends to make memories for a lifetime. "Treat your family like friends and your friends like family."