Posts from — October 2008

“People are having to choose between gas, meals and medication.” Dr. James King, Chairman of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

I saw this quote in the New York Times as soon as I opened my email the other day. I’ve been watching this economic digression as a fence-sitter and it seems to get worse by the day. A lot of my friends are worried and bracing for whatever impact that may have in our lives. What I want to say is, we have to put our heads together and survive through this crisis. I am not an economist, nor understand the intricacies of finance and all, but what I understand is that there’s no problem that we can’t solve if we put our minds to it. Having friends and family supporting you also helps. Don’t be hesitant when you really need help, that’s the key, you never know who’s going to step up to the plate and lend you a helping hand.

This financial crunch effects everybody. Just a couple of days back Mrs. Bradley was telling me that her doctor told her how many of his patients are going without important, life-saving drugs and medicines because they simply cannot afford it anymore. Seriously, this is just too much to think about, but that’s reality folks. We need to hold strong in times like these and be there for each other. What’s your take? Write to me.

Hey folks! With the Halloween spirit ready to come out of that spooky corner and haunt us, here are my Top Ten Favorite Halloween cards to wish your friends and family the very best of Halloween. Have a frighteningly good time!

Send this Ecard!	Send this Ecard!
Send this Ecard!	Send this Ecard!
Send this Ecard!	Send this Ecard!
Send this Ecard!	Send this Ecard!
Send this Ecard!	Send this Ecard!

These are tough times friends. Due to the fragile economy, many people are running out of jobs. Megan lost her job. Though she is doing well for herself now, it’s not a shared luck with most people who have lost jobs. You might have a friend who has lost his or her job. You might be wondering how to face up to them or what to say to them once you meet them. I have wondered about this a lot myself and concluded that no matter how tactful you might be, this is critical.

If you asked me, the best thing to do is to be normal, but not indifferent. Let it be unspoken that you are with him or her, and don’t force your ‘cheer up’ words down an unwilling throat. Be a strong, silent support and when your friend opens up, do what you can. That’s what I did and it did a world of good to our friendship. If you have better ideas, you cannot get a more eager listener! Write to me.

With Seth and Megan giving themselves another shot at renewing their old connections, I found it strange that I was so tongue-tied and awkward when I met my own ex on the road a month back. I guess I couldn’t handle the situation with the maturity that Megan has or the calmness of a Seth. I read the comments that you guys sent, telling me that it was okay to be friends with your ex. But I feel like this time it’s different. It’s tying up those bonds that you untied yourself, willingly.

I was thinking about going back to someone and asking that person to start it all over again. It certainly requires a lot of courage and, if I am not wrong, a sort of ‘selective memory loss’. What I mean is, if you think of the reasons you broke off, and let it grow on you, you’ll never be able to renew yourself again. You have to push those sordid events and images into the ‘forgotten’ zone of your brain and make new impressions and perceptions. Only then can you float a fresh relationship with your ex. What say you?

I always think that friends who laugh together stay together. Don’t you agree? There may be times when you are having some sort of cold vibes with your friend and suddenly your friend says something incredibly funny. You crack up and the laughter breaks the ice. It maybe the joke is too banal for anyone else to laugh at it, but that doesn’t matter, does it? There are always some inside jokes that you share with your friends and these have become part of the fabric of your friendship. The point is that you ‘get’ each other’s sense of humor.

I have some ever-green jokes that I share with my friends as well, like different lines from funny movies or jokes from stand-up comics. Or my reaction when Steve played an April Fools’ Day trick on me! And Rick’s unforgettable face when Rick woke up after we left him in the lake! Sometimes it seems as if it happened yesterday, while sometimes it seems as if the events happened in some other lifetime. Do you have any such stories which are unique between you and your friends? I’m very curious to read them. Write to me.