I keep reiterating the benefits of positive thinking. I always feel that our problems will seem less intimidating if we just look around us. There are scores of people, including our friends, who are in a worse situation. So the trick to rise above your troubles is to draw inspiration from people who make up your world. Your loved ones always help…

The demands of modern life can really drive you up the wall more often than not. We are faced with challenges daily and we have to rise up and meet them. It’s the stuff of movies, only that here the people saving crises everyday are normal human beings. And they don’t have any added power as such, except their will and determination. Squashing new and difficult challenges all the time takes away the vitality out of you. It makes you feel like a small cog in a big wheel. That is where your dear ones come in, making you feel special, wanted and loved.

Donna was laid low by work pressure. She was getting crankier each day. She’s got two children to support, so she can’t afford to be handed the pink slip, if she can help it. This was leaving her stressed out. Ethan and Emily, her teenage children, immediately knew what was bugging her. They made a plan. They arranged a surprise dinner for her. “They also gave me a note,” she told me the next day, with a proud twinkle in her eyes, “It was a letter of support. They wrote, ‘We have faith in you, mom.’ Isn’t that wonderful?” I nodded assent. Who wouldn’t?

Changing for the better is always a great option. And more so if it’s for love. As you guys know, Rachael’s world was made up of books and well, more books! After meeting Charlie, she started looking out the window. She can now see the golden sunlight, the rainbow and all other wonderful things that teenage love makes you see. These sights get new meaning, your life feels redefined by the fragrance of new love. So, to make up for lost time, Rachael decided to go out bowling with Charlie. It started off well.

Charlie introduced her to his friends. By the way, that’s another sign to be sure that a guy likes you! So Rachael was enjoying herself a lot. Charlie asked her to have a go at the ball. Though not great at it, Rachael picked the ball up and was ready to roll. Then her luck ran out. The ball was so heavy that she couldn’t keep balance and fell flat on her butt! Charlie’s friends started laughing hysterically. But not Charlie. He went over, sat down and hugged a tomato-cheeked Rachael. “It was so comforting, Bob,” she told me later. Charlie, you rock man!

At long last, Frank and Eleanor walked down the aisle, hand in hand. It was a small ceremony attended by close friends. Frank and Eleanor’s family were present. Let me tell you folks, both of them looked absolutely smashing! Among my friends, Adrian and Megan were there. Kong was dying to be invited, but I explained to him that it was not possible. The day was a cause of great excitement. Frank was very excited about it and he kept pacing up and down to calm himself. I and Adrian encouraged him, though both of us were no veterans in this! Still, Frank told us that he did feel better with the two of us hovering around him.

When we got to New York City Hall, we saw Eleanor. She looked beautiful. Her son and his family were there with her. They have been extremely supportive throughout their courtship days. Eleanor told me once that she can never be thankful enough to Mike and Lisa for being there for her and her happiness. When the ceremony was done, everyone could see that special glow on her face. It’s awesome, isn’t it, how a person you know so well looks so different and special on their wedding day? We were all so happy for the two of them. Okay friends, let’s raise a toast to the newly married!

People in love go through trying times. Misunderstandings and squabbles are inseparable with love. Adrian and Cathy had their own share in the recent times. You know that there was a strain in their relationship because of Cathy’s colleague and his romantic overtures. That did not go down well with Adrian. They were on the verge of a break up. Then they both realized that this sort of a thing was not really important enough to split up a relationship that they had built with so much care and dedication. Adrian decided to be more understanding and Cathy, on her part, decided to be more transparent.

When I hear Adrian talk about those times, he does it with a lot of maturity. He feels that those times contributed to make them the couple that they are today. I think he feels that because of that intrusion in the private sphere, they got to question certain things about themselves. These threw up answers that made them realize the depth and importance of their bond. It made them better, more mature individuals. Adrian thinks that now, because of all that happened, he’s more comfortable with Cathy. “I trust her more now, because in those days, she clearly showed me how much she loves me,” Adrian told me over beer one day. And I know he was not drunk.

This week’s Zen quote is by George MacDonald: “To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved.” Very true, won’t you agree?