How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.

Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards.

I’m in a mood to celebrate my real friends. Because we learn constantly that there can never be substitutes for good friendships. Since September is my month, along with my birthday I celebrate my friends too. It’s that time of the year when I sit back and take stock of the year that has just gone by. To realise how fortunate and important it is to have the support of real good friends, in a world that’s fast moving towards an Armageddon of values, integrity and principles. Am I glad that there have been more occasions for laughter, than those shed in idle banter.

So, if you’re blessed with real pals, even if you have to count them on your fingers (they don’t come in dozens, by the way. Only freeloaders come in dozens these days), cherish them. Learn from them. Revel in their company. Celebrate their presence in your life. Respect their honesty. Bask in the warmth of their comfort and truth that they’ll always be there for you. Accept that true friendships are hard to find, so nurture them with love. Because, remember, they get wiser with age and experience, and you’re the better person to have learnt from them first hand.

But then, not everybody is as lucky as I am. So I naturally feel sorry for people who are less the persons they are, because they are so empty. It must be soul wrenching not to have anyone to talk to, share thoughts with or laugh at oneself, when the weather gets a little dreary. In the same way that there are people who prefer to live like islands, morbid with the thought that their well-cultivated masks and pretensions will fall bare. AND SAD FOR PEOPLE WHO PUT ON A PUBLIC FAÇADE, KNOWING FULL WELL THAT THEIR LIVES ARE AS FAKE AND EMPTY AS THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR SPOUSES AND FRIENDS. IT TAKES COURAGE, INNER STRENGTH AND A GOOD FAMILY UPBRINGING TO LIVE LIFE IN ALL ITS TRUTH AND BEAUTY.

Is it any wonder that we’re happier the people we are, because we know the wealth of good friendships? You bet I do. And I’m so much the better person because of this.

Catching me once in a quiet mood, my daughter came up to me for a chat:

She had just made a new friend and wanted to tell me all about it. Chat over, she turned to me and said nonchalantly: `You’re the best mother in the world. And you’re my best friend. I have enough hugs for two.’ I also learn that wisdom need not necessarily come from the elders. I am since doubly counting my blessings in love.