My dad once told me that in life you need to learn to deal with all kinds of people.

This was way back . . . when I was as dumb as a 5^th grader usually is and was 'maha-upset' over being forced to sit roll number wise with a sad looking pot bellied fellow who went on to become my first boyfriend!

That is an age when you are far removed from the complexities that thrive in our everyday existence. An age where the entire class is your best friend and petty fights over broken pencils and lost erasers make your day interestingly worthwhile.

I didn't take my dad seriously back then. Even though I kinda liked the way it sounded and needless to say even used it verbatim (albeit in a patronizing tone) over my juniors!

I was naive enough to believe that so what if I don't get along with a person. There are a hundred others with whom I do!

But things don't always happen as we tend to believe they would and this realisation is indeed heartbreaking.

As our social circles multiply it is not long before we come to recognize that much as the fact about our being the way we are is something we are proud of as well as something which is a thought very comforting, it does seem to be a definite obstacle or call it an irritant when people we meet aren't like us.

Well, strange are the ways of life. You start adjusting. Where your interests are at stake you make the appropriate noises which help you sail through. Where you can give it back, you learn how to slam it down. You realise the difference between hate and dislike. More importantly, you become skilled at how to keep up the hate artificially. You learn to forgive. You learn to be arrogant. You feel intelligent when you tell people that it isn't a vice when shown to people who try and make you feel unworthy.

In school, all this dawns upon you when you already have years of rock solid friendships behind you. You just sit and discuss these new found observations very gravely probably during the games or library period. Its college which actually puts your PR skills to test. 3 years . . . 300 friends . . . each with their own quirks cemented over the years just like your own!

It is a very short yet crucial time of your life. You can either form life long bonds or remain aloof or with a certain kind of people.

Its now that I realise what my dad meant when her made that statement. Maybe at that point it was intended to make me feel better on being separated from my best friend but what was inherent in it was that any sort of rigidity doesn't seem to do any good to any of us.

What I have learnt is to be a happy person. Cheerful. Got over the habit of scowling (thankfully!) at people I was quick to make judgements about. I have learnt to question a lot. Listen more and basically have a bubbling energy around me all the time which has found me on the other side of the most trying circumstances. It is easier said than done but it needs to be given a shot.

After all, who wants to see a sulking surly face around them? It is a sure shot repellent. I say, save it for the mosquitoes! :P