A true friend is not a true friend to Mary, John and Bob. A true friend is a true friend to everyone. That is his/her nature. It’s someone with a big heart that would never hurt anyone on purpose, only by mistake or under extreme conditions. A true friend may be someone I have not seen in years. But the moment I see him/her again, it’s like we have never parted. The second I glimpse the face I am overwhelmed with happiness and so is he/she. Neither of us says anything stupid like: “Where have you been all these years?” or “Why haven’t you called?” It feels like the five years have...

Being close to someone is like sitting by a fire. It feels nice. It’s warm. The colors of life are bright, just like the colors of fire. And there is always something going on. The flames grow bigger and smaller. You know you have to poke the embers and add some more wood, when the flames die out. Just like you take care of a close relationship. Nevertheless, the fire also represents danger. Danger of getting hurt, of developing a suffocating relationship, of losing the person you love etc. Because that same cosy fire can also leave you with burns. Some people recover from burns, others tend to...