Relationships and expiry dates...

Do relationships have expiry dates? All or some? Hmmm...Dont really know. The relationship might be categorized as love, family and extended family, friendship and workplace. There might be more. But right now, I can think of these obvious ones. Do they come in different flavors? Expiry dates? Do they have them? If so, then do they come stamped with them? Or is it that as time passes by, expiry dates start to appear on them? Take a moment. I ask this question. Not because I am cynical of "forever relationships". They may exist for real. But I ask this question to just look back at some of mine. And may be analyze a few of them. And look forward to future ones. Let me look at each of the four mentioned earlier. And I go in reverse order to make things easy ofcourse...

So, the easiest one to discuss I suppose... Most relationships at workplace are professional by nature. I leave out the ones which are not for now..Ok, so we make acquaintances at work. Team mates and colleagues are courteous. And polite. Some may be nasty. Ofcourse the job and the job role dictates the tone of the relationship at workplace. A peer or a boss or a junior. There might be competition or there might be cooperation. The relationship may or may not fluctuate everyday. Some day you get flowers. Some day brickbats. And ultimately each on his own. Perhaps, these relationships do come with a expiry date. But we simply carry on because its a must dear. And when you quit, these relationships fall apart very easily. The expiry date becomes obvious. Ofcourse exceptions are to be found. There might be that one odd gal or guy in that cube on the 21st floor who would continue to remain in touch....

Next is friends and friendship. Some will question the very basis for this discussion. How can a friendship have an expiry date? Well, some of you or may be most of you would have at some point of time by now realized that "friends forever" is something that we wish forever but we seldom get. And those who get are the really lucky ones. The folks with friends a million might one day realize that this question is reasonable enough. Spend some time looking through your facebook or myspace or orkut friends and see how many really are "friends". Ofcourse, instant would be the reply that friendship comes in layers. Shrek might want to add friendship to his "ogres and onions have layers" theory. I though can consider myself to be a little fortunate on this account. I do not have a gazillion friends. The number of people I consider friend I can count on my fingertips. I once complained about this. But my mom put it succinctly to me. Better to have less than ten real friends rather than a million wannabes for whom you mean nothing. Why do people make friends? Some because they like these folks. Some because these folks help them get something in career or society. Some because it makes them "cool" to be associated with these folks. So, the answer to my question. Do they have expiry dates? Yes, the ones which do not allow an individual to breathe freely. Yes, the ones which enforce the mob mentality. And yes, the ones where there are false expectations. But, the friendship whose sole foundation is real warmth and concern does not have any expiry date. A friend and you do not have to agree upon everything. The best of friendships exist because there is a genuine liking as well as the scope to disagree on issues. The most remarkable aspect of such friendships which do not have expiry dates is that being in such a relationship itself is the best thing about them...

Family. And extended family. What?? The trickiest one to think about. Your parents are the greatest thing to happen to you. And no bond between mother and father and their children has any sort of expiry date by rule. And this I think is a sacred one. However. And a sad one at that, this bond in many cases around this world has not been able to escape the vagaries of this era's commercialism and "all about the self" attitude. Truly sad to even think any further on this. Yes. For ages there have been arguments and fights within families. Wealth. Fame. Better opportunities. Difference of opinion. Jealousy. You name it. Scores of families have been wasted for the worst of reasons. However, as some would put it. Its all in the family. Well, that family whose basis is love does not have any expiry date whatsoever. But all those families where deceit rules and material gains are the primary focus have the earliest possible expiry dates....

Atlast the one. The most confusing one. The relationship. The one where you are in love with that one person. If you are in a relationship with someone. And suddenly things are not working out. Then is it time to move on??? Is this person "the one"? The Chosen One?? This question pops up to almost every other soul at some point in their lives. For some its early. For some its a bit late. What if I am wrong? What if she is not the one? What if she is the one? Is she the one for keepers?? If we break up, then will we ever get back together? Or is this the end? Should I tell her that I love her? Is it love? Or is it some infatuation that will pass away? May be some relationship that has an expiry date that is today itself? Or is it destiny that we met? And that this is the match made in heaven. Cant help laughing here. Well. Falling in love is easy. Staying is difficult. So, does love have an expiry date??? And the answer is no. The mere fact that you call it "love" and not infatuation and fixation means that it does not have any expiry date. Had it been infatuation or fixation or crush, then the answer is yes. If this relationship is based on lust, then it has an expiry date for sure. If you ever fell in love with someone, she remains etched in your heart. You may break up with her. Never see her again. Try to forget her. But, sometime when you will sit idle looking at the sunset, you will think about her. Those days. Those moments. That spark. That magic. That conversation. How can it be not love? And how can such a feeling have an expiry date??

Alright. Isnt it about this always?? Finally moving on. There is always some work to do. There is always some friend to talk to. There is always your family to go to. And then there is always that one you love. And when you are with them at that moment, you dont really care about expiry dates. All you do is live in the moment. And thats all that counts anyway...