When Work Friends Become Real Friends

20/365 Days of Happiness : My Accenture Friends

(A good turn of fate had me reconnecting with long lost friends yesterday. The nostalgia moved me to blog about friendships. I posted one here yesterday about long-time friends and I posted another in my Accenture blog. I realized, this is not only true of my Accenture friends, this is also true of all my work friends that became  my real friends.)

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We began simply as work friends. We helped each other to cope with the sometimes confusing realities of organizational life. 

We shared common experiences and common stories. We talked about projects, common people we meet in the workplace, and changes in the organization. In stressful times, we provided each other with emotional support.

Spending a third of our day with each other in the office, we developed a kinship. We did not only enjoy each other’s company in sharing the good times – like sharing a meal together or having a good conversation, we also felt safe to share our inner thoughts. 

We talked about what’s happening in our lives outside of work, our families, our dreams! We felt secure disclosing our own life. That’s when we began becoming real friends.

We spent the time to get to know each other better. We shared time outside of the work place. We start being like a family. On some occasions, we even brought our families when we went out. 

When I think of you, I fondly remember the meals we shared together, the walks to Quiapo, Chinatown and Divisoria, the movie marathons, the surprise birthday celebrations, the talks about food, about dogs, the new babies growing up, the once toddler, now a teenager and how she used to be when she was a toddler.

Even when our lives have changed, taking separate twists and turns, we cherish that special feeling, the memories of friends, the laughter and the joy we shared. 

Here’s to my friends from far ago and far away but remains a true friend through the years and to my friends who are relatively new and whom I have been sharing the same bay, or same floor, or same site: Wherever we are in our lives we will always remain forever friends.