Remember your friends.

Boyfriend. What comes to mind when this word is mentioned to you?

Girlfriend. What are the thoughts that run through your head upon the mention of this?

Friend. What is a friend to you?

Who are these people? Can you come up with a name upon being asked who your friend is? Who is your boyfriend? Who is your girlfriend?

Why is there such a divide? What is the difference between a boyfriend/girlfriend and a friend? Why is there a divide between the two? Is one more significant than the other?

We've all seen it before. Couples holding hands. Smiling at each other. Conducting PDAs(public display of affection) everywhere they go. Are such actions indignified? Is it wrong? Do such things make one's boyfriend/girlfriend more special than any other friend? Do these things elevate him/her to a status beyond that of anyone else?

Is it fair to lose time you usually reserve for close friends in order to be with someone new? Is it wise to do so? Is he/she worth it? What could posess you to leave friends you've known so well for years to be with someone else?

It is human to want someone. To be with somebody who completes you. A person some of us would call "the other half". We call these people our "boyfriends" or "girlfriends". But are they any different from our best "friends"?

Let us understand the term friend before we proceed further. A friend is a companion in life. A person who will see through thick and thin. A company to keep loneliness away. Someone who knows you. Who is a part of you.

Be it boyfriend, girlfriend or best friend. They all share one thing in common. They all know you. They make up a part of you. So is it alright for a person to set aside his/her friends for his/her boyfriend?

To answer this question, we need to first change our perceptions. Think of the boyfrined/girlfriend and as more than just a friend. Think of the couple as lovers.

When one deems another his/her lover, one pledges loyalty and devotion to that person. This usually means the sacrifice of freedom, self as well as life as he/she knows it. A boyfriend/girlfriend is a catalyst for change. A step up from friendship to family. So do you care more about your friends or family?

Just because you have a lover and you spend more time with your lover, it doesn't mean you don't care for your friends. Just remember them. Friends care for you as much as you care for them. They need to know you care for them too. So don;t forget them. Spend some of your time with your friends too.

New love may enter your life, but forget not the old. Remember your friends.