Meira's Memoirs / Chapter 3 / My Tribe

 2021 - post the havoc caused by Covid -19 in the previous year, the aftermath continues and with it, comes more changes.... 


In the 15 odd years that I have lived in this adopted land, I have been fortunate to build a tribe - a group of girlfriends - that have been the wind beneath my wings, especially since 2014. I call us "the too much women" and we are a lot :) but between us, we have each others' backs, all the time. 

One of us is leaving the country as a Covid casualty and the heart feels heavy ....  the tribe dynamics will change a bit, but I firmly believe that true friends never really leave your side and hence I know we will work our way around the geographies and find our space together again, going forward too. 

It is far too precious to give up.  Our travels together have sealed this connect!

Thankfully, I am blessed to remain connected to many of my tribe, living in different continents - we cant meet as often as I'd like to, but when we do - its mayhem and so very special !


Extract from Meira's Memoirs - Aug 2015 


Friends can fill up most voids that you may have in your life. Good friends just know when to walk in, when to stay beside you and when to give you space. And the  true ones never really leave. 

As I was learning to adjust to the concept of a soon-to-be empty nest, some dear friends decided we needed to go on a girls’ trip - to celebrate Life and its varied phases! 

Off we went to the beautiful city of Amsterdam, one of my favorite destinations in the world. And I discovered the craziness and exhilaration of traveling with girlfriends - we laughed till our sides hurt, we fought bitterly over random issues and then drank ourselves silly to forget our pains and then laughed some more. It was like something I had never experienced before. 

Travel + close friends = amazing memories + unlimited fun. It can indeed beat therapy!


In life, we don’t get to choose most of our family or our colleagues, but we do have a choice with our friends. Thank God for that! Friends - those wonderful souls that actually get you and accept you the way you are. 

And traveling with your girlfriends adds a whole new level of depth to the relationship that is difficult to explain to anyone who has not experienced it. It creates a happy space that allows you to be who you are, no pretenses and yet enjoy doing things - naughty and nice - that you might never have considered doing alone. 

Whether you are in college, or in mid life, or progressing towards your retirement, I will strongly advise all to do a lot of this - travel with your friends, especially with friends of the same gender. In a world promoting gender neutrality, I may be scorned upon - but I will still vouch for the fun factor that only a girls trip (or a boys’ trip) can bring. Nothing else compares to it, truly. 

The camaraderie during these travels makes you feel soft and warm and safe. It re-energizes. It’s absolutely precious!



So we made this girls’ trip an annual ritual. Every year since then, we have found a small window to leave our daily humdrum behind and escape to some beautiful locale - to rejuvenate, to celebrate and to be ourselves. And I am thankful everyday for having this safety net of warmth and love that has always surrounded me; despite having lived on my own for most of these last 5 years, I have rarely felt alone - thanks to my girls!

As I have grown older, my circle has shrunk in size and by choice - I have indeed become more selective with my friends but those who remained became dearer and nothing less than family and I am immensely grateful to them. 

#LifeLongBesties <3  

Don't wait till you are old and alone - treasure them throughout your walk of life! 

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