Its always the little things that count. Life is a journey so long, so convoluted, that as we unravel its mysteries, we are often left in awe of what it opens up to us. Moving along this path, sometimes at leisure, sometimes at a bustling pace, its not often we get to stop and have a look around. What we need is a pause button.

That's exactly what old friends are for. The people you knew when growing up are like bridges to worlds long lost in labyrinths of time. Sitting over dinner with people one has known for more than three-fourths of your life can be quite an experience. Especially if you haven't really spent much time with them in the last quarter. The stories that are told, the incidents remembered, the changes in people, the things people have gone through. In all this, the common thread is the people and the tiny quirks that we all manifested.

There's a reason its called the formative years. The bonds made then, are very different from ones thereafter. The experiences from then, really do (as much as Calvin would hate it) build character. No matter what you say, those days are the building blocks of what we all are today, and what we stand to be. We may change over time and not be recognizable to others who we grew up with, but its all a cumulative experience from day 1, and the effect, I feel, decreases over time.