Is it give and take always??

This weekend was a welcome break to me..went to IIM A to meet my friend..It felt wonderful to be back in an institutional setting and more than that, to see her after a really long time.I had a good time roaming about , talking or just being with her. And it also made me realise a simple but often overlooked fact: We feel lonely not when there is no one to love us, but when there is no one whom we love. The joy of love is in giving; not in getting. All these days I got it wrong. Never realised that I derive more joy out of shopping when I do it for my family or friends; Or I enjoy some work when I m doing it to help someone out.But I don't know if this is the way it is supposed to be. Is it the ego satisfaction attained during the process which makes me happy? Or is it the indebtedness which gives me the glee? Or is it just the rediscovery or acknowledgement of my love for them that gratifies me? Yes, I was very demanding in relationships for a short period of time. But no more..I have learnt to celebrate people the way they are.I have softened towards many , against whom I had some kind of grudge in the past. Funny, it never happened when I consciously tried to. Without my realisation, it has. For good. You need to be away from everyone once in a while.Then you tend to appreciate just the presence and not the deeds of people in your life.Some lessons are learnt the hard way.For me this is one.

(P.S:I guess I been rambling a lot in this post.No coherence or whatsoever!! Guess I m missing some people very dear to me :( )