How To Be A Friend

Now that I have gotten all of my anger out in last night’s post, I figured it would be in my best interest to write about a lighter subject: Friends. 

No, not the (best) television show. And not the people you “stalk” on social media sites. I’m talking about the people that are not related to you by blood but are tied to you by something stronger. That’s right, the people who actually chose you to be in their lives, instead of being forced to take baths with you and share clothing (AKA siblings.) (Although, I  am lucky. My best friend is also my sister and my sister is also my best friend.)

So, how do you keep a friend? Well, it’s really that simple. Just keep them in your life. Being a friend is just choosing to make sure that person gets to participate in your journey from time to time, but time after time after time. In other words, you don’t have to be joined at the hip to prove your friend love. You just have to pick them over everyone else once in awhile and when it counts.

Of course, there are going to be friends that are going to fight tooth and nail (whether they are consciously making the decision or not) to leave you out of their life and to ensure that they don’t keep in contact. They are going to ignore your calls, they are going to forget you had plans, and they are going to make you feel stupid on more than one occasion. These are still your friends, but they are friends that are taxing to your spirit, and you will eventually need to let go of these people. Now, sometimes, you will need to forgive them. And sometimes, you will need to say goodbye. I promise, you will know the difference when you encounter these situations.

In the end, you need to stay with the people who may not remember to respond to you right away but will apologize profusely when they realize they haven’t answered your texts. You need to keep the people who you don’t get to see very often, but who look forward to the next time you will meet. You need to remain friends with people who may not know every minor detail of your existence but who will always make you feel good. If you continue to accept that sometimes life is like a ship on a rough and far sea and that the weather will eventually be suitable for sailing once more, then, congratulations, you are a great friend.

So, whether it is your friends, your family, or your framily (Thanks, Sprint) you need to remember to be vulnerable and to answer their calls once in awhile. Even if it’s just for a few minutes, even if it’s just for a few hours. You can always make a world of difference by acknowledging the life of a friend.