I knew I always had a different opinion of what a friend is meant to be.
A friend is more than an acquaintance. More than someone you have known for a period of time. A friend is more than a co-worker. More than the people that you smile at every day. They are more than a romantic connection and more than even a spousal connection. A friend may not physically be there for you, but they are always there emotionally. You may not see them or think of them, but they are certainly thinking of you. There is nothing more resilient, durable and predictable than a true friendship. And being your friend, they must accept the hazards that you may not be a friend to them.
That is why a true friend is so rare, if not extinct.
A friend is that one person that you can tell everything to. You can talk about family problems or financial difficulties, or emotional challenges. You talk to them about subjects that would anger or drive away another. A friend may get angry, but a friend will never leave you. You may push a friend away, but they are always there, waiting to come back. They will give all they have to help you. That is why they are so much more important than any other. Because a friend will always be there no matter what.
A friend smiles and laughs with us, even when they don’t really understand why. They are the first to give encouragement when you need it. They congratulate you on even the most minor of successes. They are there for the celebrations in your life.
A friend is the first to cry for your sadness. To hurt inside when you feel pain. To supply advice, good or bad, to help through the worst of your times. To support you when you are too weak to stand. To wipe around tears when there are no more to weep. To hold your life precious, when so many others push it away. A friend is the first to feel your low, and also the longest to recover from it.
Friendship given, is not a protection for them. It is a risk beyond measure. It is their role to do or give anything to improve yours. It doesn’t protect them from pain, jealousies or embarrassments that you may cause. The invest all that they are into being your friend. They are hurt all the more deeply because, as your friend, they know you and do their best not to show the hurts to you. They contain the hurts as much as possible, even if it slips out.
A friend is not there for the highest point of your life.
A friend is there for the lowest point of your life.
It will be the lowest point of your friend’s life as well.
The greatest insult is to betray the person that has been your friend. Because a friend dedicates themselves to you, and betrayal is a deadly pill.