I’ve never had “a lot” of friends. To be honest, I’ve never even wanted to have “a lot” of friends. I have this thing where quality pretty much always trumps quantity. Friends are included in this philosophy. The friends that I do have are pretty awesome. They get me, and all the quirks of my personality. They’ve always been genuine, loving, and present. You can’t ask for more than that! Recently I’ve been thinking about how great it is to have good friends. Here are a few reasons why you need a good friend or two in your life:
Beautiful friends make life more beautiful
Last year I hosted Brian a 35th birthday party. Everybody on the guest list was special to him. What I knew would make his party totally unforgettable was if I could get his three closest friends/roommates from college back together. The four of them had formed a singing group called 608 (their suite number). Though they keep in contact regularly through calls and text messages it had been over 15 years since they had all reunited and sang together. They all have pretty busy lives so this reunion was short-lived but it was honestly the best thing to see. I remember thinking as I eavesdropped on them rehearsing a song they used to sing, great friends really do make life more beautiful. Brian talked about his birthday for weeks after. It was pretty awesome.
You’ll need genuine love and support
Carrie Bradshaw says, “no matter who broke your heart or how long it takes to heal, you’ll never get through it without your friends.” Honestly, you probably will get through it; however getting through your low points with somebody that brings GENUINE light and love to the burden is better.
This is not to exclude family from being a support system either. I remember one of my closest friends from college saying sometimes you just don’t want to feel so exposed too close to home. That’s where a good, trustworthy, friend comes in.
You also need those genuine friends there as you trek through scary life ventures, like starting a business or starting a blog **eye winkie emoji**.
It feels good knowing there are great people in the world
There is so much craziness, hatred, and injustice in the world that it makes my head spin sometimes. As soon as I find myself bordering contempt of mankind, I have one of those beautiful friend encounters. A great brunch with girl talk, text message exchanges with full smiles and for real laugh out louds the whole time, or a catch up and vent phone call. There are great people in the world!
Your friends are a good reference point for who you are
You ever hear that quote, your vibe attracts your tribes? To me it’s basically a more clever way of saying birds of a feather flock together. If you stop and evaluate your close circle, collectively who are they? When I think about my close friends, I feel proud. They are thinkers, believers, and doers. They work hard. They are sane (Yes, that’s a big deal to me)! My tribe rocks! You know who are! I love you!
What makes your friends special to you?
Photo Credit: Everett Collection for Shutterstock
For me, they Know when to be there. Being consistent in my world is also extremely important to me. The older I get, the milestones I encounter (marriage, children, relocating, etc) the more my circle shrinks and friends become more distant. My husband is my best friend, but at times I miss my good girlfriends I can just meet for lunch, go shopping with, or meet up with for Girls’ night.
Agreed!! Xoxo