Luckily, however, we all have a few friends who did tell us a thing or two about life and what way it was gonna be. They've made us laugh and they've made us cry (probably from laughing too hard). We've watched them learn and we've watched them grow. Monica, Chandler, Phoebe, Joey, Ross and Rachel have had their friendships put to the test many of times, but have always remained stronger than ever in the end. This group of six young adults have taught us so much about what it means to grow up, live on our own, fall in love, get our hearts broken and so much more, each with their own unique perspectives. So, here's a list of what each character has taught us throughout their 10 epic years on the show "F.R.I.E.N.D.S."
Monica: Aside from the fact that we could all learn something from her exceptional organizational and planning skills, Monica has taught us to dream big and work hard toward our goals.
It has been Monica's dream to be a chef ever since she got her first Easy Bake Oven. And, despite feeling like a let down to her parents and constantly "pulling a Monica," and having her mom break out the frozen lasagnas, she never gives up. Even if she has to start from the bottom as a waitress at a diner wearing fake boobs, a wig and roller blades, her hard work and competitiveness (although extreme at times... think ping pong in Barbados) pays off in the end and she deserves every little piece of her success.
Chandler: Chandler, Chandler, Chandler. Even though he claims he uses humor as a defense mechanism, he has actually taught us that no matter what life throws at us, we should always find a way to laugh about it.
Chandler accepts himself for who he is and embraces his awkward, sarcastic mannerisms and we can't help but love him for it. Whether he is making light of his parental circumstance or calming himself down when Richard shows up at the restaurant where he was going to propose to Monica, he can put a smile on peoples' faces and he teaches us that we should do the same, no matter how hard life is getting us down. I mean, could he BE any more hilarious?
Joey: Whether he was keeping Monica and Chandler's relationship a secret, or refusing to eat meat while Phoebe was pregnant so that she could eat it without feeling guilty, Joey has shown us what it means to be a loyal friend.
He never does anything selfishly, well except when it comes to his food and his women. But, even then, he broke up with Ursula because it made Phoebe uncomfortable and let Chandler date Kathy (after he sat in a box and thought about what he did). Joey taught us that friends are the most important thing and that we should always put them first.
Phoebe: Phoebe has taught us to always be true to ourselves. She doesn’t care if she looks silly running in central park or if she seems weird for taking care of a bunch of rat babies.
The only time she ever tried to impress anyone, she ended up throwing up in the coat closet at Mike's parents' house, where she quickly learned that putting on a front for others is not her style (and that Tom and Sue are the most sinfully boring people she and Mike have ever met). She taught us that life is too hard when we try to be anyone but ourselves and we need to go with the flow and be happy with who we are.
Ross: Ross has taught us how to make the best out of unfortunate situations. Maybe he's just been used to it since he's been in love with Rachel since high school and she's only looked at him as Monica's geeky, older brother. But hey, even then he made the best of that situation and formed the "I hate Rachel Green club."
Whether he wore make up to make his teeth appear less bright after he got them whitened, dressed up as a holiday armadillo to get Ben excited about Hanukkah since they were sold out of Santa costumes, or invited Joey, Rachel and Charlie over for margaritas to pretend he was "fine" with Rachel and Joey dating, Ross has somehow managed to overcome his bad luck and has taught us to make the best of whatever life throws at us.
Rachel: Rachel has taught us how to be independent and make something of ourselves. She showed us that if we don't like the direction our life is headed, then we have the power to change it, even if that means starting over.
Now, obviously Rachel came from a wealthy, spoiled family, but she gave all that up to start a life for herself and, although it was eventually rewarding, it was a huge wake-up-call. She showed us that turning over a new leaf is not always easy, especially in her career when she had to help an old woman try on a thong and she didn't even buy it! But, she taught us how to humble ourselves and earn everything we get in life, even if that means cutting up all of our daddy's credit cards.
So when it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year... Just remember that you have six friends that will... be there for you (when the rain starts to fall).
