When I was a kid the more friends you had, the cooler you were. Having a lot of friends was not only a measure of your coolness but a stepping stone to accumulating more friends as the years passed on. I am not a kid anymore. I don't have forty best friends to measure how cool I am. I have found a greater importance beyond having friends which is just being one.

For many reasons, being a friend is the greater gift.

I love the idea of friendships. People who are there for you in any time of need. Friends are humans, too. They all have hearts and feelings, but all so unique to one another. Each friend so delicate to certain ideas, relationships and even emotions. I see certain qualities in friends that I do not see in others.

When I look to one friend for guidance, I look to another for a good laugh. When I need tough love I know where to find it, but when I need to pour out my heart there's another friend right there. The balance different friends bring to my life is something truly special.

However, while I love the balance they add to my life, I think it is just as important to bring a balance to theirs. Being a friend is more important than having a friend, because while you may think you need someone, just remember someone out there needs you more.

Even if they don't always need it or realize what quality you bring, never fail to be the friend someone needs when sometimes they least expect it.

Don't waste your time trying to be the cool kid with a lot of friends. Stick with the friends who add flavor when life is boring. Stick with the friends who counter tears with laughs, and most importantly stick with the friends who give you a reason to be a friend.

The best gift you can give is yourself, the real non-artificial you.