One average Tuesday night, after a long hard day of dance classes, I waltzed up next to my friend who bombarded me with comments like, “gross” and “ewww” and finally, I got hit with a, “wow, your feet really stink!” Not like I haven’t heard that a hundred times before, but coming from one of my closest friends it stung a bit. Then she added, “Maybe you should do your laundry,” OK, thanks, Mom.
In her defense, I did have a mountain of dirty clothes piled under my bed and, yes, it was growing.
Then, my other friend chimed in. Now the two of them were telling me that, not only was I smelly, but messy, too. In the heat of the moment, I felt like I was having an intervention. They kept going at it, pointing out my flaws. I’m not going to lie, I was mad. Who did they think they were telling me how I should live my life? I felt like they were attacking me. I may have even teared up just a little if I am telling the whole story.
But now I know that they were doing what good friends should. They were being honest.
Actually, I’ll admit I am thankful for that moment. I am grateful that I found two friends who care enough about me to tell me the truth. They just want me to be the best I could be. Let’s be real here, without that “intervention,” who knows what my room would look like.
My point is, friends should want to help each other in all aspects of life. We all need someone to tell us the truth. It may be hard to hear, but think about how hard it is for them to tell you. It isn’t easy being honest with people. Telling a friend that they smell is much harder than complimenting them on their new perfume. Friends should tell you things about yourself you don’t really want to hear or admit. Friends are there to help you through the tough times. It goes along with the idea if they don’t accept you at your worst they don’t deserve you at your best. But good friends take it a step further and want to help you when you are at your worst so you can be at your best. In that moment, I could have done better. I could have had a clean room. My friends knew that even if I didn’t want to admit it out loud. I needed to hear it. I needed to hear the truth. I needed my friends.
People always say that there is a “mom” in every friend group. I believe that to be true. My story is a perfect example. Good friends are just like moms and share one common goal: to be there for you. They want to see you do your best, all the time. That’s how you know you’ve found a true friend: when they can pull a mom moment on you. These moments happen when they aren’t afraid to tell you to go do your homework and even when they yell at you to get off Netflix. It is apparent when they make sure you go to class and that you eat your fruits and veggies. It's especially visible when they flat out tell you, “you smell.” That right there is when you know you have a true friend.
