Friends are like a deck of cards. You have your best friends, the cards you need to play the game. Then you have some that are weighing you down. There a lot of different cards that make your deck full. But some cards need to be removed to play a game sometimes, and in the game of life the cards that weigh you down need to be let go.

There are the Kings and the Queens, your best friends that are always royally loyal. These are the friends you have known the longest and know every little characteristic and quirk that makes you, you. They are the friends that allow you to dance around like nobody's watching and eat all the pizza and ice cream that you could ever want.

Then there are Jacks, these are the "fam" (as the kids are calling it these days). Jacks are the friends you met later on in your life, but are still just as kind and caring for you and your well-being as the kings and queens are in your life. These friends were by your side through the 24 hour study sessions for the final you still failed, then did everything they can to help make it better. You also probably lived with your jacks at some point of your college career.

Now the one through ten cards are simply your acquaintances. As the numbers raise, your friendship becomes stronger. They are not people you hang out with often, but you are still interested in continuing growing the friendship.

All these people in your life make you whole. They complete the deck and if one is missing it makes it hard to play a game. To feel full you need all three kinds of cards, creating a full deck. But in every deck there are jokers and in almost every game these are taken out of the deck. They are unneeded and usually mess up the flow of the game.

Jokers represent the negative people in your life that are bringing you down. So removing these negative people should never make you feel guilty. When playing a card game and you forget the joker you have to stop the game and look through the whole deck to find the other. Just like when you have a negative influence in your life you have to stop everything, remove them from your life, and learn to move forward without them.

The people you make your friends are chosen. Just like choosing to have someone in your life you can choose to remove them. No matter how long you've known someone people can become a negative aspect to your life at anytime. When someone shows their true colors it is important to stand up for yourself. People cannot control you or your emotions. If you feel put down by someone it is okay to say that they do not belong as your friend anymore.

It is important to know that if you choose to remove someone, they will be upset. People do not like to admit they did something wrong. They will make stabs at you, talk about you to others, and may cause you to feel inferior. But remember that you are not. This all comes from anger and bitterness, you also were their friend at one point and they are hurt that you are not anymore no matter how they act on the outside. Losing a friend is always a painful situation. In the end, losing someone that is not helping to make your life better is not worth the time and energy.

So do not ever feel guilty for removing the jokers in your life. You still have all your kings and queens to back you up. You are never alone because of the loss of one person. Removing this person can even make you feel relieved because the negative weight on your shoulders can be released.

Playing your cards right means to remove the ones that slow you down. Remove the people who are causing you to pause the game. Take out those jokers and focus on your kings and queens, focus on your jacks, and put energy into the one through tens. Build healthy relationships and leave behind the ones that are not. Move forward and make the best of everyday with the people you love most and the people who love you right back. Life is too short to always be searching through your deck cards, keep moving forward and play the game with the ones you need.