My mother always said, “You can pick your friends. You can pick your nose. But you can’t pick your friend’s nose.”
Don’t get me wrong, she is an absolutely brilliant woman with more experience under her belt than I could have acquired in my eighteen years on earth, but is it really true?
Is it not socially acceptable to pick your friend’s nose?
When you’re with your friends you are one hundred percent your true self.
Whether it’s your first friend that you made on the first day of pre-school or the stranger that you met at Starbucks because you have the same shoes. At some point in that strong, true relationship you were able to express yourself in a way that you can’t when you first meet someone. Sometimes it’s worth hiding your awkward quirks before you truly know someone.
You’ve probably already done something gross with them before.
Remember when your friend convinced you to go to equestrian camp and on the first day you both were in charge of the manure pile? Or that one time the two of you biked down the main street in your town and ate at every pizza restaurant. Count ‘em up, seven different slices of Zza. Picking your friend’s nose is no shock compared to what you two have done.
Very, very rarely will these types of friends judge you.
I can speak purely from experience on this one that my true friends never judge me for my strange habits. I don’t like marinara sauce; I can’t stand long fingernails; I am so perturbed when people crack their ankles. Unfortunately, I have a loud mouth and enjoy voicing every, and all, opinions that pop into my noggin. In a random crowd of earthlings, this could get someone like me into a lot of trouble but my friends know that’s who I am and that is one of my big quirks. Do they still love me? Yes.
Your friends will cover for you.
“Oh, we are telepathic and she knew I had an itch in my nose.”
“If she didn’t clear her nose soon her beautiful face would have exploded.”
“I like my friend’s finger up there. It’s comfy.”
The list, fortunately, is never ending.
You love each other.
Think of your best friend or best group of friends, your “homies” as my friends would say. Now, try to not ramble off one reason why you love each one of them. Impossible.
