Finding ride-or-die, good, genuine friends to hang onto is kinda rare these days.
Sometimes life factors in this with college, long-distance friends, or slowly drifting away from those who you once held onto dearly. But once you find those gem of friends the hardest part is maintaining the relationships you have with each one.
There are countless articles out there that focus on what qualities friends bring to the table and how they match up with yours, but not enough about the kinds of qualities you bring. Finding out what makes you, well you, is the most important thing in any relationship, be it platonic or romantic.
Once you've discovered those quirks that make you such a unique individual, the next step is to figure out what kind of people need to be in your life based off of those certain characteristics. It's not just about what kind of friend they need but the kind of friend that you need to be TO them.
Friend #1 is my go to for everything I’m usually feeling. As a friend, I’m a great listener and I pride myself on that because I feel its one of my best qualities. While I wish I could give the best advice in the world, I've stopped comparing myself with others and accepted that I'm better at other things. Part of learning how to be not just a better friend, but person as well, lies with taking the time to learn more about yourself. On the other hand, I don’t give enough of myself to that friend in regards to telling her how I’m feeling. I’m so used to keeping a lot of things to myself that I forget that’s what friends are there for.
Friend #2 is what I call my “aunt or mother” friend. She is always checking up on my me throughout the week and making sure I’m doing well. I don’t appreciate this enough because I feel guilty like I’m not giving enough of myself to her. One thing I struggle with constantly is keeping up with my friends. Whether they're in another state, school schedules are completely opposite of last semester, or being overwhelmed with work load, sometimes time just slips away without you noticing. But what does count is dropping them a message or even a short convo, to let them know you still care. It might not seem much but they will appreciate you more for it.
Friend #3 is my adventure pal! We've gone on a road trip together and I always have a good time with her. This friend is always down to try out new things and adventures with me. She also pushes me to do new things and not be afraid and I gotta say without her, I wouldn’t be doing a lot of things now. She gives me that extra push to let the inner "wild child" in me out and I'd like to think I bring the calmer side of her out.
I once read a article where it stated that “different friends fulfill different needs” and this is so true. I’ve had to learn that one friend won’t fulfill all my needs and that is perfectly okay because the things we do share are what is the most important.
