I believe that we can all say that we have had those friends--or we are those friends--that enter into a relationship and cast aside the people that were there for them before they were taken off the market. Those lovely people that we accidentally ignore are our friends, but why do we struggle with valuing our friendships as much as we value our relationships?
There are several reasons why we don't value fully value our friendships. One reason is that we think that our friendships are permanent. We assume that because we have busy schedules our friends will automatically understand. As Carrie Bradshaw once said, "Friendships don't last for years; you have to invest in them." What we tend to overlook about this quote is that every single relationship whether it be with a boyfriend, girlfriend, family member or especially a friend require constant upkeep. We need to set aside time in our "busy" schedules to invest in our friends. If we see our friends once a week while walking to class or at Starbucks, we tend to think that that counts as spending time, but spending time with them does not technically mean that we are investing in them. So that brings me to a very important question: Why do we not take the time and date our friends?
By this, I mean that we should take the time and treat them with the respect and availability that we have for our significant others. When boyfriends or girlfriends call to make plans, we tend to stop whatever we're doing at the moment to see them. There is no reason why we should not share this same mentality for our friends. There should not be anything that stops us from calling up our friends and planning weekly date nights to catch up on each other's lives and maintain strong friendships. It is imperative that we do not get into a relationship funk and ignore and forget the friendships that we loved and cherished before. Ultimately, we need to keep in mind that although we are in relationships, they should not be placed above our friendships.
There is always a great comfort that comes with having best friends that you can spend time with whether it be going out to dinner, sharing stories, or going shopping. Maintaining friendships is hard, especially in college. If we do not take the time to figuratively date our friends, then it can be assumed that those friendships that we do not invest in will eventually cease to exist. Just keep in mind, "the greatest gift you can give someone is time. Because when you give your time, you are giving a portion of your life that you will never get back." Besides, who is more worthy of our time than our friends?
