Friendship

The Truth

A lot of the time, we talk about friends, but sometimes I wonder if we actually know what the word really means, or if we have lost the concept of friendship. I have seven really close friends that I probably speak to more than once a week. These are the people that I know I can trust, and that I know have my back, no matter what.

The thing is that nowadays, what with social medias, people have lists of so-called ‘friends’, which are more like acquaintances. I know people whose friends lists on facebook are numbered in the thousands, and I honestly wonder how many of those people they actually *know*…

I mean, like really know. I’m as guilty as anyone. I have a large number (although, admittedly, not in the thousands) of friends on my list, and I’ll be honest, there are very few of them that I talk to on a regular basis. The thing is, I’m actually okay with that. I’ve stopped worrying about the number of friends I have; and am now more concerned with the quality of the friendships. I’m not saying that I want to become disconnected, but at the same time, I‘m not interested in acquiring a whole heap of new friends or followers, just for the ability to say that I have such and such number on my list.

Recently, I have been sad to have lost a couple of people, who I thought were good friends. I’ll be honest, it still hurts, but I’ve come to terms with it and accepted that this is just how things are going to be from now on.

One of these friends ghosted me when I told them about something that was really distressing to me. The other, a person in authority, as well as what I thought of as a good friend, simply didn’t take me seriously. I was left feeling hurt, and if I’m honest, betrayed.

But I digress. I’ve accepted that situation for what it is, and I’ll just have to live with it, but what I’m trying to say is that we should be really careful to choose our friends wisely. The thing is that friends can let us down, and probably will do at one point or another, because we are, none of us, perfect.

We really need to make sure that the people that we are talking to are people that genuinely have our best interests at heart. I know that my inner circle…. My seven people, have my best interests at heart. They always look out for me, and make sure that I am okay. This is not to say that they won’t call me out on things if I’m behaving in the wrong way, but even this, is done and said in love, and I always feel loved and supported.

The thing is that sometimes, friendships will simply run their course, and I guess that’s what happened to the two that I have recently lost. I really hope that this is the case, rather than that they never really were my friends in the first place.

I truly hope that’s the case. Either way, I am okay with it. It’s taken me a while, and it does still hurt, especially when I see these people, but at the same time, I have decided to have more respect for myself than to go on fighting for a relationship that clearly I am the only one to care about.

So, I want to encourage you to find your seven. Find those people, who make your life better, just by being in it. Find those people who will love and support and protect you. Those people who will laugh when you’re being goofy, and will tell you when you’re being an idiot.

Find your seven, and your life will be all the richer for it.