THE LUXURY OF FRIENDSHIP

When life looks like it has had all of the colour leached out of it, and my daily life has given me a low blow, I know that I can count on my true friends to shake me out of my ennui. Not only do they not accept my pallid world view at the moment, they remuind me in irritating ways of recent Pollyanna-ish statements made by me.

The luxury of friendship is that is is truly organic. We share common experiences, can have arguments and then keep eating lunch together , and know each other well. for years, and still be surprised by our mutual or separate changes and caprices.

Within friendships there are  important requirements. That is care, watering and tolerance.  We may not like what our friends say, but we are given the same freedom to express our thoughts when our buddy secretly believes we have been reading too many esoteric self-help books.

The luxury of friendship is knowing we are loved,and loved firmly and well. Our success or failure, our status (single or attached) and our monetary wealth only concern our friends because they want us to be the healthiest, strongest and most prosperous. They want us to be doing well because they love us.

The greatest expressions of friendships are small things like remembering what we like, knowing that we are hurting and attending to us quietly, and without words.  Real friends cannot wait for you to come back from wherever you were, and when your friend comes back from somewhere, your heart feels a peaceful contentment.

Whether you are a sidekick, a childhood friend or long time compadre of any man or woman, always remember that they are treasures in your life. Never put anything before retaining tried and true friendships, because these have the power to sustain us through extraordinary hardship, pain and suffering. These special relationships also make each breathtaking, proud and triumphant moment a little sweeter. The downside is that a really good friend will also remind you of every silly thing you have said or done just when you need to be humbled. Friendship is a luxuriant, certain and accepting bond that we had best nurture.

"Friendship is never established as an understood relation. It is a miracle which requires constant proofs. It is an exercise of the purest imagination and of the rarest faith."
- Henry David Thoreau