Just Bein' Us

Do you ever have those days when all you want to do is cry? Do you know what I mean? Maybe it’s been a hard day at work with your boss breathing down your neck screaming that deadline at you for the twenty-fifth time, or that ex that doesn’t understand it’s over for good, or your mother calls and tells you she’s coming to visit for a week. Days like that can drain the lifeblood right out of us and can be so completely exhausting, and sometimes the only thing you want to do is cry (or watch Titanic with steaming mug of hot chocolate but that never seems to solve the problem the way tears do). Luckily, many of us are blessed with amazing friends in our lives. There are those people in our lives that would do absolutely anything for us: kick that heartbreaker’s ass, pick us up from the party we never wanted to go to, or even come over in the middle of the night to dry our tears when we found out “THEY” were back together. Yes, some friends would do anything for us. But be cautioned: when you find one, don’t ever let them get away.

Recently, I’ve gone through some “friendship break-ups”. These times are not easy; in fact, they are heart wrenchingly horrible and something I would not wish on my worst enemy (who probably was my best friend at one point in time. That’s just how the world works. Don’t ask me why. I don’t make the rules!). One of my best friends has a solution to all of my problems. Honestly! She told me to find a new friend. Doesn’t that sound so simple? Find someone who is worthy of your time and actually wants to talk to you and make them your friend. Now, I’m not sure about you, but that really scares me! How do they make this sound so easy? Just go find another friend to replace the loser that lost you. I don’t think it’s that simple!

I like to think there is a list of qualities in a friend to look for before they can be called a “friend”. (As you can tell, this is not a word I use lightly!) What is my list of qualities you ask? I know that’s what you are all thinking, so I’m going to tell you! A friend should be someone who genuinely cares about you, wants to spend time with you, provides quality advice, and, most importantly in my mind, makes you laugh. Now, if you combine these qualities with the standard dependable, reliable, honest, and trustworthy characteristics, I think you’ve found a pretty good friend! Not only did she have a solution to my problem, The Goddess Athena (as she prefers to be called), also had a friend suggestion! You guessed it! She just so happened to have a younger brother about my age, Johnny. To make a long story short (what I meant to say is that I will skip all of the awkward moments and just get to the good stuff), Athena was right! Johnny and I hit it off and before I knew it, I considered him one of my best friends.

I think there comes a point when you just know. That is probably the best way to explain it; you just know in your heart that this friend is going to be yours. Maybe it is in the way they care about you by asking how your day was, or sending you that text message that put a ridiculous grin on your face for no apparent reason. It could’ve been how they talk just like you by putting “lol” after every single phrase in the text messages even though no one is really laughing and “ha ha” when they actually are laughing, or how the Facebook poking war will never end and the Bumper Sticker rally will fill your page! Somewhere along the way, you realize this person wants to be in your life. Isn’t that a great moment? Does life truly get any better than when someone tells you they want you to move to their city/town/village because you live too far away and they want to see you more often because distance sucks? How good does that make you feel? On top of the world? Yeah, I thought so! There is something about that person that makes your heart smile, just like it did the last time you were this happy. Trust me; those people are the ones worth fighting for. It’s not every day someone can make you truly happy.