Trust me, this is a tough one. I should know from experience. How are you supposed to tell who your real friends are? I mean seriously! There are more than seven billion people in the world who all potentially have the opportunity to meet you at some point in your life and possibly become your “friend”. Friend. That’s right. F-R-I-E-N-D. Definition of Friend: a favored companion. (Merriam-Webster)
Now, let me tell you somethin’. There are going to be many, many, many people that come and go in your lifetime. This is an issue that we all have to deal with. Do you look at this change as a bad thing or a good thing? Do you believe that everything happens for a reason? Because I do. I also believe in karma; what goes around comes around. So, if you find a “friend” and you treat them with respect, kindness, loyalty, and consideration, that “friend” should give it back to you. If they don’t, then maybe it’s not meant to be. Nobody needs to be treated badly, this is what causes havoc and destruction in our world. People not working together in a cooperative manner is bound to create chaos.
Notice how “friend” is always in quotation marks? Is that because they may not be your real friend? Back to the same question we began with. How are you supposed to know who your real friends are? Time can also be considered when thinking about friends. How long have you known this friend? Once you find a real friend, they can sometimes turn into best friends if you have known them for long enough. I have a friend I have known for about seven years now, and we are best friends. (*Note: It is O.K. to have more than one best friend) We have our ups and downs, but everything works out alright. If our friendship ever didn’t work out I wouldn’t want to loose her, but I would know it was meant to be. I have known her long enough to know that I can trust her. She has been loyal to me since the very start and we give what we get to each other; that’s why it works out so well. It is a balanced relationship. I’m not saying all friendships workout perfectly, because they don’t. Actually, they never will be perfect. It’s only human nature to have conflicts with people. Sometimes learning to dance in the rain is what makes us stronger. The sun is bound to come out sometime.
For anyone reading this out there, I hope this helped. Just a brief overview: look for respect, kindness, consideration, loyalty, cooperation, patience, and balance. Just remember: karma; what goes around comes around, and if it’s not working out, then maybe it’s not meant to be.