I’ve been through a lot of relationships in my life. And when I say relationships, I also mean friendships. Some of them were good, some of them were bad, and some of them were ugly. And when I say ugly, I mean really hurtful and destructive.
I’ve met people who’ve made my blood curdle, I’ve been friends with people who seemed kind and truthful, but ended up being the biggest manipulators of all time. I’ve met people who were there for me for a short period in my life and then left without saying a word.
But, despite it all, I was somehow blessed to meet and connect with amazing people who came into my life and quickly became my everything. For that, I’m thankful beyond words.
You know who you are. You make my life complete.
And from what I’ve learned throughout this beautiful journey called life, true friendship takes work. It takes sacrifices. It takes immense efforts to make it last forever.
As you grow older, you begin to realize that life isn’t that carefree, live-in-the-moment experience anymore. You start noticing that the more the candles on our cake, the busier life gets and the harder it is for you to keep your relationships alive and fresh.
But, if I’ve learned something valuable, that’s the fact that best friends aren’t necessarily the people we’ve known the longest, or had the most fun partying with. No, it doesn’t work that way.
Best friends come into our lives, stay with us through thick and thin and most importantly they SHOW UP.
They show up on your birthdays. They show up at your parties. They show up at your door in the middle of the night when all you need is a warm hug and a comfy shoulder to cry on.
They show up at baby showers just to keep you company even though they hate being a part of those ceremonies. They celebrate your success as if it was their own.
They support your choices no matter how silly they are. They show up at reunions because they’ve missed you more than words can tell. They show up at dinner parties because they promised.
They babysit your kids and stay later than usual until you come back home. They look after you. They go to your parent’s memorials even though it’s a 3-hour drive out of the city.
They sit with you and listen to your struggles. They support. They protect. They celebrate with you. They challenge. They care. They simply show up.
Even when life is challenging them with the weight of their daily responsibilities, real friends always find the way and they make time to SHOW UP.
I don’t care how busy and chaotic your life is, the most important thing you can do for your friends is SHOWING UP when they need you.
And, it is in those precise moments that one realizes who matters the most, and who’s there simply out of convenience.
In life, you’ll be surprised by people who show up and the ones who don’t. Sometimes, even the ones who show up and promise to be there forever, end up leaving you without saying a word.
That’s why the key to long-lasting and healthy friendships is to let go of all those people who keep letting you down and hang on to the ones who keep showing up if they are the people you truly want in your life.
You need to guard your time and invest in healthy relationships. Even if that means having two, or three best confidants in your life. As long as the people in your life, are people you can completely rely on at any given moment, you are truly blessed.
Life is too short to waste your love on people who don’t deserve you.
Count your blessings.
Quality over quantity, forever.
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