Friends - Family Connections Experiment
Today's post is about friendship and friends, but I feel like I covered that a little earlier this week when I wrote about mentors. I was grateful for the questions in today's prompt because I wasn't sure where to start with this one and they helped to focus my thoughts.
What do you look for in a friend?
It's important to me to feel like a friendship goes both ways. What I mean by that is that I don't want to be the only one reaching out or trying to put effort into the relationship. I've had friendships before where I've realized I'm the only person reaching out and the other person would rarely if ever contact me. I hate to admit it, but sometimes I'm the one who is guilty of not taking the initiative in a friendship. No one wants to feel like they're expendable so I've tried to be more aware of that and be intentional about staying connected to the people that matter to me.
True friends are okay with taking off the mask and be vulnerable and real about what's going on in their life. No one's life is Instagram perfect all the time. There are friends who get and give the "everything's fine" version of life but the best friends are those who share the joy and peace in their lives as well as the nitty gritty stuff and aren't afraid to hear mine. The kind of friendship where you can talk about hard things is good for the soul.
I look for people who support me and who are happy when I'm successful. There's just not room for envy or comparison in a friendship. My closest friends are my biggest cheerleaders. They're proud of me when I do good things, they encourage me to keep reaching for my goals, and they're more excited for my successes than I am sometimes.
It's good when friends have at least a little in common, but the differences are what really make a friendship special. The common ground is a good foundation and the different perspectives and experiences make them interesting to me. It would be boring if I was surrounded by people just like me. Having friends who are different from me is actually really good for me. We have conversations about things I might normally think about - we learn from each other.
I look for someone who is funny and who I can have a good time with. Being silly, letting loose, telling jokes - those things don't come easily to me but I do love to laugh and have fun. I need friends who can break me out of my uptight shell, take off my shoes, and have a blast. I think that's why Jared (my actual best friend) is so good for me. He balances my serious side with his silly side.
Good friendships don't just happen and they're worth the work. I remember my mom talking to me one time about the importance of friends for women, especially as we get older. But it takes work to build a friendship and sometimes circumstances (like moving every three-ish years) makes maintaining those friendships difficult. There is also a friendship benefit to having such a nomadic life - more friends! More places equal more people and I've had some amazing friends over the years as we've moved from place to place. Friends who cared as much about me as I did about them, friends who were willing to be real with me, friends who lifted and encouraged me, friends who welcomed me into their lives and taught me important lessons, friends I could laugh with and cry with.
**Friendship Quotes from Good Housekeeping**
What do you look for in a friend?
It's important to me to feel like a friendship goes both ways. What I mean by that is that I don't want to be the only one reaching out or trying to put effort into the relationship. I've had friendships before where I've realized I'm the only person reaching out and the other person would rarely if ever contact me. I hate to admit it, but sometimes I'm the one who is guilty of not taking the initiative in a friendship. No one wants to feel like they're expendable so I've tried to be more aware of that and be intentional about staying connected to the people that matter to me.
True friends are okay with taking off the mask and be vulnerable and real about what's going on in their life. No one's life is Instagram perfect all the time. There are friends who get and give the "everything's fine" version of life but the best friends are those who share the joy and peace in their lives as well as the nitty gritty stuff and aren't afraid to hear mine. The kind of friendship where you can talk about hard things is good for the soul.
I look for people who support me and who are happy when I'm successful. There's just not room for envy or comparison in a friendship. My closest friends are my biggest cheerleaders. They're proud of me when I do good things, they encourage me to keep reaching for my goals, and they're more excited for my successes than I am sometimes.
It's good when friends have at least a little in common, but the differences are what really make a friendship special. The common ground is a good foundation and the different perspectives and experiences make them interesting to me. It would be boring if I was surrounded by people just like me. Having friends who are different from me is actually really good for me. We have conversations about things I might normally think about - we learn from each other.
I look for someone who is funny and who I can have a good time with. Being silly, letting loose, telling jokes - those things don't come easily to me but I do love to laugh and have fun. I need friends who can break me out of my uptight shell, take off my shoes, and have a blast. I think that's why Jared (my actual best friend) is so good for me. He balances my serious side with his silly side.
Good friendships don't just happen and they're worth the work. I remember my mom talking to me one time about the importance of friends for women, especially as we get older. But it takes work to build a friendship and sometimes circumstances (like moving every three-ish years) makes maintaining those friendships difficult. There is also a friendship benefit to having such a nomadic life - more friends! More places equal more people and I've had some amazing friends over the years as we've moved from place to place. Friends who cared as much about me as I did about them, friends who were willing to be real with me, friends who lifted and encouraged me, friends who welcomed me into their lives and taught me important lessons, friends I could laugh with and cry with.
**Friendship Quotes from Good Housekeeping**
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