Friendship

We go through life having interactions with others in many different situations. From all of these interactions we can learn something new, things that can help guide us through our increasingly complicated lives.

All of these interactions – what I call “life events” – have the ability, possibility and potential to be life CHANGING events. Often it all comes down to circumstance and/or our openness and awareness to opportunity.

Similarly, the people we interact with each day and in any given situation can, and invariably will, have a level of impact on our lives and who may become part of the fabric of our lives without us realising.

When we were born the doctors, nurses and others brought us safely into this world but although we don’t see them again they are the ones who got us here. After that, we went home and were amongst the people closest to us – our family. I was fortunate enough to have grown up with 6 siblings. Over the developing years, our families have an enormous effect on how our lives pan out. They taught us, they fought us and they brought a love to us that, whilst perhaps rarely put into words, is always there and you know it.

Equally as significant in our lives are those few people that we call friends. Sure we meet lots of people throughout our lives but only a select few can be counted truly as friends. These are people who, like our family, are there to support you unconditionally. They pick you up when you need it.

I am extremely fortunate to have such people in my life and to have spent the past week with a small selection of these who I know have my back and for whom I would do anything if they asked me to. These people know me, and pretty much know everything about me – what I’ve been through or are going through. I trust them implicitly with my inner secrets, my hidden demons and my successes. They don’t judge. They give honest advice when I need it, wise counsel if it seems I’m heading down a rocky path in life and love that is akin to a brotherhood. These people are my friends.

I feel like a burden to them sometimes but knowing I have them to lean on when life gets hard is an enormous comfort. I hope I am just as good a support to them.

For me, the secret to true friendship is honesty, care, trust, faith acceptance and a love for that person or those people just as they are. They will do the same for you. FRIENDS.