Monday, April 4, 2011

Thoughts on Friendship

Friendship has been an aspect of my life that I've learned so much more about these last few months. I think the word friend has been distorted especially in regards to facebook. On facebook I am "friends" with a lot of people who I don't really know, people who I haven't seen since high school, the person who I took one class with in college and never saw again. Perhaps the word friend on facebook should be replaced with person I meant at least once. 

Before my ankle surgery, before the break up, I saw my friends mainly as people who I did stuff with. We would get together to watch the football game or go shopping. They were around if you wanted to do something.

After my surgery, after the break up, I gained a new perspective of what it means to be a real friend. I've always been a very independent person, rarely asking for help, and sometimes feeling frustrated when I do have to ask for help. As a result of not being able to walk and being totally depressed I had to ask for a lot of help. Friends became people who were there when you needed them, whether it is sitting on a couch holding you while you cry for hours, forcing you to eat something, or taking you to Hobby Lobby to buy projects to keep you busy.

I've developed a new idea of friends and I hope that I live up to this idea to people who I consider my friends.

Let me give you one example of an exceptional friend (she also gets a nod, 'cause she's a follower of my blog). A few weeks ago, I was really sick, stomach bug, eww gross.  About 6 pm on Sunday night, I decided that I needed to go to the urgent care. I was so sick; I wasn't going to be able to drive myself. So I called my friend Gloria; she dropped everything she was doing and came over, drove me to the doctor, sat there while I got checked out, drove me to school to set up my sub plans, went to walgreens with me to pick up some soup, and then dropped me off back at my house. She went above and beyond being a friend. So a few days later, when I had recovered from being sick and was back at school, I left a thank you card on her desk. She later said to me, "that's what friends are for".

Being a friend isn't about you do this for me and I'll do that for you. Its about being there when you are needed whether its to go out and have fun or to sit on a couch and cry. Thank you to all who have been wonderful friends; my world wouldn't be the same without you.