Vanakkam,
One of the greatest gifts in life that many people don’t realise is having a true friend. How many times have you been in a difficult situation when everyone was against your decisions but that one friend who has always stuck around you? Sometimes it can be hard to identify a true friend as you have so many friends around you but you should never confuse people who are always around you with people who are always there for you. Some friends might mind their own business when you need them the most just because they can’t be bothered or because they want to save their own ass. A true friend will stick around even then, and try to find a solution for the situation, talk to you, calm you down and tell you everything will be fine because they care so much about you.
My dad always told me that true friendship is not about talking to your friends every single day or seeing them everyday. It is about them being there for you when you need them the most, that you can count on them no matter what. When I was a bit younger I thought that was complete rubbish because I thought I need to talk to them every single day, otherwise they wouldn’t stick around but I have now realised that my dad couldn’t be more right.
I met my best friend 3 years ago just after I moved to England at a youth camp and I actually started talking to him after the camp and found out that he lives literally at the other end of the country. But that didnt stop us from being friends. Over time he legit has always been there for me, if it was for making decisions, helping me to write my CV, resolving problems, helping me with maths, proofreading my work, giving me advice from a dad’s perspective, helping me find what I want to do in the future. From the first second to today, he has been like an older brother that I never had. I consider myself very lucky to have him in my life. Over the 3 years I have seen him exactly 5 times, we don’t talk every day and it feels like I have known him my whole life. I know that I can count on him and that he will be there for me no matter what. He is the truest friend I’ve ever had.
I have also surrounded myself around people who I thought were my friends, I talked to them often saw them frequently but realised very late that they aren’t actually my friends. They can be backstabbing, might talk to you just as a time pass, dont actually care about you and can disappear from your life in a split second. Some ‘friends’ might also only contact you to get the most recent update about you so they can tell other people or see joy in your failure which makes them feel better. And if they need you they’ll come back to you for selfish reasons.
The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart. Just Remember you dont need a certain number of friends, just a number of friends who you can be certain of 😉
Love,
Mariiamazi x
Levitha Mariam 