One True Friend

Have you ever asked yourself what true friendship means?

Having the same interests? Growing up together? Going through thick and thin? Having similar personalities or the same goals in life?

To me, true friendship means to be able to trust them to have my back, no matter what. No judging, no belittling, no fear of getting betrayed when you aren’t paying attention for a second.

A true friend is a person you can tell all your secrets to, and know that they are safe with them.

They make you feel safe and comfortable.

When you think of someone to ask for advice, they will be one of the first people to pop in your head.

They know all your good and bad sides and acknowledge the change you have gone through while still remembering who you were before.

They will call you out on your wrongdoings or any bad decisions you might be about to make.

A true friend will always be honest with you, not in a hurtful way, but in a way that can help you assess your situation in a better light.

We all change with time and the experiences we have in life.

I am extremely lucky to have such a friend in my life since I was still wearing diapers in kindergarten. We’ve been through all the phases of our lives together, even when we haven’t been able to see each other in person much since I started attending boarding school in 9th grade.

Now I’m almost 23, and just last week, we called each other and talked for two hours about everything that was on our minds. Life, university, relationships and other less important things.

But the most important thing is that we talk to each other when something is bothering us about our friendship.

Communication is key. A phrase that most of us have probably heard at some point in our lives. And it’s true.

I didn’t realize it before, but having a serious friendship with someone is like being in a serious relationship with your partner — minus the romance and the intimate parts.

It’s just as important to communicate clearly about things that bother you with your friends as it is with your spouse.

True friendship will stand the test of time and change as long as you trust them to communicate openly with you and vice versa.

As we’ve grown and matured, we’ve learned that patience is truly a virtue and that words of affirmation (“I love you!”, “You are important to me.”, “I don’t ever want to miss you from my life.”), are things that keep a great friendship alive.

To me, it feels like a one-in-a-million chance to find a true friend who will stay with you all your life, and I for sure can say that I am immensely grateful to have found such a wonderful friend very early on in my life.

I will do everything I can to keep this friendship as beautiful as it is today, and even when we change year by year, I know that we will be able to overcome any obstacles that life may throw at us.

We’ve made it this far, and I’m sure that when we’re fifty, we will still be calling or visiting each other, talking about life, work and relationships, and looking back gratefully at all the wonderful years we’ve spent with together.

This one’s for you, my best friend.

I love you!

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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