What is a “best friend” really? I mean, I would go out on a limb and say that we all have them, we all have someone who is super close to us and who knows the ins and outs of our lives. We have that person, maybe our “2 a.m. person” that we could call in a heartbeat, and they would pick up. Maybe you have that one person who is there for you day in, day out, at your worst, at your best, and when they come over, they know right where to find the ice cream (or maybe wine).
Is the “best friend” a mythical person?
For me, the answer is heck no. A best friend (or best friends) are real, very much around, and very much ready for me to call, text, Marco Polo, visit, or chat at any time.
I have met a lot of people in my 37 years. I have met some people who I thought were best friends, and I watched them take advantage of that title, share some of my most important details with others, and I’ve seen them walk out of my life. That’s okay. Maybe they should have been just a friend, or an acquaintance, but their presence taught me something about myself, that’s for sure.
Does your best friend know you as you know yourself? Maybe they know you sometimes a little better than you know yourself? I have close friends, and I’ve come to learn that some of my life long friends are still the ones I hold dear in my heart. I might not see them every single day, or talk to them every single day, but they are always there.
Maybe your best friend is like a sister or brother. Perhaps they’ve been a roommate, a mother figure, an annoyance, an enemy, or maybe they’ve been “your person” despite the distance and craziness of this thing called life. I know that I’ve had some of my best friends, those in my “inner circle” tell me the truth when I didn’t like it, when I didn’t want to hear it, and I know (now) that they were only doing that to help me, to keep me grounded.
Best friends take adventures, you get to have a road trip and eat all kinds of fun car-junk food (circus peanuts, only if they are squishy), and you get to belly laugh with them until you snort. You make plans, and then sometimes life happens and you have to cancel those plans. Above all, your best friend never really leaves your side.
I’ve had friends who have been there for me in dark times, sad times, times when I felt like I had no one at all, coworkers, close friends, they picked me up when I was down. I could cry on their shoulder, eat the crap out of chips and salsa, and they never wavered, they never left. They ate and cried right along with me.
My favorite thing about my BFF’s, besties, sisters from another mister, is that despite the time, we can talk as if we haven’t skipped a beat. We can catch up on life, kids, the good, the bad, the ugly, the juicy, husbands, other friends, work, and you know what–there’s no judgment, there’s just us, the time we have, and we talk, we laugh, and maybe we eat…
Without all of these VIP’s, I wouldn’t have made it through all these ups and downs in my life. I’ve learned that in my adult years, the later years of life, I’ve made friends through work and school, and I couldn’t have survived without them. I wouldn’t have known there was light at the end of the tunnel, I wouldn’t have realized that you can have a life in and out of graduate school (and also survive grad school), and you know what (here comes the cheesy factor)–I probably wouldn’t have made it without my husband, who is my BFF, too.
That’s right. A best friend doesn’t share your DNA, agree with you every step of the way, but your best friend can be like your shield, the one (or ones) who have your back no matter what, who be there for you with the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful, and all of the times in between.
Sam is my partner in crime, my ride or die, my bestie for life. I know he’s in my corner despite the moments when I might be unbearable or when I seem unlovable. I also have a group of besties–they support me and love me, and will also always be there for me no matter what, and no matter the time and distance.
Take some time to appreciate your friends, the ones you are lucky to have in your life, and keep them close. Reach out, send a quick text, a card (maybe even a Christmas card), and let them know how much they mean to you, and how much you appreciate them.
