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I think a lot of our so-called “problems” would be fixed if we all practiced a bit more mindfulness and gratitude. What would happen then is that, the aforementioned problems wouldn’t necessarily go away—we’d just realize they aren’t really issues. One thing we should all be more grateful for is a truly good friend. It’s those close relationships that make life worth living. At the end of the day, what matters more than how that presentation went or how that date went is having a good friend to laugh about it (or cry about it) with. Whatever happens, having good friends to share in the aftermath with makes it all worth it.
Life has a way of distracting us from recognizing just how valuable those few, really good friends are. Other people come around, vying for out attention. This new professional friend shows up—she’s exciting, well-connected, and thinks you’re some sort of genius. Your ego responds highly to that. Your high-society, social-climber comes along, who has access to every VIP event in town, and wants to bring you along. It’s hard to pass that up. But, honestly, none of what I just described is what makes up a truly good friend. These surface-level friendships will never make you feel as satisfied as your deeper friendships do. You’ll outgrow these.
So it’s critical that you take a moment to count your real friends. You know that no matter what changes in your life—from your job to your boyfriend to your geological location—these friends will still be there. You know that they know who you are, beyond the superficial layers of money or social status. If you lost them, you’d feel an emptiness like no other. So don’t lose them. Here are traits that are rare to find in a friend (so hold onto them when you do!)
She accommodates your eccentricities
You know what they are. You always talk a little too much to the strangers next to you at a restaurant, you sing out loud (very loudly) when you’re listening to headphones, you will only try things on in the changing room furthest from the rest of the store and will wait until it opens up, even if it takes a while. Things like that. You have your quirks. They don’t make your friend mad. She finds them endearing and funny.
