Friends

I was considering recently what friendship is really all about. Friends are more than acquaintances, and some of life's most enduring relationships can be found here.

It is a term that means different things to different people. For some, those they play golf with, or bridge, or attend movies with, are considered friends. For others, the idea runs much deeper.

The concept of 'fair weather friends' was coined to name people who cheerfully are part of your life when you are popular, or wealthy, or part of their 'group'; but who leave you flat when you are no longer convenient to them.

On the other hand, there are people who, even if not seen often, stay in your life as friends for decades.
What does it take, to be a friend?
This is a poll, exploring what friendship means to you.

I know a lot of people but there only a few people I would call my friend. One in particular I have known since elementary school. Boy did we ever give those nuns hell. When in school my friend wasn't too good at math and I helped him out with some answers and the teacher pulled me aside and said to me, "you aren't going to be there to give him the answers all his life." Well, a few years ago I get a phone call from him asking for some help with some math questions his daughter had for homework. I told him what the teacher had told me so many years ago and we both had a good laugh over it.

I am lucky enough to have quite a few people I can depend on through thick and thin, at any time . There is no way I could ever have gotten as far as I have in life without their shoulders to lean on now and again, and there is no better feeling than returning the favour when they need it...

greg

friends what are they? i wish the poll was multiple choice.. you can not just bulk what a true friend is in one sentence.
a friend is someone who accepts you for what you are and you in turn do the same
a friend is someone you can call at 4 am no matter what
a friend is someone whom will allways be there rich, poor, sick or ill
a friend is someone you can sit with and absolutely talk about nothing and it's okay
like i said friends can not be described in one statement
many things make a friend and as much as they are there for you whatever the reason you are there for them unconditionally
a friend is someone whom isnt afraid to tell you to shut up and you do not get mad
and they are the ones that tell you its not the jeans that make your ass look fat its your ass that makes your ass look fat... and it's okay
its about honesty, respect for each other and many other things
it's about past memories and future situations
and this is something that a true friend also gets in return from you .... for no good reason except just because
i have many acquaintances, i have many friends but i am very selective about what i would call a best friend(s) and i only have a few of these. you guys know who you are (some read this forum others do not).
over the years as i have gotten older i have realized the differences and what they are and what they mean to me

Well said, Robin. I agree.

I thought the thread was multiple choice.... I selected all I liked along the way, but wasn't paying attention... silly me.

Yes, a friend is a lot of those things on the list.

I've had some really good friends along the way in life. Lost contact with some that I wish I could find again (and have tried via the internet, but must not be good at people searches)...

I had one friend who used to be a "punk" in high school, we became friends shortly after we both graduated. She had a profound influence in my life, and I was one of her bridesmaids when she finally married. Lisa Gildenberg.... she married Mark Burt. Wonder if I'll ever catch up with them. The one thing that keeps me hoping is that someday my old friends will try to find ME. Because, DANG, if I'm not one of the easiest people to find on the internet. You put my first name in a search engine, and you get some novel written about a land called sasheena, and you get my work in a number of different areas of interest.... sunflowers, centaurs, fiction, etc. So someday my friends from the past, who care, will find my information and get back to me.

Friends are people who are there, not always and forever, but there while you need them and for whom you are there also. Friends make a difference in life.

My best friend ever is of course my husband. He is a quality man! Beyond that, my best friend is someone I've never met. We started to correspond over MICE of all things, when I began to raise them for my snakes, and our conversations have covered every topic under the sun. We email several times a week. We've been emailing over 3 years now. She doesn't even HAVE any more mice or snakes, her interests have changed, but we still talk with one another via email quite frequently.

A friend wow... you could have many or a little, but no matter the situation there are some guide lines people like to stick to.

No matter how mad a friend makes you by doing something that they don't know that it bothers you before yelling at them try to thik what they might be going through and how rough life might be for them at that time.

Never break a promise that shouldn't be broken and if you feel that you can't trust yourself to keep that promise then don't make it.

You can live your life with out them a while but if you get tired of waiting for them to call you everyday or meet up with you-you must remember that they are not the only place you can find comfort.

There are many other ones I can list but if I keep listing all of them I have a fear that the list will never end, but before I stop remember be true to yourself and your friends.

Very well put, Madison...