Category: Friendship

Posted in Friendship

Man’s Best Friend

Posted on by flamingirl6

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” –Anatole France

People always say that dogs are man’s best friend, but I don’t think that it’s entirely true.  I think saying dogs is too narrow.  It’d be more accurate if it was pets in general.  They’re all different, but cats, dogs, fish, rabbits, ferrets, lizards, snakes, and any other animal that is a pet is man’s best friend.

Your pets are there for you when no one else is.  They’re loyal and will never abandon you.  They don’t see your flaws because to them you are perfect.  They idolize you.  They don’t judge you.  They love unconditionally like a person never would.  It makes sense that they’re your best friend because you are their world.

I have always loved animals, but being away at college for so long without them made me forget how much comfort they bring to my life.  My roommate brought a cat into our apartment that I bonded with and became very close to, but then, she ended up getting rid of it.  Since then, I have found it very difficult to go back to life without a pet.  I just felt a lot better when it was here.  It brightened up my life and made it seem more bearable.

This experience also made me realize how important animals can really be to people’s health and well-being.  It seems like it’s common now for people to have emotional support animals.  I mean you’ve always kind of seen people taking animals around in places like nursing homes to cheer up patients, but now having personal emotional support animals is a common thing as well.  I think that animals can really make a difference especially when it comes to helping with mental illness like depression and anxiety.

“Animals are such agreeable friends—they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms.” –George Eliot

Having an animal around helps with my issues.  When we had the cat, I had something to look forward to when before I dreaded getting up and going back to my apartment. I didn’t feel so alone there was always a living being there that I could talk to even if it didn’t answer back.  It made everything in my life seem easier and less overwhelming.  When I would start having a meltdown or crying, the cat would jump into my lap and purr and let me hold it, and it calmed me down.

I realize maybe having a pet isn’t a need.  It’s more of a want, but I don’t think it is crazy to want something that can have such a positive impact on your life and your issues.  I mean it doesn’t fix everything, but it sure helps.  In this crazy world, everyone could use the comfort a pet provides.

-Love, Dee

Posted in Friendship

Choosing People

Posted on by flamingirl6

“Friendship is so weird. You just pick a human you’ve met and you’re like, ‘Yep, I like this one,’ and you just do stuff with them.”  -Bill Murray

I find it so strange how people just randomly come into your life whether it be a friendship or relationship.  Friendships don’t just appear either.  I mean you know a person and gradually over time you become closer, and at some point you just look over and realize that they’re really your friend.  You can never really pinpoint the exact moment something changed; it could have been any moment.

I don’t think it really starts off as a choice because you don’t choose to meet new people.  It just kind of happens.  I think that certain people are meant to be in your life, and the universe has a way of pushing them into your path.  I mean I’ve met people and just been drawn to them.

“I have learned that friendship isn’t about who you’ve known the longest, it’s about who came and never left your side.” -Yolanda Hadid

Friendship, at least for me, is separate from time.  I’ve met people and felt like I’d known them my whole life after only a couple of weeks.  Friends just become such a big part of your life that at some point you can’t imagine going back to before they were around.  It would feel like an episode of the Twilight Zone if all of a sudden they weren’t in your life.

Time is an irrelevant factor.  People I’ve known for a couple of months or a year can care more than someone I’ve known for ten years.  It’s all about choice.  Whether you choose to be there for someone even when it’s hard and make time to for them even when you are busy.  It’s about whether you choose to stay or walk away.

In the big picture, it seems so weird.  You meet a stranger form a connection or bond with them, and then you spend time together.  You learn about each other, and make memories.  You remember all the random details about this person, and know their life story.  When a short while ago, the two of you were complete strangers.  You don’t even really realize you are choosing them you just do.

I suppose they’re is something that draws you to the person in the first place like maybe their sense of humor.  Maybe you are drawn to their personality because they are more like you want to be whether it be their ability to be realistic or outgoing or maybe their optimism.  Maybe you choose them because they remind you of yourself in a way or because of similar experiences you’ve shared.

No matter what it is, you subconsciously choose this person.  You choose to trust them and let them into your life.  You choose to make memories with them and to be there for them.  You choose to love them for the strange individuals they are.  Most importantly, you choose to let them change your life.

-Love, Dee

 

Posted in Friendship

The Branches of Friendship

Posted on by flamingirl6

“There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature.” ― Jane Austen

I don’t mean to sound like I’m complaining with all the bad.  There is a lot of good in my life it is just hard for me to focus on it.  I do have a lot of great people I call friends in my life that offer me a great support net in all my endeavors.  I love every single one of them, but I find that our relationships vary drastically as well as the parts of my life I discuss with them.  When I think about it, I have six extremely close friends.

Two of these friendships are with people I’ve known for years and started in high school even if they became stronger after it was over.  Although I am ashamed to admit it, both of these people I have also turned my back on at times.  At the time, I somehow reasoned it would be better for both of us, but eventually realized I needed them.  Yet, even though I disappeared on them, they both welcomed me back into their lives.  I don’t talk to either of them everyday but they’re always there when I need them.  The first of those friends has supported me through a lot of major meltdowns and seen my all time lows, and I have in turn seen his.  If he hadn’t been around, I don’t know that I’d be here today.  The second of those friends is like my conscience.  He tells me the brutal truth even when I don’t want to hear it and even when it hurts because most of the time he’s already experienced the same thing.  These two know my history better than anybody else even if they don’t know the more minor details of my present or ever really see me in person.

The other four friends are more recent since I’ve been in college, and I see them usually at least once a week if not more.   They are the ones I go on adventures with and laugh with and escape my troubles with.  They make my life better just by being in it.

One of them I bicker with constantly, but we still care about each other all the same.   We complain to each other and can relate to each others issues.  The second friend is a newer friend, but that doesn’t really make that big of a difference.  I can text him for hours having deep really thoughtful conversations that are usually a bit on the morbid side.

The third of these friends is the one I consider to be my best friend even though sometimes we are polar opposites.  She’s the optimist and I’m the pessimist.  She was the cheerleader, and I was the nerd.  She’s the person who has a high self-confidence where I have no self confidence.  She’s so bubbly and friendly where I am quiet and antisocial.  We share a lot of interest which is part of the reason it works, but we also can act extremely goofy around each other.  I’m a different person around her.  I’m happier, and I don’t think about the bad stuff so much there isn’t really time.  We jump from one thing to the next so quickly.  She gives me a completely different outlook on life.

The fourth of these friends is a little different from the rest.  He has seen a lot of the different sides of me.  He’s seen me really energetic and happy, he’s heard all the details of my past, we can joke and laugh about everything, but the biggest factor is he’s been there for my complete meltdowns when I have an anxiety attack both in person and on the phone, and he just talks me through it always staying calm.

I mean there have been rough times with all of them, but friendship means sticking together through it and forgiving.  It means not abandoning them when they need you.  Sometimes it’s hard and painful, but in the long run, it is worth it.

“The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for.”  ― Bob Marley

Friendship is one of the biggest joys in my life.  It makes me feel like I am a part of something, and that maybe I’m not so alone in the world after all.  They help me carry on when I just want to give up.  I love my friends for everything they do and everything that they are.

-Love, Dee