The Friend That Everyone Needs

Most of us have a lot of different types of friends. Neighbors. Co-workers. Parents of our kids’ friends. People we see at the gym. Even our parents and siblings. Having a wide circle of friends of different types is good for us.

And yet there is a certain type of friend that we all need to have. If you have one of these friends, I hope that you will share this post with them because they need to know it! Email it to them. Post it on their Facebook wall. Pin it and tag them. Even leave their name in the comments if you want! Let them know how much they mean to you, because I don’t think most of us do enough of that.

The type of friend that we all need is that friend that builds us up instead of breaks us down. They don’t have to be of the same religion, political party, or even gender. In fact, sometimes the differences make us even stronger.

We don’t usually see the best in ourselves. In fact, we usually tend to be pretty critical. We all need that friend that reminds us that we are beautiful inside and out. Who notices when we try a new lipstick and cheers us on when we want to get bangs. The one who notices whether we lose or gain weight but only mentions the first one.

We all need that friend who will listen to us both laugh and cry and hug us when we do either. A friend who understands when we we talk whether they should respond and play Devil’s advocate or just nod their head in commiseration.

We all need a friend who doesn’t judge no matter what kind of choices we make. Good or bad, whether they like them or not. They understand that our choices are a part of us and they help us navigate through them.

This friend isn’t jealous of you having nice things, success, or even other friends. Because your friend wants the best for you.

We know that our friend will make mistakes, just like we do. And when either of us makes a mistake, we work through it together and it makes us stronger.

The great philosopher Christopher Robbin said to Winnie the Pooh (or maybe it was their writer A.A. Milne) “Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” We all deserve a friend like that.

Friends like these are rare, and yet we all need (and deserve) one. Or two. Or ten. Just remember when you find these friends that YOU need to be that friend, too.