Forever Friends

The power of true friendship is unlike no other bond. They are hard to come by, and should always be cherished. I pour my heart and soul into all relationships. There have been a handful of people that I thought were the forever kind of friendships, but they fell short of that. In those moments, I felt blindsided and ultimately disappointed that they did not hold our bond to the same level that I did. However, I have grown to realize that not everyone is meant to stay in your life. Hold onto the memories, and move on with the lessons learned.

You may encounter surface level friends who are invested in you only when they need something from you, but at the flip of a switch, they are nowhere to be found when you need the same in return. I am loyal to a fault. There have been instances where I offer my time, energy, listening ears, and advice to friends, but when it is time for me to need them, they are quick to just flip the attention back on them instead of being there for me. That is when you need to start to weed out those who do not have your best interest at heart from those who do.

It took a long time for me to realize I was friends with certain people who took advantage of my kindness and loyalty. What stung the most was having friends who were supportive of you if you were on their same level, but as soon as you accomplished something greater than them and were excelling and thriving, the support was replaced with animosity and jealousy.

“We’ll be friends forever, won’t we, Pooh?” –asked Piglet

“Even longer.” –Pooh answered

Seek those who celebrate your wins with you. True friends are your biggest cheerleaders. You are always grateful to have them by your side even when your paths may be different. If everyone were on the same journey, life would be boring.

I have friends who live minutes away, hours away, and states away, but no matter how often I see them, I know that we have mutual respect and love for our bond. The greatest kinds of friendships are effortless and pick up right where you left off each time you reunite.

In recent years, I have focused on the quality of friendships over the quantity. You want to be surrounded by friends who pour the same genuine energy into you as you do to them. I instantly think of the TV show Friends. The characters on the show are friends, but feel like family. They may not always see eye to eye and get on each other’s nerves from time to time, but they are always there for each other no matter what life throws their way.

I am beyond blessed to have the friends that I do. I have established loyal friendships ranging from meeting in Kindergarten, high school, and college, to past and current jobs. Each friendship is so unique and special to me that I would not be the person I am today without them by my side. You need to be selective when it comes to your happiness, so choose to do life and make endless memories with friends who selflessly love and respect you through all the highs and lows. Friendships are a two-way street. You deserve friends who add value to your life and empower you to always shine.

Remember to stay humble and kind, always!

A big shout out goes to one of my best friends, Carly, who submitted this topic on my website as a suggestion for me to write about. If you have any ideas you would like me to consider diving into, please let me know. I would love to hear from you!

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xo –Jess