On Friendship

Source - Pinterest

Friendships are such a unique dynamic thing.  They come in all phases of our lives, are constantly evolving, ever growing and sometimes only last for a season.  At a certain point in your life, much like romance, age won't matter.

I have friends that are 20 plus years older than me that I just click with.  Many of these are friendships that happened in unlikely ways but have bloomed into friendships I treasure dearly.  These are the friends that have no inhibitions and are totally the people I discuss those things no one else thinks is dinner conversations.

Then there are the friends that are more than 20 years younger than me.  Several of these friendships started out almost in a mentorship way and with time grew into friendship built on common interests.  They're the friends that keep my heart young and challenge me to look at the world in new ways, the friends I push to be strong and grow their dreams.  Friends that I support and reassure, lending a mature ear they can turn to and open a door so they never feel alone.

Source - Pinterest

Let's put this on the table too...it's okay to have more than one bestie.  The shock!  I have two best friends.  Both of them are from different points in my life.  What's even harder for some to understand is that one of my best friends is a GUY!!!  Yep, a married woman with a male bestie that isn't her hubby.  This is the friend that knows all those juicy stories about me, the stories that can embarrass me at a party, but has been there through thick and thin.  The guy who told me the tough to hear things that made me a better woman.  My other bestie and I have a creative connection that grew into an amazing friendship that I wouldn't trade for the world.  She's the one I text regularly and share photos of creative accomplishments with.  The one who shares my intense love of Mexican food.  These are the two friends that are more than friends, they're family.  They're the best friends I can put miles or years between communication lines and still pick up right where we left off when next we connect. 

Life also brings us friends that are only meant to stay in our lives for a season or two.  These are the friends that I outgrew or have outgrew me.  These are the friends that years later, I still think about when I hear a certain song that conjures up a memory that makes my breath to catch in my throat.  These are the friends that I wonder about at odd times.  The friends that have taken a different path in life and traveled through my heart, leaving footprints and memories.

I feel like all of these friendships, and all the ones in between, help shape our character.  They fill the needs and the voids as we travel through our lives, lending support and encouragement along the journey.

Maybe a few of you are wondering why didn't I talk about my husband being my best friend.  The simple answer is because he isn't.  Don't go off half-cocked and get offended and find this statement appalling.  My husband is so much more than a best friend.  Our relationship is so much more intimate than any friendship I've ever had, could or would have had.  Soulmate is so cliche, but it's such a better definition of the amazing relationship I have with my husband.  I understand that many couples see their spouse as their best friend and I'm not saying that's wrong, I'm only saying that it's not how I feel about my relationship with my amazing husband.