Friendship

I saw my friend Meli last night after much too long. Meli is someone I consider to be one of my best and closest friends. So why do we see each other once in a blue moon? She does live in CT but that's really not far away. My friend Vinny and I have been the closest of friends since preschool. Yet our conversations are scarce at times. Life gets busy, complicated with everyday BS. But eventually that just becomes less of a reason and more of an excuse.

Friendship is complicated, time consuming, and in large part requires a lot of effort. But it is worth the time it takes to nurture and invest in it. It is a relationship like any other and relationships always require effort. Of course they are worth it! Friends are important; often they are the most important. They contribute to and enrich our lives. They are our chosen family, people we love who love us, who we share our lives with. We fight, we forgive. They deserve our shoulders to cry on, our empathy, patience, experiences and our time. A friend does not abuse this relationship or dishonor it. A true friendship has only two essential requirements, in my experience: respect and love.

So if you haven't picked up the phone in awhile, or at the very least dropped an email to a beloved friend you haven't spoken to in awhile, stop reading and do it now. Life is frighteningly brief. And to quote someone who I need to drop an email or phone call to myself - "The most important thing in life is to be kind."