The Importance of Friendships

Don’t take them for granted.

Over this past weekend, I had a thought lingering on my mind for the past couple of days. It is the importance of friendship. For me, it is easy to forget how vital those long-term relationships could be. I go through periods where I don’t want to see friends or speak to them. It’s nobody’s fault but my own. I tell myself often, “You can get through life with no help.” It’s safe to say this thought is completely wrong and having great friends is as valuable as anything.

Over the weekend, my girlfriend and I traveled to San Diego to celebrate our sixth anniversary. We have multiple friends from our hometown who live there and suggested we spend together while we were down there. My girlfriend was open to the idea since we don’t get to see each other much. Leading into the weekend, I was skeptical of the idea. I was worried it would take away from our short time there. I was pessimistic about the situation for no reason. It was a dumb thought.

I bit the bullet and agreed we should all hang out, and I admit I was wrong about the situation. We had a phenomenal time together. We caught up, ate fantastic food, laughed, and cried. The last one was a joke, but all the other stuff is true. It’s selfish of me to think I would have a more enjoyable time if my friends were not around. It’s stupid if we’re being honest.

Many of my friends have moved away due to jobs and school. When they come back home, I make excuses for why I don’t have time to see them. I’ve developed a habit of not seeing them. The friends that are around I don’t see as often as I should. I’m bad at reaching out. Seeing these close friends made me realize I am grateful for their friendship. I’m lucky to have the friends that I do.

Now that I’m back home, I feel happier. I’m an introvert through and through, so being social takes a lot out of me. It sounds pathetic, but it’s true. Speaking to people terrifies me, and being with a group of people for hours at a time is draining for me. One of my close friends is back home for a while, and we’ve seen each other the last couple of days, and it’s great. He’s a professional basketball player, and although his life has changed drastically, our friendship hasn’t. As I get older, I’m learning to cherish longtime friendships.

Having close friends with a strong bond is super important. I’ve written stories on Medium about how my family and I are not on speaking terms. I’ve learned to have my guard up almost one hundred percent of the time. This is a character flaw I need to shake to grow as an adult. I need to remind myself constantly, “Not everyone is out to get you.” I’m proud of myself for not being a baby and seeing my friends over the weekend. Any introvert knows the thought process of seeing people. It seems to start negative, but then we get through it and realize we had a great time. If you have opportunities to see long-time friends, don’t miss out if your reasons aren’t valid. You will regret it, and they won’t forget. Then you’ll ask yourself, “Why don’t they call me anymore.” Trust me.

Related posts:

You guys probably know about unit tests. A small, atomic test that covers the smallest unit of logic you can manage. I bet you also know about integration tests, where you test your system across…

Foster is one determined woman. As an immigrant from Slovakia who came to Britain as a nanny, she knows from personal experience that most Britains think immigrants are disposable. That’s why she is…

The beat never stops in this Amazon original drama set in Berlin. Jannis Niewoher plays Beat, a DJ who's reluctantly drawn into an international arms ring.