Friendship

By Sue Rice

In his creed, Paul Cummings encourages all of us to live life to the fullest. It is important to realize that the people we choose to surround ourselves with help make our lives complete.

The phrase, “To improve the quality of my life, to learn more, laugh more, care more, share more, and risk more,” relates to friendship in so many ways. As I look over the past 25 years of friendship with my very best girlfriend, I realize exactly how important our time together has been to my very fulfilled life.

The quality of my life improved the very day I met her. I was one of the first people she called after moving to Chattanooga with her two-year-old son more than 25 years ago. Over those years, she taught me how friendship could enrich my life and others around me.

To Learn More: I learned that true friendship is possible. I learned how important it is to take the time from a busy schedule to nurture the bond of friendship. I also learned that it’s not the amount of time you spend with your friend, but the thoughtfulness and caring nature of your relationship. Just taking a minute to call or text every day to celebrate the good, and the not so good, will help strengthen the bond of friendship.

To Laugh More: Yes, I learned the joy of having lots of friends and of enjoying the simplicity of gathering with them and sharing triumphs and struggles. The enjoyment of stories and laughter over a meal or a glass of wine reminds you that you are never alone. Friends bring their friends because of the contagious laughter and soon you always have buddies to explore life’s journey through travel, dining, and great conversations.

To Care More: True friendship rests on the practice of genuinely caring about your friends just like you care about your family. Life should never be too busy to pick up the phone or write a note to your friends. You never know how a friend’s life can be strengthened by simply knowing that you care about them. The fact is the more you care about your friends, the more your friends will care about you. It’s quite an amazing feeling.

To Share More: Sharing is the most important part of friendship. True friendship is about sharing emotions, knowledge, skills, and our true selves that the outside world rarely sees. Of course, best friends share even more of their true identity. Confidentiality and trust are crucial to maintaining these conversations and deepening the relationship between friends. Sharing life’s adventures is so much fun!

To Risk More: Through true friendship I learned how important it is to listen to my friends and what is most important to them. The bond of true friendship is strengthened by getting out of your comfort zone and sharing important conversations and activities, and allowing yourself to be completely open to the friends you care about and who care about you. I accepted the invitation from my friend to zip line off of a 3,000-foot mountain in Colorado. It was the craziest thing I had ever participated in, but I had made her a promise and knew I had to follow through. That was quite a bonding moment when we made the first jump! We both survived, and we have had many laughs about our crazy adventure.

True friendship improves the quality of your life and that of others. Encourage others around you to live life to its fullest.