I awoke with a feeling things were not going to go quite right today. There was no need to feel that way, as going to bed held no hint of trouble at all. This was no time to linger, just time to get up and dress to prepare for what lay ahead. The house awoke in good order, yet this feeling I could not shake.
Suddenly, it began: feelings linked to a conversation from the day before, when I was challenged about the value and quality of my friendships. Should friends be perfect or flawed? Should we build a tolerance to stay friends at all?
A friend had asked me, “Do you have any normal friends?” It shocked me. My friends are my friends; if cruelty or lack of kindness crept in, a review would be needed for sure. If severe enough, they would be politely shown the door.
I looked up and said, “If you are an example, take a look in the mirror, because your life is certainly not normal. Yet you are one of my best and most valued friends, warts and all.”
A moment of stunned silence, as the words swung between us. With a twitch of the lips, grins, giggles, and laughter expanded, before she said, “You have made a good point there. In parts, I am a bit of a mess and, thinking about it, some of my other friends are, too. Yet we share the bad and good; we muddle along and still, our friendships hold.”
I said, “If our friendships were all perfect, how boring it would be, as there would be very little to say or do. The strength of friendship is shown in troubled and complicated times when we help one another. It is also there to join in and celebrate the joyous times because that is what good friends do.”
Time and distance do not break the ties; even in death, we remain true, retaining the memories of the wonderful times we shared, and telling others of them, too. I will always be glad for the friendship we shared through thick and thin, where perfection or normality rarely crept in.
With that conversation settled in my mind, a good mood arrived.
2024 © Penny Wobbly of WobblingPen
Photo: Pixabay License
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