Has anyone ever asked? Who is/are your true friend(s)? What makes a friend true? How many smile at you because they mean it? How many console you because they’re truly concerned? Paulo Coelho said in his book an advice which goes something like this, Beware of people who come to you only when you fall. These people are the ones who love to watch you fall. True friends share both the good and the bad times with you.

I agree with the beloved author (to a certain extent). I agree that true friends share both the good and bad times together with you. These are the people who are truly concerned about you. These are the people who will be your best buddy and go through thick and thin with you. Yet, how many of these people are there? I know they are few, and can be counted with one hand, but isn’t their scarcity what makes these friends precious gems?

Forget about people who call you their ‘best friend’, then hurts you so badly in the end, you thought you should just die. Forget people who think they are your ‘best friend’, yet you fear to share with them your secrets, and vice versa. Forget people who say they are your ‘best friend’, yet they forget about you most of the time. Forget people who want to be your friend to take your advantage. Forget those that only come to you when you fall. Like what Paulo Coelho said, these people are those who enjoy watching you fall. Forget all these people. These people are false ‘best friends’.

Look around you, who will always be there with you? Who are the people whom you know you can always turn to? Who is the one you would love to share your joy and happiness with? Who would laugh with you, cry with you, and laugh and cry with you at the same time? Who will bring the best out of you, and would protect you and would never even bear the thought of harming you? If there is such a person, or if there are such friends, count your blessings. And of course, treasure them more than anything else.

Such friends are so hard to find, I believe these kinds of friends are just too perfect. But being the idealist that I am, I do believe that such friends exist. Most friendships fade with time. After a few months, maybe a year, friendships will fade. The strong bond that used to be there has somehow disintegrated. And although you hope and wish and try to bring back that bond, you know that it will never come back. Then, when you try to talk to the friend whose friendship with you has faded, you find that you don’t know what to talk about, anymore. It’s like that most of the time, isn’t it? I guess it’s also our fault that we didn’t do anything about fading friendships. Most of the time, there’s nothing you can do about it. What is gone will never come back.

I’m proud to say, I have one best friend! Myself! It’s not egoistic. Ultimately, you’re the only one who will always be there for yourself. Isn’t it? Maybe in the future when I’m grown up, a dog is a woman’s best friend. =D