FRIENDSHIP
FRIENDS OF A
FEATHER STICK
TOGETHER
BY JESSALYN HANDOJO
D
on’t walk in front of
me, I may not follow.
Don’t walk behind
me, I may not lead.
Just walk beside me and be
my friend. Most of us have
friends, or at least one friend -
someone we spend time with,
someone who knows us better
than others do, someone we
can count on when the need
arises. It’s been said that a
friend is a gift that we give our-
selves. Yet, how much time do
we really spend thinking about
those people who matter more
to us than all the other people
we meet and interact with
throughout our life, sometimes
including our family? And most
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importantly, how do we know
they are not toxic to our lives?
Have you ever heard of the
quote, “One bad apple spoils the
whole barrel?” This saying is es-
pecially prevalent in friendship.
Because of bad influences and
negative effects, these unsuit-
able companions can change
our behavior, actions, and
thoughts. The article I am writ-
ing today addresses these three
key features: how to spot the
difference between friends, how
to keep your relationship going
with your friend, and finally, on
helpful tips and behaviors you
should avoid doing to your friend
if you wish, as all of us do, to
prevent conflict arising.
A good friend is someone
who supports you, cares for you,
helps you with hard problems in
life; someone who gives helpful
advice, someone who doesn’t
judge you, someone who doesn’t
gossip about you behind your
back, someone who listens to
your problems without com-
plaining and someone who loves
you for who you really are.
Here is an example of how a
good friend might respond to a
situation: You got an F for math
and you are really upset with
your grade. You call your friend
and tell her/him how you feel.
They comfort you and give you
some great advice on what you
could do to improve. A friend
will remind you that a bad
grade simply reflects where you
are in your learning and it does
not mean you are a failure as a
person. They don’t say that you
are dumb or stupid, but instead,
they support you and offer to
help you out!
In contrast, bad friends are
people who come with a facade
of care, but instead destroying
you the closer you get to them.
Characteristics include inat-
tentiveness to your problems,
judging you, and not sharing
times to listen to your issues
and dilemmas. It can be difficult
at times to connect the dots of
who sums up into a bad or good
friend, but most importantly, you
have to look inside your heart.
Deep inside, a instinct will ignite
and tell you whether this specific
person is toxic or not.
Throughout the many unique
and individual experiences I
went through, the friendships
I made were one in a million.
These friends shaped me and
formed me in so many ways.
I have learned unfathomable
amount through friendships as
well as accumulating a lot of
personal growth. The signifi-
cance of friendships in my own
life has taught me essential
lessons: an open mind, respect,
growth, and has given me a
strong feeling for who I am.
A relationship is required to
be reciprocal to turn into friend-
ship. That relationship only
A good friend is
someone who supports
you, cares for you,
helps you with hard
problems in life
evolves when they all love, un-
derstand, and trust one another
equally. A friendly relationship
between people with strictly dif-
ference outlooks and views are
almost impossible. What makes
friendship so special is that it
turns stronger with care and
maintenance. In the same way,
disrespect towards it fade and
destroy it away. Friendship in
disparity doesn’t last very long.
In order to maintain friendship,
it must be valued and handled
delicately because treatment
towards friendship determines
whether a friend is a genuine
one or fair weathered.
Friendship is undoubtedly
a heavenly thing. Life is color-
less and slow without a friend.
Though real friends are not
easy to find, a real friendship
with a good person is a precious
gift that could be a great sup-
port for a lifetime.
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