Originally posted here

Notes From Your Dad

friends

Dear kiddo,

Hope you are having a good day in moms tummy. Today we had the pleasure of seeing some really great friends from back home, Brett and Allyson. Brett asked me to be a groomsman in their wedding! Of course the answer was a “heck yes!” (Brett was also in your mom and I’s wedding.) I have to say that I’ve met few people in life as genuine, caring, and excited about life as Brett.

Anyway- driving away from seeing friends as great as these has me feeling nostalgic. I wanted to share some thoughts on friends with you. A lot of people will come in and out of your life, and I want to help you distinguish real friends from everyone else.

1. Friends are there when you need them. If you get a flat tire at 2am or you need help moving on a Sunday when football is on,  real friends are the ones that still show up.

2. Real friends are in your corner. Friends want to see you succeed. They cheer on your successes. They hope you get that promotion, they are excited when you get engaged. Anyone that isn’t happy when you win is not a friend.

3. Friends are loyal. A friend will stick by your side, even when you make a mistake. If you screw up- look around. The people still standing by you are real friends.

4. A friend knows the real you. You can be yourself. There is no need to impress. You can sit in silence. Conversation is easy. You can tell the real story, the whole story. They get it.

5.  Friendship is timeless. No matter how far away you are, or how long since you spoke- a real friendship picks back up right where you left off. No matter how much time has passed since you saw each other, once you are together it’s like no time passed at all.

6. Friends know what you need to hear. If you are having a bad day- they know what to say. If you are having a great day- they know what to say.

7. Friendship isnt always sunshine and roses. You can disagree, argue, or even have a little tiff, but a real true friend is still always there. You can make each other grow by showing each other different sides of an issue.

Maybe Cookie Monster had the simplest way of knowing who real friends are, “Sometimes me think- what is friend? Then me say, friend is someone I share last cookie with.”
My best advice for you on this topic is: don’t waste your time with fake people. Be genuine. Live fully. Be yourself. Only invest yourself into people who do the same for you.

Hope this helps,

Dad
Here’s us with Brett and Allyson today.