How many best friends are we allowed to have? Or maybe we should start by asking, can you have one all-time best friend in your life? Some American movies seem to make us believe that’s possible. Some have a best friend for night clubbing, other’s for gossiping, or going shopping. Some even have a best friend for having occasional sex. There seems to be a best friend for every occasion. For tech gadget freaks it’s mostly their smartphone or tablet or even favourite app. And depending on the age, you might end up having a new best friend every week.
Each of us has their own criteria of what a best friend should consist of. Some are high and some low. As in very low. If I were to think who among my friends I could name best friend, I wouldn’t be able to come up with an obvious answer immediately. Is there one single person that was always there for me, come rain or come shine. A person I could confide in my most secret secrets. And someone I know for sure would not judge or hold things against me. Someone who is as crazy as me. Who would push me to the limits and outside my comfort zone. Who would continuously make sure I won’t let myself down. Who would accept me the way I am with all my faults and still manage to see the good things in me. Well, the answer to that question is not the most obvious one. But it’s the only one that makes sense – to me at least. I am my best friend. And it’s good this way. For many reasons. Most importantly that I like myself despite my flaws and faults, and despite all the small things that drive me crazy about myself. I still like being me and I don’t mind my flaws. They might as well be my trademark and also the reason why my friends are my friends.
But sometimes it is not enough to be your own best friend. Or having just the 1, 2 or 3 best friends. Sometimes you need to be open and allow people to enter your inner circle of friends. Into the top ten and maybe turn the list upside down. Sometimes it is just important to allow the thought of someone being able to take over the best friend role for (un)limited period of time. Because every now and then someone comes along that manages to fill a gap that we were unaware it existed. And that friendship is unlike others, which makes it difficult to give tags such as best friend, good friend, soul mate etc. And maybe that’s just fine. They don’t need a tag. They are special to me.
So this blog post is in the end about the people that manage to become good friends, best friends, irreplaceable friends. Simply FRIENDS. The friends that not only come and go, but who stay forever in our hearts, even after they have left, moved away or simply said good-bye.
And while I’m writing this post, a soundtrack is playing in my head: Never let me down (Depeche Mode), My Friends (Red Hot Chilli Peppers), Out of sight (Hooverphonic), My friend (Groove Armada), Best Friend (Foster the People). Each one reminds me of moments shared with a friend. It’s their song. Every time I hear the songs; each time I play them in my head, I think of them. My friends. The ones that stayed. The ones that moved away. The ones that said good-bye and the ones I left behind. And of course all the ones that are still to come.
This blog post is dedicated to someone special. Someone that came and filled a gap. A big one.
womanitarians 