Special friends

The other night I was chatting to a friend on Skype and we got to talk about friendship and special friends.

It all started with a chat she had with a very special friend of hers and the feeling of having a friend that is always there for you no matter what.

For me there are three kinds of friends; friends, real/good friends and special friends. Everyone needs friends, but not everyone has the same need of friends. It’s important to be surrounded by people that you enjoy, trust and respect and that do the same for you. That makes you rich. Amongst these people that you call your friends there is a few that you know a little bit better and that you have a different relationship to then the others. These are your real/good friends. Then we have the special ones. They are not that many, but they are very important to you in some way. These are the ones knowing you inside and out and are still standing by your side when the wind blows, those who loves you and care for you no matter what…

The tricky part is not to find friends; it is to keep them… and to find out whom to trust to be your special friend. Who you can share your darkest secrets and your happiest moments with without using them and draining them.

My special friends are very important to me. I have a few, a handful or so, that I call my very specials, and them I care about and love lots. I could walk to the moon for some of them, but it’s important to not overdo it. Be there, but not interfere. Care, but not overprotect. It’s like a balancing act.

The most important in any friendship is to show who you are and allow people love you for the true you.

Yesterday, with this chat in mind, I got reminded of another kind of friendship and love, the unconditional love you get from animals, and how close we are to our pets.

A friend, a special friend I must say, contacted me to tell me she had to put her dog down earlier that day. I know the feeling of doing that and it is the worst ever. You feel like you are deciding for someone else’s life and that is horrible. Even if your pet has tried to tell you for a while how ill or hurt they are you still have to decide when to end it. That is awful. But at the same time you know you’re doing the right thing for the animal. Keeping it alive with pain and sickness would be cruel and selfish, but it is still a tough decision to make. A decision based on a lot of love, trust and respect – something you can only get from a very special friendship, whether it’s a human being or an animal.