Real Talk with Chris – Segment One – True Friendship

Good morning everyone. Today I am featuring on my blog my son Christopher Anthony Best. He started a segment called “Real Talk with Chris” and I think he has some insightful information that can help in inspiring us. Be blessed.

“A true friend should motivate you to become a better you.”

- Christopher Anthony Best

The question of the day…What do you consider a true friend to be in terms of the qualities they should possess etc.?

Yesterday my true friend said that you can have a friendship where you give nothing and the other person gives nothing in return. You are all just there for conversation. My response to that was, “that’s not a friend, that’s an acquaintance! A true friend should motivate you to become a better you. Be real with you in times when no one is. Be able to tell you anything without you ridiculing them or placing judgement. A friend should be able to make exceptions for you because you are their friend.”

The conversation continued with me explaining further what I thought a true friend should be while my friend listened ardently. I said, “Some friendship flourish so well that the friendship status is left behind as they become family. This kind of friendship can only mean you now trust and love this person enough to do anything for them and would expect that they do the same for you.”

After some discussion I explained to my friend how important true friendship was to me, “Having experienced no contact with my friends for weeks and even months, when we do ‘link up’ and talk, it is not as if we lost our connection, but we understand that life is happening and we don’t always share the same things in life, which means that my free times may not be their free times. Also, we may have significant others who also need time with us, so whenever we make time to ‘lime’, we ‘lime’ and no one holds a grudge or is mad because of that person’s life activities.”

I admonished my friend however, “if you constantly go out of your way for a friend, to make him or her happy but when you ask for the same in return and there is always an excuse, the odds are that person is not really your friend, but just using you at his or her convenience.” I explained that a true friend should be able to do the following: “respect the time you give them. They should respect the relationship you have with other people. Therefore the time spent with your significant other should not be held against you. Respect must be shown in male/female friendship by both parties, with each knowing their boundaries and friends should not bully each other into getting what they want.” On that note, my friend and I concluded our conversation with the understanding that true friendship was more truly special.

                             - Christopher Best