Some of the most important relationships people develop in their lives are friendships. Individuals are all different and value different qualities in their friends. According to NatNews dear readers, some of those include grace, trust, authenticity, loyalty, empathy, being loving and supportive, positivity, appreciation for memes, and fire-making ability.
Dallas-area resident Bill Smith said that what he looks for in his friendships has changed over the years, but nowadays, he truly appreciates when his friends are loyal and empathetic.
“As a parent of a special needs child, it became important for my friends not only to be there for me but to understand having to reprioritize plans,” he said. “Oftentimes, it was due to situations I wasn’t capable of expressing.”
In that same regard, Smith tries to ensure that he treats his friends similarly, understanding that while friendships are important, sometimes life hands people events and circumstances that they feel they must try to handle alone.
“I can support you and do my best to be understanding without needing an explanation,” he said. “My understanding of your situation is not as important as you knowing that I am here to help when and if I can.”
For Arinda Cale, who lives just outside of the Dallas area, she appreciates when her friends show up authentically and hold the information she shares with them.
“I want to know who I’m friends with, not just the version of you you show the world,” she said. “And I’m a pretty open book, but I like to decide when and how to share information on what’s going on in my life.”
In return, Cale does her part to be genuine in her friendships, as well, especially now that she’s learned the value it brings to her life and those around her.
“I want to say I always have, but I’m sure when I was younger, that may not have been the case with people outside of my close circle,” she said. “I prioritize being the friend I would want.”
For some individuals, including Dallas-area resident Cali Hoffman, there’s an inclination to gravitate toward qualities that are part of their own personalities.
“What I value most in a friendship is trust because things might happen in life to where you’re more comfortable sharing something with a friend over a family member,” she said. “I value support because you should be able to lean on each other as friends. I value humor because you have to have good friends you can laugh with until you cry, because that’s the best!
Like Cale, as a friend to others, Hoffman makes concerted efforts to be the type of friend she seeks to have in her life.
“I like to make sure I am a good listener to my friends when they just need to talk or are in need of advice,” she said. “And I hope I do a good job at applying the same qualities toward my friendships that I value in a friendship.”
The way friendship is viewed is not the same in every individual background. For Dallas-area resident Emmanuel Amadi, such a relationship carries extremely significant value.
“To preface, friendships are seen as the cornerstone to one’s destiny in my culture (West Africa),” he said. “So, the qualities of the friends I keep have always been major to me. These are the three non-negotiable qualities: honesty, humility, and self-awareness. I believe a friend or my social ‘network’ is a direct reflection of myself at any point in time.”
Because of the importance friendship carries in his life, Amadi tries to have positive impacts on his friends every chance he gets.
“This basically centers on me being truthful, encouraging, and generous to my friends,” he said. “Simply put, you always want to be a ‘light’ and a beacon of hope in their lives. Importantly, you want to respect their boundaries.”
Regardless of what qualities an individual values in his or her friendships, these relationships can play integral roles in a person’s perspective and overall well-being. Hoffman said she appreciates all of her friendships, especially at a stage in her life in which families, kids, and jobs often take priority.
“Friends are in our lives to help us grow as adults and to be people to lean on outside of family,” she said. “I have a very small friend group, and not all of my friends are in the same group, which I like. I cherish each friendship I have, even though I don’t see my friends as often as I would like.”
Like Hoffman, Amadi said he believes that the individuals with whom he surrounds himself in life truly help him be the person he strives to be.
“The ability to cultivate fruitful friendships is essential to what extent you can thrive in today’s world,” he said. “Friends are a mirror through which you can see and share life’s journey.”
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The NatNews staff and a precious dear reader hung out with fake Taylor Swift Sunday afternoon at Community Beer Co.