SUNDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK.

TRUE FRIENDS = A HAPPIER LIFE

by Carmel Rowley

“LIFE IS TO BE FORTIFIED BY MANY FRIENDSHIPS. TO LOVE, AND BE LOVED, IS THE GREATEST HAPPINESS OF EXISTENCE.” ~Sydney Smith

I know first hand the importance of friendship, and after the month we endured during February I can hardly imagine my life without my wonderful and unique friends. It’s a revelation to learn the importance of friendship and another welcome discovery how opening your life to real friendship offers us all the opportunity of a happier life. I firmly believe in the importance of friendship as something that simply cannot be overstated because among many other things it assists us to become more successful people. The trouble is, in our rush to make money, achieve success, find the meaning of life and goodness knows what else, we often forget about making friends.

We should never forget that true friends always improve our lives. We all have friends who are casual, close, a best friend, a realist,  the carers, the jokers, a motivator or a role model. But some friends will be more, the right friend can help us feel worthwhile. Life with real friends is somehow better, they share virtually every part of our lives, the funny times and the devastating losses. Life becomes more tolerable or full of happiness when shared with friends. The sound of a friends voice when you pick up the phone can instantly make you feel as if the sun has begun to shine from of a thundery sky.

None of us should forget that for a friendship to be real some factors are important, honesty, faithfulness, loyalty, being a good listener, love, having ideas and interests in common, and to a lesser degree, age and intelligence. Mind you we’re all able to learn these characteristics. Generally in time we can determine who are real and good friends especially when we’re unhappy or when real support is required. A true friend always has your best interests at heart, and will not turn against you in jealousy, for example, when you have success. Jealousy, according to Shakespeare, is a ‘green-eyed monster,’ and most of us have experienced its destructive force in one form or another in our lives. It leaves in its wake shattered emotions that can take years for some to come to terms with.

Even though we all know the pitfalls, we also know that real friendship is vital throughout life. For children, true friends offer peer interactions that may not be present in their home, especially for an only child. For the elderly, friendship offers a feeling of being wanted and useful in their twilight years instead of feeling alone and isolated.I for one cannot function well in my daily life without my true friends. To gain and keep real friends learning to be sympathetic and empathetic helps to bring friends closer together as does, sharing concerns, and debating how to be the kind of friend for others, that you want others to be for you. This thoughtfulness helps to increase the possibility of befriending those who share personal values. This in turn gives us a better chance to predict a long-lasting friendship.

A real friendship is essential to everyone of us in our daily lives. Both adults and children need true friends, new friends and long-time friends. We all need at least one real friend, but to have many is cause for huge celebrations and a happier life.

“Friendship is like an old book, when you turn its pages you experience lots of familiar emotions, only to realise,  after sharing the best and the worst of the story, you still have the same outcome – love.”~Carmel Rowley 

Thank you to all my wonderful friends, I probably don’t tell you often enough how much I love you . Carmel xxx