the SHIP of friend

Originally Published: Sep 3, 2014

We have all sailed on the great seas of life, but what keeps afloat is not material items, money, or prestige. We are kept alive by a certain ship, and that ship is friendship.

While those material items or status can create happiness, they cannot sustain happiness. There is no type of happiness like natural happiness, that which is created by a person or two people. Someone told me once, "If you find someone who makes you smile, don't let them go. Because this life is too short to not spend the majority of it smiling".

So, dear friend, I'm not letting you go.

You laugh at the dumbest jokes, put up with each other's worst moods, go along with the craziest ideas. You talk about each other behind their backs, but you have nothing but nice things to say. You tell them everything, and probably more than you should. You make each other laugh a little louder, smile a litter brighter, and live life a little fuller. You think their quirks are funny and their strengths are honorable. You allow each other to be completely themselves because you don't mind.

And most importantly, true friendship is not about being inseparable. It is about being separated and nothing changes. A strong friend is one who understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still allows you to grow. Understanding is greater than knowledge. There may be many people who know you, but only a few who understand you.

You, who I understand, and me, who you understand, will always be friends.

Sometimes the most ordinary things can be made extraordinary by doing them with the right people. That is why as I age (I know, I'm young), I realize it is not about how many friends you have, it is about how many real friends you have.

Today I reflect on my dear friends because no matter how inspiring or positive I may be, I would be no one without them. To my friends, you mean the world to me.

A strong friendship doesn't need daily conversation, doesn't always need togetherness, as long as the relationship lives in the heart, true friends will never part.

I encourage you to spread happiness today by honoring and respecting your true friends in your life. Tell them you enjoy them, that you love their jokes, and that you wouldn't be yourself without them. You have the power to make someone's life happy, so do it.

One true friend is all you need.

-Happiness in Handfulls