What is a Friend?

Have you ever wondered what makes a "friend" a friend? 

William Arthur Ward said that, "A friend is one with whom you are comfortable, to whom you are loyal, through whom you are blessed, and for whom you are grateful." 

My co-worker recently brought this to my attention, and I thought why not make it a blog? So of course I had to look up the definition of the word "friend" and this is what I found: 

Friend (noun) = a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard, a person who gives assistance, a person who is on good terms with another, etc. 

So, now that you have that definition in you head, are you wondering which one to choose? Because I certainly am. 

When I looked up this definition, I started thinking about all of my friends and how I came to the conclusion that they had become one of my "friends". BUT then I also got to thinking about the different definition of MY term for the word friend. 

Because I have many. Terms, not friends.  

There is the best friend, the good friend, the friend, and the acquaintance. At least, in my vocabulary book of friends.

For me, I only have one or two best friends because those are the ones that we share all our secrets to, stay up late talking on the phone (or texting now-a-days) under the covers, and tell about almost all of our minuscule crushes to (because you got to save some good stuff for mom!). 

So, what makes a friend a friend? Honestly, I have no idea. But it sure is a good question. I mean, after all I have over 500 friends on FaceBook, but only really talk to about five on a daily basis. And even then, there are friends that I talk to on a daily basis that don't even have a Facebook. The definition of a friend on a networking site, such as Facebook is a sad way to make yourself look popular and well-liked to others who are stalking your profile. 

This is only an observation. 

My co-worker also made the off-hand comment about how much work it takes to keep a friend. I mean, really...now that I think about it. It really does take a lot of work. Blood, sweat, and tears baby.

A lot rides on the definition of friend. I hope you found this interesting a topic as I do. 

Think about who your friends are. Think about why they are your friends. Think about why there is a difference between a "good" friend and just a friend. Think about maybe why there even is a difference. Are they a friend or not? 

As ever,

Stephanie