They say if you go through life and you can secure one or possibly two good friends, consider yourself one of the lucky ones. You see, it's not always the norm to have a good close best friend. I emphasize the words, good and close, because those are the kind of friends that we are talking about here, not just friends in general. Let me explain the difference.
Most of us have friends. General friends are co-workers, neighbors, or the people at the gym. These are people that we see quite frequently, and have built up relationships with them just because we see them on a regular basis. We chat, laugh a little, but our conversations are very superficial. Just the surface kind of talk, "How's the wife and kids?", "Did you catch the game the other night?", "Did you hear about Tim?" This is conversation that you can have with anyone at any time. It doesn't go very deep.
Someone comes along and you just start to click with them. You find your conversation going very easy and smoothly and most of all, it starts to get a little bit below the surface, but it's OK. You don't really mind it, as a matter of fact, you rather enjoy it. You talk about things and start to reveal yourself to this person, on a very different level, and it feels very good to you.
Now if this is someone of the opposite sex, you might enjoy a date or an evening with them, where you will just spend hours talking and listening and the hours will just fly by. You actually like being with them and you don't mind listening to all their stories, because you find that you want to know all about them. They are interesting and you both have a lot in common. This kind of friendship could go on to walking down the aisle of holy matrimony , but that is not the friendship we are talking about either.
I am talking about when all this stuff occurs between people of the same sex, and I don't mean gay. I mean when a bond starts to develop between two individuals and grows into something that is literally unbreakable. There are many stories of these strong friendships that have lasted and gone through what none of us could have ever dream of.
Sometimes these friendships start when we are young and they build and build over the years and last until death, or maybe they start as we are older and go on from there. Wherever and however they start, there are certain qualities and characteristics that have to be in the mix for these kinds of friends to be considered good and close.
1. Trust
Without a foundation of trust, there can be no friendship and there is no bond. No kind of relationship can last without trust. Trust is never given, it is earned and it must be kept and guarded like a precious and valuable diamond. Trusting your friend that you can reveal what is deep down in the recesses of your heart, and that person will never divulge those secrets to anyone else, nor use that information as a weapon to hurt you. It is only between you and them.
2. Dependability
A good friend is someone that you can call on anytime, anywhere. They won't ask all those stupid questions, (at least not right away), but they will come running to your aid. Because of your friendship, they have earned the right to ask those questions and because of the trust between you both, you can tell them ever ugly detail. They will never hate you for it or use it against you.
3. Honesty and Integrity
I think this is a very real important ingredient. Having earned the freedom and the right to be able to be brutally honest with my friend, and telling them what I think and what I feel, without hurting their feelings. Remember, this is a friend. You love them and only want the best for them, so let