great-friendI can probably count my great friends on one hand.

John.

Greg.

Brett.

Larry.

Those are my truly great friends, friends that I can rely on no matter what. Friends that I can vent to and expose who I really am. Friends that I know will give me good advice that’s non-biased and not self-centered at all. The friends above-mentioned I talk to on a regular basis.

Sometimes more than others. I’ve got another friend named Brian who’s pretty amazing, too. We don’t talk as much as we used to, but I can always rely on him for so many things.

Notice that the words that I’m using here are rely and be seen. A true friend actually sees who you are. A true friend will call you out on your shit and a true friend will be there no matter what. A true friend is somebody that you can literally call in the middle of the night and know that they will show up. A true friend will kick your ass when you need to have your ass kicked, and a true friend will tell you when you’re wrong or when you’re making a stand for something that, well, doesn’t exactly suit you.

I do love the friends that are in my life. I have a lot of acquaintances also, and I do like my acquaintances. My acquaintances are people who I’m friends with, who I don’t see that often, but when I do see them, it’s a really good time.

I’ve always been somebody that has many friends. Because to me, it’s nice. My brother used to make fun of it. He used to call me “friend of the month club” where I would meet somebody new and I’d have this great friendship with them, but only for a month or two.

To me, a friend is also somebody who you can learn a lot from. So they may be just a friend of the month and maybe somebody that just might come into your life for a period of time. And you’ll learn some things from them. You’ll learn some wisdom, you’ll take some information, and then you may no longer be friends with them again. And there’s nothing wrong with that. There’s lots of people like that that come into your life. I never have enough friends, but yet, there’s a lot of times that I’ll spend most of my nights by myself because to me, spending time with somebody is  giving away the gift of myself.

So I spend a lot of nights on my own, which I’m okay with. But true friends will really hear and be there for you. Think about your true friends, not your Facebook friends, and ask yourself this question: Would this person be there for you when you had no money left, when you were emotionally done, when all your shit hit the fan? Would that person be there to bail you out as a friend should?

I’m talking about somebody as a real friend, not somebody who is trying to get things out of you, because a true friend will actually listen, a true friend will actually be there for you. It’s funny, there are certain people in my life who think they’re my friend, but they’re really not. They don’t listen. It’s all about them, so they like the friendship because it serves them, because I’m there listening to them, I’m there to do things their way. But in reality, true friendship works both ways. To give, to take, it’s not draining at all.

All my friends that I have, they don’t drain me, they don’t drain my energy at all. They’re just really wonderful people that I get to spend time with and get to call a friend.