What Makes A Good Friend?

It may be because of all the tension in the air but I have been pondering the question of "What Makes a Good Friend?" Being in my 50's I have had many friendships. Good ones, Bad ones, temporary ones, permanent ones and ones that passed through and left something behind.

I did some research on what makes a good friend. Good friends can listen, are approachable, are trustworthy, avoid negative gossip about others, selfless rather than selfish, loyal, make time and can sensitively tell you something about a sensitive subject. Of course there are many other items that comes up in the research but this is the short list.

Some friends that have passed through my life that I wish could have stayed longer, but it takes time and it is the giving of time that really builds a relationship. In this busy world, that is a commodity. What I have found is that I have ended up with fewer friends because of time or the lack of and it can be painful to weed the friendship forest so you can keep the healthy ones...the ones where there is give and take, laughter and where you feel safe to be sad.

What I do know is that after watching the news yesterday in the next five years, you are going to need all the balanced friends you can get. I will be spending time nourishing those I love.