A Trip With Oprah This past weekend I was leaving Oklahoma, heading back to Dallas with Kim and Holly, when we began talking about a subject that has been in my head ever since. It wasn’t a topic of controversy, or a conversation of deep thought. We were talking about friends. Kim mentioned something that Oprah recently said about having true friends. Everyone needs one great friend. Someone who is honest to the core. Someone you trust, someone you can laugh with, cry with, travel with, etc. Just an all-round true friend.
Kim asked Holly and me if we had any REALLY true friends. Ones we could count on at all times. Ones who would tell us the truth, even if they knew it would hurt us. As I sat there and thought about it for a few seconds, three friends instantly came to mind. Two of those friends are my mom and sister. I asked if they counted and Kim just shrugged.
If they count, then my mom and sister are definitely two of my best friends. I know they’ll be brutally honest in any situation. They love me for who I am and for who I want to be. Hands-down, I laugh the hardest when I’m with my mom and sister. If I had to pick one person in the world to travel with, it would be my sister. She and I have the best times on our trips. She and I are complete opposites, but we’re completely the same! I know it sounds crazy, but that’s us! My mom and I are much more alike. I know that I can talk to her about anything. She always has the right answer. It might not be the answer I want to hear, but she knows exactly what to say. She’s who I want to talk to after a bad day and who I want to celebrate with on a great day.
If my mom and sister don’t count, then I can really only think of one friend that I would call my constant, true, die-hard, honest friend. She’ll tell me like it is, no matter what, I’ll get an honest answer. She’s seen me laugh, cry and a combination of both. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve been mad at her. We’ve argued, laughed, shopped, traveled, cried…the list goes on.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I have a lot of friends that I count as great friends. I’d even call some of them best friends, but those three stand out as my constants. So, what about the people who don’t have those kinds of friends? I don’t know what Oprah said about it, but I’ll agree with her when she says it’s important for a girl to have a friend like that. I’m not sure what I would do without my friends. It’s tough to imagine. Anyway, that’s been on my mind this week. I hope you are all blessed with friends.
2 comments:
Knowing that that little conversation I instigated has made you think all about it all week has truly made my day! I take great pride in the idea that I can challenge people to really think about some things, so thank you for that!
On another point...I really enjoyed this entry! I honestly don't know why, but I really did! I REALLY liked the title too...smart, very smart!
This entry has really inspired me to blog about this topic, as I had wanted to blog about those "5 Types of Friends Every Girl Should Have" that I was mentioning to you from the Oprah magazine, so I plan to do that soon....maybe tomorrow or this weekend. But don't worry...I'll link it to this great blog!
great thoughts, Jen.
I definitely think that true friends are a necessity in life. The problem is a lot of people may not realize (as I did not realize) that they dont really have "true friends." Those friends who are real with you to the core about you and themselves. The ones who will walk with you, call you out on things, laugh with you, cry with you, and pick you up out of the mud and keep walking with you when you fall. It is a totally different kind of friendship, one that I had not experienced until very recently (outside of my relationship with my sister).
On that note, I do think that family counts. My sister is my best friend, period. She always has been. Most people who know me, know that. Now, I have close friends who I refer to as best friends, and they are, but it's not the same as the best friendship I have with my sister. I am me, totally me, with her at all times. I hope that I am me (as much as I can be depending on environment) with everybody. I dont like being fake and I dont like others being fake.
There are a small group of friends that know me really well. And I am continually reminded of thei love, loyalty, and commitment to me. It's a blessing beyond my ability to express with words.
As always, thanks for your thoughts, Jen. Blessings!!
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