Friday, December 5, 2014
A Good Friend is Hard to Find
Good friends are very hard to find. Besides the obvious, there are a few health benefits that come along with a good friend. There have been some studies that show that having friends lower your risk of developing dementia. Some say it is related to the mental exercises that your mind does when “juggling” many relationships. Other studies show that having good friends add years to your life. Good friends also lower stress, aid in recovery from illnesses and help you stick to your healthy habits. In short, having positive relationships/friendships in your life are a crucial part in maintaining good health.
Let me start with my childhood friend. I remember one day, I was about 8 or 9. It was a beautiful summer night in Brooklyn. I was hanging out at the gate of my stoop (the front steps of an apartment building) and I saw this scrawny girl with braids rollerskating by. I was very shy (and sometimes I still am) so as much as I wanted to play with her, I never tried saying hello. So she said it for me, and I am so glad she did. She asked me if I wanted to play, and from that day on we were inseparable. Like with any friendship, we had our disagreements and even stopped talking for a while. I believe it is all a part of growing up and discovering who you are and what is important to you. But we made it through and to this day we still keep in touch. She is probably one of the realist people I have ever met in my life. When I need brutal honesty I can always count on her. There are so many things I admire about her. She is funny, confident, strong, determined. Well, the list goes on and on. The fact that I have been living in Florida since 2001 and we still managed to keep in touch say A LOT. No matter how busy I get with my everyday tasks, she always reaches out and reminds me that life is too short to just focus on work. She is that person that I can always count on. She never changes who she is and she is always true to herself. She keeps me grounded and I am so blessed to have met someone with a soul like hers.
Since living in Florida, I have met a bunch of interesting people. Especially while working in the hospitality industry. You meet people from all walks of life, all corners of the globe. But there is one person who I have had the privilege of calling my friend. While working as a front desk agent I met this petite Portuguese girl. From day one I could tell that she would be the type of person I could have a good laugh with. Ten years later the laughs are still rolling in. Seriously. There have been times when we would have to stop working because we just could not stop laughing. Our friendship is truly a special one. We have been there through eachothers best and worst. Every time we are together, something out of a comedy movie always happens. We have cried together, laughed together, helped one another throughout hard times and called each other out when one of us makes a mistake. She always sees the good in every situation and always tries to be positive, no matter what. She reminds me that life is a blessing and we must always be grateful for every day we are alive and spending time with our loved ones. She reminds me that I am beautiful even when I am feeling less than and reassures me that it is OK to make mistakes. I thank God that I have someone like her in my life.
My friendship with these two women have truly shaped the person I am today. They are my real sanity breaks. They keep me grounded and always connected to the world. They help me view things from different perspectives and are always there when I need them. They make me smile when I am sad. Make me laugh when I am stressed or upset. They love me for who I am and I love them for who they are and who I am when I am with them (whoa, can you say that 5 times fast). Having a good friend is totally beneficial to your health. Having more than one makes you the luckiest person in the world. So in a world full of craziness and stress, my friends help keep my life balanced. My life, it’s Not Quite Zen, but they are helping me work on it.
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