Forever Friends

In my free time, like many other young women my age, I enjoy watching American TV sitcoms such as Friends and Sex and the city. They’re an easy way to wind down with their lighthearted humour and you are always guaranteed a laugh. But recently while I was watching yet another re run of Sex and the city, it got me thinking.Does anyone really have friends like that?

These loyal, trustworthy people, who would do anything for their friends, do they really exist, or are they just make-believe?

Although I know these sitcoms are purely fiction, the idea is supposed to be based on normal people and average friendships.

I know in my lifetime I have never had a friend like the ones they portray on TV. In fact, I have never had what I would class as even a good friend. So to me friendship is totally overrated. And I find it hard to believe that anyone would have a friend as good as the ones in these programmes.

Don’t get me wrong, there are people in my life that I get on great with and we have a good time. But that’s as far as it goes. Friends should be there through the bad times as well as the good. And when I’ve had my bad times, I have always found myself alone. Even through what should have been good times such as birthday celebrations, my so called friends were otherwise pre-occupied. Yet I always try my best to be a good friend but it never seems to be reciprocated.

But I am so used to being disappointed and let down by people, that I don’t expect much of anyone anymore. Yes, it would be nice to have a friend that you could trust and one that was always there for you, but I’ve learned to be realistic. It sounds cynical but I do live in hope and I would be happy to be proved wrong. Sometimes I think how can I be the only person without any REAL friends?

But is everyone as honest as me about their friendships?

Somehow I don’t think so. From the outside, relationships of any kind can be a lot different to what people perceive them to be. And I think most people wouldn’t like to admit that they didn’t have any close friends.

But I’ve realised that it’s ok to be a loner. Most people like me. And I still have a social life, which means it’s not me as a person that is the problem.

And through the years I’ve learned to be my own best friend. This incidentally has made me a stronger person. I am independent and there isn’t anything I am afraid to do on my own. Some people depend on people around them for everything, and when they have to do things for themselves they are totally lost. And for that, I count myself lucky to be the person that I am.